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But, by renouncing her in this way, he set her apart, making her into something extraordinary. She became dissociated, for him, from the carnal body that would never be his; and in his heart she soared higher and higher, receding ever further from him as if in some magnificent apotheosis. It was one of those pure emotions that remain quite disconnected from everyday life, that are cherished for their very rarity, and whose loss would bring misery more intense than the happiness inspired by their possession.

—Flaubert, Madame Bovary (via lovelyknots)

(via tristrapedia)