Charles Baudelaire Quotes

A collection of quotes by Charles Baudelaire.

Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) was a highly influential French poet, essayist, and literary critic. Born in Paris, Baudelaire was raised in a middle-class family, which provided him with a comfortable upbringing. However, he rebelled against conventional life and his family's wishes by pursuing an unconventional lifestyle and immersing himself in bohemian and artistic circles.

Baudelaire's poetic works, particularly his collection "Les Fleurs du Mal" (The Flowers of Evil), were groundbreaking and controversial. Published in 1857, the collection depicted themes of decadence, eroticism, and inner turmoil, challenging societal norms and exploring the darker facets of the human experience. While the collection garnered both praise and criticism for its provocative content, it solidified Baudelaire's reputation as a poetic genius.

Beyond his poetic contributions, Baudelaire also made significant contributions to literary criticism. His essays, collected in "Le Spleen de Paris" (also known as "Paris Spleen"), provided profound insights into various aspects of art and literature. Baudelaire's critical work influenced subsequent generations of writers and continues to be highly regarded to this day.

Despite struggling with financial difficulties and health issues, including a lifelong battle with syphilis, Baudelaire left a lasting impact on French literature. His poetry and critical writings broke away from traditional forms and content, inspiring generations of poets and artists to explore new realms of expression. Charles Baudelaire remains one of the most celebrated figures in French literature, recognized for his innovative style and profound exploration of human emotions and experiences.

The more a man cultivates the arts the less he fornicates. A

The more a man cultivates the arts the less he fornicates. A more and more apparent cleavage occurs between the spirit and the brute.

Charles Baudelaire

Art

A frenzied passion for art is a canker that devours everythi

A frenzied passion for art is a canker that devours everything else.

Charles Baudelaire

Art

It is unfortunately very true that, without leisure and mone

It is unfortunately very true that, without leisure and money, love can be no more than an orgy of the common man. Instead of being a sudden impulse full of ardor and reverie, it becomes a distastefully utilitarian affair.

Charles Baudelaire

Love

Every idea is endowed of itself with immortal life, like a h

Every idea is endowed of itself with immortal life, like a human being. All created form, even that which is created by man, is immortal. For form is independent of matter: molecules do not constitute form.

Charles Baudelaire

Immortality

The lover of life makes the whole world into his family, jus

The lover of life makes the whole world into his family, just as the lover of the fair sex creates his from all the lovely women he has found, from those that could be found, and those who are impossible to find.

Charles Baudelaire

Love

There is no more steely barb than that of the Infinite.

There is no more steely barb than that of the Infinite.

Charles Baudelaire

Infinity

Genius is no more than childhood recaptured at will, childho

Genius is no more than childhood recaptured at will, childhood equipped now with man's physical means to express itself, and with the analytical mind that enables it to bring order into the sum of experience, involuntarily amassed.

Charles Baudelaire

Genius

I consider it useless and tedious to represent what exists,

I consider it useless and tedious to represent what exists, because nothing that exists satisfies me. Nature is ugly, and I prefer the monsters of my fancy to what is positively trivial.

Charles Baudelaire

Fantasy

As a remedy against all ills; poverty, sickness, and melanch

As a remedy against all ills; poverty, sickness, and melancholy only one thing is absolutely necessary; a liking for work.

Charles Baudelaire

Health

Evil is done without effort, naturally, it is the working of

Evil is done without effort, naturally, it is the working of fate; good is always the product of an art.

Charles Baudelaire

Evil

All fashions are charming, or rather relatively charming, ea

All fashions are charming, or rather relatively charming, each one being a new striving, more or less well conceived, after beauty, an approximate statement of an ideal, the desire for which constantly teases the unsatisfied human mind.

Charles Baudelaire

Fashion