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“Love cannot be stifled, but it may die out.”
Affection cannot always be suppressed by command, but it can still change over time when the conditions that sustained it disappear.
Source note: The Moral Sayings of Publius Syrus, saying 39, D. Lyman Jr. translation (1856).
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“The will controls the beginnings of love, but not its endings.”
Entering a relationship may involve choice, but the later course of attachment can become more complicated than the decision that began it.
Source note: The Moral Sayings of Publius Syrus, saying 45, D. Lyman Jr. translation (1856).
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“Time, not the will, can put an end to love.”
The maxim distinguishes deliberate decision from emotional change, suggesting that some attachments fade through time rather than a single act of will.
Source note: The Moral Sayings of Publius Syrus, saying 43, D. Lyman Jr. translation (1856).
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“It is in thy power whenever thou shalt choose to retire into thyself.”
A person can create an inward pause even when external conditions are noisy, using reflection to restore order before returning to action.
Source note: Meditations, Book IV, in George Long’s translation; this is the central clause of the retreat passage.
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“My long-crushed spirit rose, cowardice departed, bold defiance took its place.”
Resistance restored a sense of personhood and self-command, marking a psychological turning point even before Douglass obtained legal freedom.
Source note: Narrative, Chapter X; the line follows Douglass’s physical resistance to Edward Covey and precedes his resolve never again to be a slave in fact.
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“And ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.”
Separation can expose the depth of attachment that ordinary familiarity concealed, making loss a painful measure of how much the bond mattered.
Source note: The Prophet, “On Love.”