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Absence cools moderate passions, and inflames violent ones.

Meaning: Distance fades mild affections but makes intense ones burn all the hotter.

Origin: From 'A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases' (1870). Public domain.

More proverbs about Wisdom

  • The absent are always at fault. — Those not present to defend themselves get the blame.
  • Give neither advice nor salt until you are asked for it. — Offer advice only when it's asked for; unsolicited counsel is rarely welcome.
  • What every one asks, what every one gives, but what very few take--advice. — Everyone seeks and gives advice, yet almost no one actually follows it.
  • Two of a trade seldom agree. — Rivals in the same business rarely agree; competition breeds friction between them.
  • Agues come on horseback, but go away on foot. — Sickness arrives suddenly but lingers, leaving far more slowly than it came.
  • None knows the weight of another's burden. — No one can truly feel how heavy another person's troubles are.

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