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"Love Conquers All": Analyzing Romance and Relationships Within The Great Gatsby

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Published: Jun 29, 2018

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“Omnia Vincit Amor”

Students unveil iconography in london’s virtual classroom.

Students in Professor Donatella Sparti’s  “Masterpieces of Art” explore the making of masterpieces and the development of genres in European Art, learning how to ‘read’ works of art. Theories discussed in class are tested during weekly visits to the National Gallery and other museums — or, during Spring 2020, close-up digital viewing of classic works.

In their final iconography essay, students are asked to analyse four pieces of art that make use of the same symbolism. Their task is to understand and explain how representations evolved over time. Through the assignment, students like Jordana showcase their historical knowledge, artistic understanding, and interpretive skills to assess and challenge the existing literature on masterpieces.

“Omnia Vincit Amor”: The Phrase That Sparked Inspiration

an interpretive critique by Jordana Levy

The phrase, “Omnia Vincit Amor” is undoubtedly one of the most important concepts to carry through life, from the Ancient Roman times to modern day. The idea of “Omnia Vincit Amor”, or love conquers all, was first introduced by the poet Virgil in his tenth Eclogue, which was published sometime around 37 B.C. (Kingsley-Smith 8). Therefore, according to author Jane Kinglsey-Smith, Virgil, “…coins a phrase that would inspire numerous Renaissance emblems, paintings, and poems” (8). The influence that this phrase had on the art that followed is something worthy of an in-depth analysis. Specifically, it is important to recognize the way Cupid has been used as an attribute of the allegory of love conquering all. Not only is Cupid used as a key attribute to identify the theme of love conquering all in the following paintings, but he has also been used as an allegory to represent the theme of love. This is a similarity that has appeared in all of the paintings that will be discussed in this essay, which span the years from 1540 to 1809. Therefore, Cupid functions as an essential figure in paintings across decades, representing the allegory of love conquering all, showcasing the similarities in the representation of this allegory over time.

essay writing on love conquers all

The third work that I am going to examine, in following with the allegorical depiction of love conquering all, is Allegory on the Power of Love (‘Omnia Vincit Amor’) by Alessandro Turchi. This painting was made between 1620-1630, and is oil on canvas. It is currently located in the Mauritshuis in the Netherlands. Turchi is best known for being a Veronese painter who traveled to Rome to continue his art, “…embarking on a highly successful career that was to last for several decades and bring him prestigious commissions and international renown” (Scaglietti Kelescian and Marinelli 638). Cupid is clearly present in this work, as he is at the center and is seen with both a bow and an arrow. This painting is slightly stylistically different than the other two paintings that were previously examined because, in this work, Cupid is aiming his arrow at the viewer. My interpretation of the position of Cupid’s arrow is that he is intending to shoot at the viewer, so he or she can fall in love, too. Therefore, although in the painting Cupid is still used as a personification of love and is depicted conquering all, by aiming at the viewer, it introduces the notion that anyone in love can conquer all. Cupid is pictured multiple times throughout this work, and in each depiction he is seen drawing his bow and arrow to get ready to shoot. I believe that this is an extension of my prior interpretation. Not only is Cupid shooting an arrow at the viewer so he or she would fall in love and conquer all, he is also shooting at various characters across the painting. He is using love as a tool to overcome the seemingly tumultuous situation depicted in Turchi’s work. Again, Cupid is used as a personification of love and serves as an attribute to help decipher the theme of “omnia vincit amor”, or love conquers all.

essay writing on love conquers all

The iconography of Cupid personifying love and serving as an attribute, in the allegory of love conquering all, is one that defies time. This fact is clear, as it remained true from the first work I observed from the 1600s, all the way through the final work from the 1800s. I chose to study this allegory as I was fascinated by the impact that Virgil’s words had on Renaissance art. Additionally, I believe that the theme of love conquering all is still prevalent today, thereby transcending time. I enjoyed analyzing these works because all of the elements that the paintings were comprised of were easily identifiable and relatable, even though they were made decades ago. Additionally, I found the various interpretations of the same phrase, “Omnia vincit amor” to be incredibly interesting. Although the same character, Cupid, was always depicted for the purpose of representing love in the idea of love conquering all, the ways different artists from different time periods represented “all” was fascinating. Overall, the way the same iconography was represented similarly over the span of decades was astounding to witness.The iconography of Cupid personifying love and serving as an attribute, in the allegory of love conquering all, is one that defies time. This fact is clear, as it remained true from the first work I observed from the 1600s, all the way through the final work from the 1800s. I chose to study this allegory as I was fascinated by the impact that Virgil’s words had on Renaissance art. Additionally, I believe that the theme of love conquering all is still prevalent today, thereby transcending time. I enjoyed analyzing these works because all of the elements that the paintings were comprised of were easily identifiable and relatable, even though they were made decades ago. Additionally, I found the various interpretations of the same phrase, “Omnia vincit amor” to be incredibly interesting. Although the same character, Cupid, was always depicted for the purpose of representing love in the idea of love conquering all, the ways different artists from different time periods represented “all” was fascinating. Overall, the way the same iconography was represented similarly over the span of decades was astounding to witness.

Bibliography

  • Aikema, Bernard. 2000. Review of  Alessandro Turchi detto l’Orbetto 1578-1649  edited by Daniela Scaglietti Kelescian.  The Burlington Magazine , 142(1171): 638–640.
  • Department of European Paintings, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2003. “Titian (ca. 1485/90–1576).” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History . New York.  https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/tita/hd_tita.htm
  • Gregori, Mina, et al. 1985.  The Age of Caravaggio . Metropolitan Museum of Art.
  • Jones, Jonathan. 2014.  The Loves of the Artists: Art and Passion in the Renaissance . Simon & Schuster.
  • Kingsley-Smith, Jane. 2013. Cupid in Early Modern Literature and Culture.  Cambridge University Press.
  • The National Gallery. nd. “Michelangelo Merisi Da Caravaggio.”  https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/michelangelo-merisi-da-caravaggio
  • Posèq, Avigdor W. G. 1993. “Caravaggio’s ‘Amor Vincitore’ And The Supremacy Of Painting.” Notes in the History of Art , 12(4).
  • Whistler, Catherine. 2009. “Titian’s ‘Triumph of Love’.” The Burlington Magazine , 151(1277): 536–542
  • Whistler, Catherine. 2012. “Uncovering Beauty: Titian’s ‘Triumph of Love’ in the Vendramin Collection.” Renaissance Studies , 26(2): 218–242,.

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The Great Gatsby

“love conquers all”: analyzing romance and relationships within the great gatsby libby giesbrecht college.

Love relationships consume a substantial portion of public attention, whether in regards to legitimate bonds, media exposure, or literary portrayal. In The Great Gatsby , a number of love relationships are introduced and explored, including the bonds between Myrtle and George Wilson, Daisy and Tom Buchanan, as well as Daisy and Jay Gatsby. Notably, however, few of these relationships seem to consist of any genuine substance, leaving the reader to question the truthfulness and the depth of affection within each couple. Relationships proposed in The Great Gatsby can be examined on the basis of passion, emotional intimacy, and commitment between partners in order to determine the convincingness (or lack thereof) of each pairing.

According to Merriam-Webster, passion can be defined as “strong romantic or sexual feelings” directed towards a cause or being. This type of feeling is overwhelmingly lacking in Myrtle and George Wilson’s relationship. George is a meek man, completely controlled by his wife, Myrtle. They have no children, and Myrtle is introduced in the narrative through her involvement with Tom Buchanan. Myrtle is cold towards and has little or no regard for her husband; the statement “She... walk[ed] through her husband...

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essay writing on love conquers all




(1889-1945)

by Robert Benchley strangely enough does not touch upon romance at all! However, these delightful notes provide hours of browsing pleasure for young and old readers alike.

Robert Benchley was a well-known humorist and newspaper columnist, radio and television presenter, actor, scriptwriter and broadcaster. He is also credited with creating the first ever television entertainment show and one of his iconic short films, won an Academy Award in 1936.

is a collection of short pieces which were published in various newspapers and journals like the The New York Tribune, Life, The New York World and several other consolidated press agencies. Benchley's tongue-in-cheek humor and his zany commentary on the world around him have continued to delight readers since they were first compiled in book form in 1922. The quirky illustrations by the famous cartoonist Gluyas Williams add to the book's appeal.

Some of the essays in the volume include titles such as and a host of other topics.

Between 1919-29, Benchley and other greats of American humor formed the famous Algonquin Round Table Club. The members included Dorothy Parker, Alexander Woollcott, George Kaufmann, Harpo Marx and many others whose wacky takes on life continue to delight readers even today. The Algonquin Club which met regularly at the historic Algonquin Hotel in New York. The members whose numbers expanded to include literary greats like Edna Ferber and Heywood Broun. The meetings resulted in the founding of the New Yorker magazine and even today, all guests at the hotel receive free copies of the magazine. The members who referred to themselves as the Vicious Circle had a great influence over literature and journalism of the era. Fitzgerald and Hemingway were also greatly influenced by the ideas of the Vicious Circle. Today the Round Table restaurant at the Algonquin is a mecca for literature buffs.

Benchley's style is upper-class, genteel, literary and is characterized by extensive puns and word play. However, some of his pieces are distinctly of the “cracker-barrel” variety of fun, relying on exaggerations, slapstick and dialects. He had a big influence on humorists ranging from James Thurber to Dave Barry. He wrote more than 600 essays and short pieces which were compiled into more than a dozen volumes, which continue to be published by major publishers. His short films are becoming more and more popular today.

An amusing addition to your humor collection!

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. » Expansion of Ideas » Love Conquers All

Expansion of an Idea – “Love Conquers All” for Students / Teachers / Parents

Explore the timeless idea that “Love conquers all”. Here, we delve into the power of love to overcome obstacles, break down barriers, and transform lives.

In today’s world, we face many challenges, including political division, social inequality, and environmental degradation. However, we believe that love can be a powerful force for change, inspiring us to work together towards a more just and compassionate society.

Hence, it is the belief that love is a transformative force, capable of bringing people together and inspiring positive change in the world.

Love Conquers All

  • Love Conquers All

The proverb “Love conquers all” implies that the power of love is greater than any obstacle, hardship or adversity that we may face in life. This phrase suggests that love is a powerful and transformative force that can overcome even the most challenging of circumstances.

The idea that love can conquer all has been a recurring theme throughout history, literature, and popular culture. From Shakespeare’s famous tragedy Romeo and Juliet to contemporary romantic comedies, stories often depict how love can transcend boundaries of social status, race, religion, and even death.

Love is a complex emotion that can inspire individuals to do extraordinary things. It can motivate people to overcome obstacles, push through challenges, and make sacrifices for the ones they love. In relationships, love can help to overcome differences and conflicts, building stronger and more meaningful connections between individuals.

Moreover, love is often associated with positive emotions such as happiness, joy, and contentment, which can contribute to overall well-being and mental health. Love can bring people together, fostering a sense of community and support that can provide comfort and strength during difficult times.

However, it’s important to note that love alone may not always be enough to conquer every obstacle or challenge. Love needs to be accompanied by other important values such as respect, communication, and understanding to overcome some of the more complex issues that may arise.

In conclusion, the proverb “Love conquers all” emphasizes the power of love to overcome obstacles and difficulties. Love can inspire individuals to overcome challenges, build stronger relationships, and foster positive emotions such as happiness and joy. While love may not be enough to overcome every challenge, it can be a powerful force that motivates us to strive for positive change in our lives and in the world around us.

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Book Reviews | Open Book Society

Read, review & discuss, obs speaks out: why does love conquer all.

Why Does Love Conquer All?

We’ve all heard it time and time again that “love conquers all.”  It’s rampant throughout romantic comedies, novels, and television shows.  It’s easy to say that everyone wants a happy ending, but is there more to it?

First, let’s begin with the origin of this phrase.  The phrase, omnia vincit amor , can be traced back to the works of the Roman poet Virgil who influenced the likes of Keats and Shakespeare.  Virgil was considered by many to have prophesied the birth of Christ the Messiah with his 4 th Eclogue, which told the tale of the coming of a little boy who would restore order to the world.  This made the works of this “pagan poet” much more appealing to the Christians who would later read his works.

Continuing with the Messianic theme, the prevalent theme of Jesus’ teachings in the New Testament is love.  In Mark 12:30-3, Christ tells his followers, 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ [ a ] 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ [ b ] There is no commandment greater than these.” In Christianity, this commandment is above the Ten Commandments given to Moses.  This isn’t to say that those should be disregarded, but there is no way to honor those commandments without keeping this one given by Christ.  Without love in your heart, one cannot keep from coveting, hating, killing, stealing, or committing the other sins against man and God.  Continuing through Scripture, we come to the end with the Christian’s apocalyptic message found in the Book of Revelation.  In the end, God will triumph over Satan.  This is perhaps the most important scenarios of love conquering all, because we are told in John 4:8 that “ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” Because God is love and God defeats Satan, then love conquers all. This is the obvious desired outcome for all of humanity because no one, regardless of religious preferences, wants to live in a world of pure evil with no light or hope within it.

Moving along to authors influenced by Virgil’s works, we have the likes of William Shakespeare.  Shakespeare was also influenced by the works of the Roman poet Ovid.  In Metamorphoses, Ovid tells the tale of Pyramus and Thisbe which tells a similar tale. Where would modern romance be today without the romantic tragedy of Romeo and Juliet? While he was not the original creator of this story, his influence on the works that followed is immense.  How many books would have never been written without the inspiration of this play?  How many movies would never exist without this foundation?  We all know the story of these lovers who never seem to catch a break and end up killing themselves because they believe that the other is dead.  While these two star-crossed lovers do not get their happy ending, their death reconciles their feuding families.  The love that they could not share in this world carried over to their families, driving away the hatred that they felt for one another.  Even in the end of this tragedy, love did conquer all.

And, finally, we simply have human nature and the way things are in this world.  Rational or not, most people have a fear of the dark – it represents dark, sinister, and evil things.  Light represents love, happiness, and things that are good in the world.  Going back to our Shakespeare reference, Romeo describes Juliet as being “like the sun” and “brighter than a torch”.  It’s only natural that we would want to be in the light.  In most horror movies, the monsters disappear when the sun comes up.  We want the darkness to end and to be in the light.

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[…] doubt on what I consider the delusional myth that love conquers all, heals all, and cures all ills. This belief has been a part of our culture for years. Take the musical “Annie,” for instance. Brought up unloved in an orphanage offering nothing […]

essay writing on love conquers all

Mark D. White Ph.D.

  • Relationships

Can Love Conquer All?

What movies new and old tell us about the power of love.

Posted August 10, 2012

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I recently watched two movies, both of them well-made, entertaining, and utterly romantic, but representing very different viewpoints on the power of love: one idealistic and one realistic. I tend toward the idealistic myself, but at first even I found the first movie’s message of “with love, nothing is impossible” naïve, while the second movie’s message that “love can’t solve everything” was more realistic, but ultimately heartbreaking. Is there a middle ground? Can hopeless romantics (like me) soar on the wings of love while still keeping our feet on the ground? (There’s nothing like mixing metaphors in the morning.)

essay writing on love conquers all

The first movie was Brigadoon (1954), starring the incomparable Gene Kelly and the transcendent Cyd Charisse. (Adjectives simply fail these two screen legends.) Based on the classic Broadway musical, Brigadoon tells the story of an old-fashioned village in the Scottish Highlands that appears in our world only one day every 100 years, then disappearing into the mists, its residents asleep for the “night,” while the next century passes. While vacationing, Kelly and his friend (played by Van Johnson) stumble upon Brigadoon during one of its rare appearances, and Kelly falls in love with one of the villagers, played by Charisse. (Of course, this is told in dance rather than words, but that’s fine with me.)

But their love seems doomed: if she leaves Brigadoon, the town will disappear forever, and if he stays, he gives up his life in the modern world. At the end of the day, he leaves Brigadoon and Charisse, but soon after returning to New York City, he realizes he can’t live without her, and returns to the site of Brigadoon, despite knowing his search is futile. But wait —Brigadoon amazingly reappears, solely due to Kelly and Charisse’s love, and a recurring theme of the movie (and play) is affirmed. In the words of a town elder, “if ye love someone deeply, anythin' is possible.”

essay writing on love conquers all

The second movie was Like Crazy (2011), the contemporary story of two college students, played by Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin, who fall in love but struggle with the many obstacles that life throws in their path. The first part of the movie tells the story of their romance, including all the sentimental details that we treasure in our own relationships but can find nauseating in others. (She, a writer, gives him a scrapbook of their romance, including poems, pictures, and pockets with hidden notes; he, a budding furniture designer, makes his first piece of furniture for her, a writing chair.) Anyway, the viewer is left with no doubt that these two people are madly—even crazy—in love.

But then life interferes, in some ways randomly but in one important way due to their own action. Specifically, Jones overstays her student visa to spend a few more weeks with Yelchin, but after returning to her native England, finds she cannot return to the States. This forced separation introduces a crack into their relationship, which many trips abroad by Yelchin—including one in which he and Jones marry—cannot help mend. Other people pass through their individual lives while apart, and although they end up together at the end, the viewer is left with the strong impression that their fantastic romance has been irreparably damaged.

essay writing on love conquers all

But it would be too easy to grow cynical and dismiss the fantasy of the all-powerful love that can overcome anything life has to offer. This is still the ideal, the dream, what we should hope for and aspire to—as long as we don’t expect it or rely on it. Because we never know—any relationship we start could be the one that works, the one that comes close to the fairy tale, and the one that survives all the intrusions and setbacks that fall under the heading of “life”. Of course, there isn’t some entity called Love that will solve these problems for us—we have to do that ourselves. But a great love can inspire us to work to overcome these problems, changing the world to make it fit our love rather than letting the world say no.

essay writing on love conquers all

Perhaps that’s the most disturbing fairy-tale aspect of Brigadoon : Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse didn’t do anything to bring Brigadoon back so they could be together. They didn’t fight against all odds and sacrifice other things they cared about to prove their love to each other. He just came back to Scotland and woke up the town. (“My bad.”) On the other hand, Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin struggled for years to make their relationship work, but, in the end, they couldn’t. And it doesn’t always work, of course— but sometimes it does , and the important thing to remember is that we can never know when it will work and when it won’t. There are enough real-life stories of unbeatable love out there that seem like fairy tales, but which have inspiring stories of devotion, sacrifice, and struggle behind them.

If Brigadoon is the ideal, then Like Crazy is the cautionary tale. We can still believe that when you love someone deeply enough, anything is possible—in fact, we have to believe that, or we’ve given up before anything has even begun. But it isn’t just going to work out by itself; you have to do your best to make it work. (Just don’t wake up everyone else in the process.)

essay writing on love conquers all

A categorized list of some of my other PT posts can be found at my personal website here .

You can follow me on Twitter and also at the following blogs: Economics and Ethics , The Comics Professor , and my homepage/blog .

Mark D. White Ph.D.

Mark D. White, Ph.D., is the chair of the Department of Philosophy at the College of Staten Island/CUNY.

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essay writing on love conquers all

Publius Vergilius Maro (October 15, 70 BC – September 21, 19 BC), known in English as Virgil or Vergil , was a Roman poet, the author of the Eclogues , the Georgics and the Aeneid , the last being an epic poem of twelve books that became the Roman Empire's national epic.

  • 1.1 Eclogues (37 BC)
  • 1.2 Georgics (29 BC)
  • 1.3.1 Book I
  • 1.3.2 Book II
  • 1.3.3 Book III
  • 1.3.4 Book IV
  • 1.3.5 Book V
  • 1.3.6 Book VI
  • 1.3.7 Book VII
  • 1.3.8 Book VIII
  • 1.3.9 Book IX
  • 1.3.10 Book X
  • 1.3.11 Book XI
  • 1.3.12 Book XII
  • 2 Attributed
  • 3 Misattributed
  • 4 Quotes about Virgil
  • 6 External links

Eclogues (37 BC)

  • To compare great things with small.
  • Book I, line 23 (tr. H. Rushton Fairclough)
  • Trust not too much to that enchanting face; Beauty's a charm, but soon the charm will pass.
  • Book II, line 17 (tr. John Dryden)
  • Everyone is dragged on by their favorite pleasure.
  • Book II, line 65
  • What madness has seized you?
  • Book II, line 69

essay writing on love conquers all

  • Every field, every tree is now budding; now the woods are green, now the year is at its loveliest.
  • Book III, lines 56–57 (tr. Fairclough)
  • A snake lurks in the grass.
  • Book III, line 93
  • The great line of the centuries begins anew.
  • Compare: Novus ordo seclorum ("New order of the ages"), motto on the reverse side of the Great Seal of the United States .
  • Begin, baby boy, to recognize your mother with a smile.
  • Book IV, line 60 (tr. Fairclough)

essay writing on love conquers all

Nunc scio quid sit Amor.

  • Now I know what Love is.
  • Book VIII, line 43 (tr. R. C. Trevelyan)
  • We cannot all do everything.
  • Book VIII, line 63 (tr. Fairclough)
  • Your descendants shall gather your fruits.
  • Book IX, line 50
  • Time bears away all things, even our minds .
  • Book IX, line 51
  • Let us go singing as far as we go: the road will be less tedious.
  • Book IX, line 64
  • Love conquers all ; let us, too, yield to Love!
  • Book X, line 69 (tr. Fairclough)

Georgics (29 BC)

  • Look with favor upon a bold beginning.
  • Book I, line 40
  • O farmers, pray that your summers be wet and your winters clear.
  • Book I, lines 100–101
  • Practice and thought might gradually forge many an art .
  • Book I, lines 133–134

essay writing on love conquers all

  • Toil conquered the world, unrelenting toil , and want that pinches when life is hard.
  • Compare: Labor omnia vincit ("Work conquers all"), the state motto of Oklahoma .
  • Above all, worship the gods.
  • Book I, line 338 (tr. Fairclough)
  • So strong is habit in tender years.
  • Compare: "Just as the twig is bent, the tree's inclined." Alexander Pope , Moral Essays: Epistle I (1734), line 150.
  • How lucky , if they know their happiness , Are farmers , more than lucky, they for whom, Far from the clash of arms, the earth herself, Most fair in dealing, freely lavishes An easy livelihood.
  • Book II, lines 458–460 (tr. L. P. Wilkinson)
  • Let my delight be the country , and the running streams amid the dells—may I love the waters and the woods , though I be unknown to fame .
  • Book II, lines 485–486 (tr. Fairclough)

essay writing on love conquers all

  • Blessed is he who has been able to win knowledge of the causes of things.
  • John Dryden 's translation: Happy the man, who, studying nature's laws, Thro' known effects can trace the secret cause.
  • In youth alone, unhappy mortals live; But, ah! the mighty bliss is fugitive: Discolored sickness, anxious labor, come, And age, and death 's inexorable doom.
  • Book III, lines 66–68 (tr. John Dryden).
  • Love is lord of all , and is in all the same.
  • Book III, lines 242–244 (tr. John Dryden).
  • But meanwhile it is flying, irretrievable time is flying.
  • Compare Poor Richard's maxim of 1748: "Lost Time is never found again."
  • Vice thrives and lives by concealment.
  • Book III, line 454
  • If we may compare small things with great.
  • Book IV, line 176 (tr. Fairclough). Cf. Eclogues 1.23.
  • There is no place for death.
  • Book IV, line 226
  • The fates call.
  • Book IV, line 496
  • In those days I, Virgil, was nursed of sweet Parthenope , and rejoiced in the arts of inglorious ease.
  • Book IV, lines 563–564 (tr. Fairclough)

Aeneid (29–19 BC)

essay writing on love conquers all

Arma virumque cano.

  • I sing of arms and a man.
  • Can such resentment hold the minds of gods?
  • Line 11 (tr. Allen Mandelbaum)
  • So hard and huge a task it was to found the Roman people.
  • Line 33 (tr. Robert Fitzgerald)
  • O three and four times blessed !
  • Here and there are seen swimmers in the vast abyss.
  • Line 118 (tr. Fairclough)

essay writing on love conquers all

Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit.

Some day, perhaps, remembering even this will be a pleasure.

essay writing on love conquers all

  • Rage supplies arms.
  • Friends and companions, Have we not known hard hours before this? My men, who have endured still greater dangers, God will grant us an end to these as well.
  • Lines 198–199 (tr. Robert Fitzgerald)
  • Some day, perhaps, remembering even this Will be a pleasure .
  • Line 203 (tr. Robert Fitzgerald)
  • Endure, and keep yourselves for days of happiness.
  • John Dryden's translation: Endure the hardships of your present state, Live , and reserve yourselves for better fate .
  • The leader of the enterprise a woman .
  • Line 364 (tr. Fairclough); of Dido .
  • Following what is decreed by fate.
  • Wonderful to tell.
  • Even here, merit will have its true reward... even here, the world is a world of tears and the burdens of mortality touch the heart.
  • Lines 461–462 (tr. Robert Fagles)

essay writing on love conquers all

  • A mind conscious of its own rectitude.
  • Your honor, your name, your praise will live forever.
  • Line 609 (tr. Fagles); Aeneas to Dido.
  • No stranger to trouble myself I am learning to care for the unhappy.
  • Line 630, as translated in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations (1999); spoken by Dido.
  • Sorrow too deep to tell, your majesty, You order me to feel and tell once more.
  • Line 3 (tr. Robert Fitzgerald); these are the opening words of Aeneas's narrative about the fall of Troy, addressed to Queen Dido of Carthage.
  • Who could tell such things and still refrain from tears ?
  • Lines 6 and 8 (tr. Fagles)

essay writing on love conquers all

  • Do not trust the horse, Trojans. Whatever it is, I fear the Greeks even when they bring gifts.
  • Lines 48–49; Trojan priest of Apollo warning against the wooden horse left by the Greeks.
  • Prepared for either alternative.
  • From one learn all.
  • Lines 65–66 (tr. Fairclough)
  • I shudder as I tell the tale.
  • Line 204 (tr. Fairclough)
  • Amid the friendly silence of the peaceful moon.
  • Line 255 (tr. Fairclough)
  • How changed from what he once was!
  • I wait with listening ears.
  • Line 303 (tr. Fairclough)
  • It is come—the last day and inevitable hour for Troy.
  • Lines 324–325 (tr. Fairclough)
  • The only hope for the doomed is no hope at all.
  • Line 354. Variant translation: The only safe course for the defeated is to expect no safety.
  • The gods thought otherwise.
  • Force finds a way.
  • Line 494 (tr. Fairclough)

essay writing on love conquers all

Auri sacra fames!

  • To what extremes won't you compel our hearts, you accursed lust for gold?
  • Lines 56–57 (tr. Robert Fagles); the murder of Polydorus .
  • Rumor flies.
  • Line 121 (tr. Fagles)
  • An awful misshapen monster, huge, his eyelight lost.
  • Line 658 (tr. Mandelbaum); of Polyphemus .

essay writing on love conquers all

  • Fear is the proof of a degenerate mind.
  • I feel once more the scars of the old flame .
  • Line 23 (tr. C. Day Lewis); Dido acknowledging her love for Aeneas.
  • Rumor , swiftest of all the evils in the world.
  • Line 174 (tr. Robert Fagles)
  • Who can deceive a lover?
  • I shall never deny what you deserve, my queen, never regret my memories of Dido, not while I can recall myself and draw the breath of life.
  • Lines 334–336 (tr. Fagles); Aeneas to Dido.
  • I sail for Italy not of my own free will.
  • Line 361 (tr. Fitzgerald); Aeneas to Dido.
  • Unconscionable Love , To what extremes will you not drive our hearts!
  • Line 412 (tr. Fitzgerald)
  • Unconscionable Love, bane and tormentor of mankind, parent of strife, fountain of tears, source of a thousand ills.
  • Apollonius of Rhodes , Argonautica , IV, 445–447 (tr. E. V. Rieu)
  • Fate withstands.
  • Line 440 (tr. Fairclough)
  • Fickle and changeable always is woman.
  • Lines 569–570

essay writing on love conquers all

  • Let someone arise from my bones as an Avenger.
  • I have lived and journeyed through the course assigned by fortune. And now my Shade will pass, illustrious, beneath the earth.
  • Lines 653–654 (tr. Allen Mandelbaum)
  • "I shall die unavenged, but I shall die," she says. "Thus, thus, I gladly go below to shadows."
  • Lines 659–660 (tr. Allen Mandelbaum)
  • What a woman can do in frenzy.
  • Line 6 (tr. Fairclough)
  • Hug the shore.
  • Line 163 (tr. Fairclough)

essay writing on love conquers all

Possunt, quia posse videntur.

  • They can because they think they can.
  • Line 231 (tr. John Conington)
  • An ornament and a safeguard.
  • Line 262; inscription on some British one-pound coins up until 2015. The line was suggested by John Evelyn for the edge legend on the new milled coinage of Charles II of England from 1662 on to discourage clipping. He had seen it on the edge of a mirror belonging to Cardinal Richelieu (recorded in his book Numismata in 1697). The suggestion was adopted.
  • Yield to God .
  • Every misfortune is to be subdued by patience .
  • Wars , horrid wars.
  • Yield not to misfortunes, but advance all the more boldly against them.
  • Wrapping truth in darkness.
  • Line 100 (tr. Fairclough)

essay writing on love conquers all

  • The gates of hell are open night and day ; Smooth the descent, and easy is the way: But to return, and view the cheerful skies, In this the task and mighty labor lies.
  • Variant translation: It is easy to go down into Hell; Night and day, the gates of dark Death stand wide; But to climb back again, to retrace one's steps to the upper air— There's the rub, the task.
  • John Milton , Paradise Lost , Book II, line 432
  • Faithful Achates .
  • Line 158; phrase often applied to a friend or relative who remains faithful at all events—Achates was Aeneas' most faithful friend.
  • Away, away, unhallowed ones!
  • Line 258 (tr. Fairclough)
  • Now, Aeneas, is the hour for courage, now for a dauntless heart!
  • Line 261 (tr. Fairclough); Sibyl's words to Aeneas as they enter the underworld.
  • Ye realms, yet unrevealed to human sight, Ye gods who rule the regions of the night, Ye gliding ghosts, permit me to relate The mystic wonders of your silent state!
  • Lines 264–267 (tr. John Dryden)

essay writing on love conquers all

Quisque suos patimur manis.

  • Each of us bears his own Hell.
  • Obscure they went through dreary shades, that led Along the waste dominions of the dead.
  • Lines 268–269 (tr. John Dryden)
  • Hunger that persuades to evil.
  • Death 's own brother Sleep .
  • Line 278 (tr. Fairclough)
  • There all stood begging to be first across And reached out longing hands to the far shore.
  • Lines 313–314 (tr. Robert Fitzgerald)
  • Cease to think that the decrees of the gods can be changed by prayers.
  • Be warned; learn ye to be just and not to slight the gods !
  • Line 620 (H. Rushton Fairclough)
  • This man sold his country for gold.
  • Nay, had I a hundred tongues, a hundred mouths, and voice of iron, I could not sum up all the forms of crime, or rehearse all the tale of torments.
  • Lines 625–627 (tr. H. R. Fairclough); the punishments of the Inferno.
  • They who bettered life on earth by new-found mastery.
  • Line 663 (tr. William Morris); the blessed in Elysium . A paraphrase of this is inscribed on the Nobel prize medals for Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, and Literature: Inventas vitam juvat excoluisse per artes ("inventions enhance life which is beautified through art").

essay writing on love conquers all

Mens agitat molem.

  • Mind moves matter.

essay writing on love conquers all

  • I will teach you your destiny.
  • Line 759 (tr. Stanley Lombardo)
  • Roman, remember by your strength to rule Earth's people—for your arts are to be these: To pacify, to impose the rule of law, To spare the conquered, battle down the proud.
  • Lines 851–853 (tr. Robert Fitzgerald)
  • You will be Marcellus .
  • Give lilies with full hands.
  • There are twin Gates of Sleep. One, they say, is called the Gate of Horn and it offers easy passage to all true shades. The other glistens with ivory, radiant, flawless, but through it the dead send false dreams up toward the sky.
  • Lines 893–896 (tr. Fagles); the gates of horn and ivory .

essay writing on love conquers all

  • A greater history opens before my eyes, A greater task awaits me.
  • Lines 44–45 (tr. Robert Fitzgerald)
  • If I cannot sway the heavens, I'll wake the powers of hell!
  • Variant translation: If I am unable to make the gods above relent, I shall move Hell.
  • John Milton , Paradise Lost (1667), Book I, line 263
  • Alexander Pope , The Dunciad , Book III, line 307
  • Fear gave wings to his feet.
  • Line 224 (tr. C. Day Lewis)
  • By the aid of art.
  • Line 442; cf. 12.427.
  • If only Jupiter would give me back The past years and the man I was...
  • Line 560 (tr. Robert Fitzgerald)

essay writing on love conquers all

  • Do the gods light this fire in our hearts or does each man's mad desire become his god?
  • Lines 184–185 (tr. Fagles)
  • I cannot bear a mother's tears.
  • Euryalus In death went reeling down, And blood streamed on his handsome length, his neck Collapsing let his head fall on his shoulder— As a bright flower cut by a passing plow Will droop and wither slowly, or a poppy Bow its head upon its tired stalk When overborne by a passing rain.
  • Lines 433–437 (tr. Fitzgerald)
  • He bent drooping his head to one side, as a garden poppy bends beneath the weight of its yield and the rains of springtime; so his head bent slack to one side beneath the helm's weight.
  • Homer , Iliad , VIII, 306–308 (tr. R. Lattimore)

essay writing on love conquers all

Nulla dies umquam memori vos eximet aevo.

"No day shall erase you from the memory of time"

  • How fortunate, both at once! If my songs have any power, the day will never dawn that wipes you from the memory of the ages, not while the house of Aeneas stands by the Capitol's rock unshaken, not while the Roman Father rules the world.
  • Lines 446–449 (tr. Robert Fagles)
  • Jove almighty, nod assent to the daring work I have in hand!
  • Compare: Annuit cœptis ("[God] has favored our undertaking"), motto on the reverse side of the Great Seal of the United States .
  • Blessings on your young courage , boy; that's the way to the stars .
  • Fate will find a way.

essay writing on love conquers all

  • Fortune favors the bold .
  • Fortune favors the brave.
  • Fortune helps the daring.
  • Fortune sides with him who dares.
  • Fortune is given to brave men.
  • Ennius , Annales , 257
  • Every man's last day is fixed. Lifetimes are brief and not to be regained, For all mankind. But by their deeds to make Their fame last: that is labor for the brave.
  • Lines 467–469 (tr. Robert Fitzgerald)
  • Trust the expert.
  • Line 283; cf. " experto crede ".
  • Trust one who has gone through it.
  • Believe one who has had experience .
  • Each one his own hope.
  • There is no salvation in war.
  • Line 362 (tr. L. R. Lind)

essay writing on love conquers all

  • The attempts to heal enflame the fever more.
  • Line 46 (tr. Fagles)
  • Who knows? Better times may come to those in pain.
  • Line 153 (tr. Fagles)
  • Learn fortitude and toil from me, my son, Ache of true toil. Good fortune learn from others.
  • Lines 435–436 (tr. Robert Fitzgerald)

essay writing on love conquers all

  • Is it then so sad a thing to die?
  • Line 646 (tr. Alexander Thomson)
  • Go no further down the road of hatred.
  • Line 938 (tr. Robert Fagles); Turnus asking Aeneas for mercy.
  • And with a groan for that indignity His spirit fled into the gloom below.
  • Line 952 (tr. Robert Fitzgerald)
  • I am the poet who once tuned his song On a slender reed and then leaving the woods Compelled the fields to obey the hungry farmer, A pleasing work. But now War's grim and savage ...
  • Spurious opening lines of the Aeneid (tr. Stanley Lombardo), not found in the earliest manuscripts. Attributed to Virgil on the authority of "the grammarian Nisus", who claimed to have "heard from older men" that Varius had "emended the beginning of the first book by striking out" the four introductory lines, as reported in Suetonius ' Life of Vergil , 42 (Loeb translation). John Conington , in his Commentary on Vergil's Aeneid , remarks: "The external evidence of such a story it is impossible to estimate, but its existence suspiciously indicates that the lines were felt to require apology" (Vol. II, p. 30).
  • It is easier to steal the club of Hercules than a line from Homer .
  • As quoted by Asconius Pedianus , and reported in Suetonius - Donatus , Vita Vergili ( Life of Virgil ), 46 .
  • I made these little verses, another took the honor.
  • Epigram attributed to Virgil in Donatus ' Life of Virgil .

essay writing on love conquers all

Cecini pascua, rura, duces.

  • Death twitches my ear. "Live," he says. "I am coming."
  • Appendix Virgiliana , Copa 38.
  • Many colors blend into one.
  • Compare: E pluribus unum ("Out of many, one"), motto on the Great Seal of the United States .
  • I sang of pastures, farms, and commanders.
  • Inscription on Virgil's tomb in Naples (tr. Bernard Knox).

Misattributed

  • Presence diminishes fame.
  • Claudian , De Bello Gildonico , 385
  • Wrongly attributed to Virgil in an "undoubtedly spurious Italian epistle sometimes printed in [ Dante 's] works". ( Edward Moore , Studies in Dante [1896], footnote on p. 240.)
  • From Book II of Dryden 's Aeneid ; no exact Latin equivalent exists in Virgil's work, but compare: " Dolus, an virtus, quis in hoste requirat? " ( Aeneid 2.390).
  • Life's short span forbids us to enter on far reaching hopes.
  • Horace , Odes , Book I, ode iv, line 15
  • I sing for maidens and boys.
  • Horace , Odes , Book III, ode i, line 4
  • As money grows, care follows it and the hunger for more.
  • Horace , Odes , Book III, ode xvi, lines 17–18
  • At times the world sees straight, but many times the world goes astray.
  • Horace , Epistles , Book II, epistle i, line 63

essay writing on love conquers all

  • The noblest motive is the public good.
  • Richard Steele , in The Spectator . Compare Aeneid 6.823: Vincet amor patriae ("Love of country shall prevail").
  • "In The City of God Augustine quoted the line but changed the verb from the future to the present tense ( vincet  › vincit ). That form became a traditional quotation, often reprinted and reproduced on medals, monuments, and family crests. [...] "Vincit amor patriae" appeared at the head of Spectator no. 200 (October 19, 1711) without translation. The essays from the Spectator were published and republished as books as early as 1713. To assist readers who lacked Latin or Greek, the editors of the 1744 edition provided English translations for its epigraphs; to "Vincit amor patriae" was added "The noblest Motive is the Publick Good." It stuck. The translation was modernized and made its way into innumerable texts and onto public buildings. It is inscribed on the ceiling of the south corridor of the Library of Congress and attributed to Virgil. A mistranslation became a quotation." —Willis Goth Regier, Quotology (2010), pp. 40–41.

Quotes about Virgil

essay writing on love conquers all

  • Half of my soul.
  • Horace , Odes , Book I, ode iii, line 8
  • Virgil I only saw.
  • Ovid , Tristia ["Sorrows"], IV, x, 51
  • It is therefore an admirable practice which now prevails, to begin by reading Homer and Vergil, although the intelligence needs to be further developed for the full appreciation of their merits: but there is plenty of time for that since the boy will read them more than once.
  • Quintilian , Institutio Oratoria (c. 95 AD), I, viii, 5 (tr. H. E. Butler)
  • I will repeat the words which I heard Domitius Afer use in my young days. I asked what poet in his opinion came nearest to Homer, and he replied, "Virgil came nearest to Homer, but is nearer first than third." And in truth, although we must needs bow before the immortal and superhuman genius of Homer, there is greater diligence and exactness in the work of Virgil just because his task was harder. And perhaps the superior uniformity of the Roman's excellence balances Homer's pre-eminence in his outstanding passages.
  • Quintilian , Institutio Oratoria , X, i, 86 (tr. H. E. Butler)
  • He [Virgil] was tall and of full habit, with a dark complexion and a rustic appearance. His health was variable; for he very often suffered from stomach and throat troubles, as well as with headache; and he also had frequent haemorrhages. He ate and drank but little. He was especially given to passions for boys... It is common report that he also had an intrigue with Plotia Hieria. ... Certain it is that for the rest of his life he was so modest in speech and thought, that at Naples he was commonly called "Parthenias" ("The Maiden"), and that whenever he appeared in public in Rome, where he very rarely went, he would take refuge in the nearest house, to avoid those who followed and pointed him out.
  • Suetonius , Vita Vergili 8–11, in Suetonius, with an English translation by J. C. Rolfe , Vol. II (1914), p. 467
  • The " Bucolics " he finished in three years, the " Georgics " in seven, the " Aeneid " in twelve.
  • Suetonius , Vita Vergili 25, in Suetonius, with an English translation by J. C. Rolfe , Vol. II (1914), p. 473
  • Alexander Severus , as quoted in Domenico Comparetti 's Vergil in the Middle Ages , tr. E. F. M. Benecke (1895), p. 48
  • The Mantuan's eloquence is many-sided and diverse, embracing every style.
  • Macrobius , Saturnalia (c. 400), V, i, 4 (Loeb translation)
  • He combined, all by himself, the divergent styles of the ten orators who flourished in the Athens of Attica.
  • Macrobius , Saturnalia , V, i, 20 (Loeb translation)
  • Virgil certainly is held to be a great poet; in fact he is regarded as the best and the most renowned of all poets, and for that reason he is read by children at an early age – they take great draughts of his poetry into their unformed minds, so that they may not easily forget him.
  • Augustine of Hippo , The City of God (c. 410), Book I, Chapter 3 (tr. Henry Bettenson )
  • Our divine poet.
  • Dante Alighieri , De Monarchia (c. 1313), II, iii, 6.
  • Now, art thou that Virgilius and that fountain Which spreads abroad so wide a river of speech?
  • Dante Alighieri , The Divine Comedy (c. 1321), Inferno, I, 79–80 (tr. Longfellow )

essay writing on love conquers all

Tu se' lo mio maestro e 'l mio autore.

O de li altri poeti onore e lume, vagliami 'l lungo studio e 'l grande amore che m'ha fatto cercar lo tuo volume.

O, of the other poets honour and light, Avail me the long study and great love That have impelled me to explore thy volume!

  • Dante Alighieri , The Divine Comedy , Inferno, I, 82–87 (tr. Longfellow)
  • O spirit courteous of Mantua , Of whom the fame still in the world endures, And shall endure, long-lasting as the world.
  • Dante Alighieri , The Divine Comedy , Inferno, II, 58–60 (tr. Longfellow)
  • You are my guide, you are my lord and teacher.
  • Dante Alighieri , The Divine Comedy , Inferno, II, 140 (tr. Mark Musa)
  • "O glory of the Latin race," he said, "by whom our language showed forth all its power..."
  • Dante Alighieri , The Divine Comedy , Purgatorio, VII, 16–17 (tr. Carlyle-Wicksteed)
  • But us Virgilius of himself deprived Had left, Virgilius, sweetest of all fathers, Virgilius, to whom I for safety gave me.
  • Dante Alighieri , The Divine Comedy , Purgatorio, XXX, 49–51 (tr. Longfellow)
  • Geoffrey Chaucer , The Canterbury Tales (c. 1390), Friar's Tale , III.1517–1519
  • What a man I should have made of you if I had met you in your life, greatest of poets!
  • Anonymous poet at Paris in the twelfth or thirteenth century, describing how Paul of Tarsus , upon visiting the tomb of Virgil at Naples, according to legend, "shed tears of regret at the thought that the poet had not lived at a time when he might have been converted by the Apostle", as reported in Latin Poetry: Lectures Delivered in 1893 on the Percy Turnbull Memorial Foundation in the Johns Hopkins University (1895) by Robert Yelverton Tyrrell , p. 127, A History of Classical Scholarship (1903) by John Sandys , p. 611, and The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature (2013), ed. M. C. Howatson, p. 592
  • Julius Caesar Scaliger , Poetices (1561), Book V, Ch. 3, as quoted in "Life of Julius Caesar Scaliger (1484–1558)" by Vernon Hall, Jr. — Transactions of the American Philosophical Society , Vol. 40, Part 2 (1950), p. 153
  • Virgil should be our example, our rule, the beginning and the end.
  • Julius Caesar Scaliger , Poetices libri septem (1561), Book V, Ch. 3, as quoted in Philip Hardie's The Last Trojan Hero: A Cultural History of Virgil's Aeneid (2014), p. 9
  • George Chapman , Dedication to Achilles' Shield (1598)
  • Ben Jonson , Poetaster (1601), Act V, scene i
  • Francis Bacon , as quoted in Latin Poetry: Lectures Delivered in 1893 on the Percy Turnbull Memorial Foundation in the Johns Hopkins University (1895) by Robert Yelverton Tyrrell , p. 128
  • John Milton , Lycidas (wr. 1637; pub. 1638, 1645); allusion to Virgil's first eclogue .
  • Wentworth Dillon, 4th Earl of Roscommon , Essay on Translated Verse (1684), lines 173–176
  • John Dryden , Preface to Sylvae (1685)
  • John Dryden , The Dedication to Examen Poeticum (1693)
  • John Dryden , A Parallel Betwixt Poetry and Painting (1695)
  • Richard Blackmore , Preface to King Arthur (1697)
  • John Dryden , The Works of Virgil (1697), 'Dedication to the Aeneis'
  • Henry Grahme , To Mr. Dryden, on His Translation of Virgil (1697)
  • John Dryden , Preface to Fables, Ancient and Modern (1700)
  • Richard Steele , in The Spectator 514 (20 October 1712)
  • Alexander Pope , An Essay on Criticism (1711), lines 130–138
  • Alexander Pope , Preface to Homer's Iliad (1715)
  • Voltaire , An Essay on Epic Poetry (1727)
  • Charles Churchill , Independence (1764)
  • Samuel Johnson , The Rambler , No. 121 (May 14, 1751)
  • Do you understand Latin, Madam? No; else you would not have asked whether I like Pope better than Virgil. Ah! Madam, all our modern languages are dry, poor, and wholly devoid of harmony, when compared to those which were spoken by our first masters, the Greeks and the Romans: we are merely to be compared to country fiddlers. Besides, how could you expect me to compare epistles to an epic poem, to the love of Dido, the burning of Troy, and the descent of Aeneas into hell? I think Pope's Essay on Man is one of the first and best didactic poems; but do not let us place any work upon an equality with Virgil. You are merely acquainted with him in a French dress; but poets cannot bear translating. Can you translate music? I really pity you, Madam, endowed as you are with such an exquisite degree of taste, and of refined sensibility, for not being able to read Virgil.
  • Voltaire , letter to Madam du Deffand (19 May 1754), in The Unpublished Correspondence of Madame Du Deffand , trans. Mary Meeke, Vol. II (1810), pp. 257–258
  • Samuel Johnson , as quoted in The Life of Samuel Johnson by James Boswell , Vol. II (1791), p. 454
  • Hugh Blair , Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres , Vol. II (1783), Lecture XLIII: 'The Æneid of Virgil', p. 447
  • Charles James Fox , letter to Gilbert Wakefield (13 April 1801), in Correspondence of the late Gilbert Wakefield with the late Charles James Fox (1813), p. 192
  • Lord Byron , letter to Thomas Moore (11 April 1817), in Letters and Journals of Lord Byron (1830), p. 329
  • William Wordsworth , letter to Lord Lonsdale (17 February 1819), in Letters of the Wordsworth Family from 1787 to 1855 , collected and ed. by W. Knight, Vol. II (1907), p. 123
  • Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel , Vorlesungen über die Philosophie der Religion , ed. W. Jaeschke, Vol. II, p. 402, as reported and quoted in The Last Trojan Hero: A Cultural History of Virgil's Aeneid (2014) by Philip Hardie, p. 14
  • Samuel Taylor Coleridge , Table Talk (8 May 1824), in Specimens of the Table Talk of the late Samuel Taylor Coleridge , Vol. I (1835), p. 50
  • Oh Virgil! Oh poet ! Oh my divine master!
  • Victor Hugo , Les Voix intérieures (1837), VII, 'À Virgile'
  • Barthold Georg Niebuhr , The History of Rome , Vol. V (1844), p. 79
  • Gustave Flaubert , letter to Louise Colet (19 September 1852), in The Letters of Gustave Flaubert: 1830–1857 , selected, edited and translated by Francis Steegmuller (1980), p. 170
  • The poet of the entire Latin world.
  • Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve , Étude sur Virgile (1857), p. 35, as quoted in Why Vergil?: A Collection of Interpretations (2000), "Homage to Virgil" by Charles Fantazzi, p. 290
  • Matthew Arnold , "On the Modern Element in Literature" (1857), lecture published in On the Classical Tradition (1960) ed. by R. H. Super, p. 35
  • John Henry Newman , The Idea of a University (1858)
  • John Conington , P. Vergili Maronis Opera, with a Commentary by John Conington, M.A. , Vol. II (1863), Introduction, p. 27
  • John Henry Newman , An Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent (1870)

essay writing on love conquers all

  • Alfred, Lord Tennyson , Queen Mary (1875), Act III, scene vi. Cf. Aeneid 4.569
  • Alfred, Lord Tennyson , To Virgil (1882), st. 1
  • Alfred, Lord Tennyson , To Virgil (1882), st. 3
  • Alfred, Lord Tennyson , To Virgil (1882), st. 6
  • Alfred, Lord Tennyson , To Virgil (1882), st. 8
  • Alfred, Lord Tennyson , To Virgil (1882), st. 10
  • Charles Bowen , Preface to Virgil in English Verse (1887)
  • Andrew Lang , letter to Lady Violet Lebas in Letters on Literature (1892), p. 65
  • Domenico Comparetti , Vergil in the Middle Ages , tr. E. F. M. Benecke (1895), p. 32
  • William Cranston Lawton , "Virgil" in Library of the World's Best Literature (1897), p. 15421
  • John Wight Duff, A Literary History of Rome (1909), p. 349
  • Theodor Haecker , Virgil, Father of the West (1934), tr. A. W. Wheen , p. 70
  • C. S. Lewis , A Preface to Paradise Lost (1942), Chapter 6: "Virgil and the Subject of Secondary Epic"

essay writing on love conquers all

  • T. S. Eliot , "What is a Classic?" (1944)
  • T. S. Eliot , "Virgil and the Christian World" (1951)
  • W. H. Auden , "Secondary Epic" (1959), opening lines
  • Robert Graves , "The Virgil Cult" (1961), in The Virginia Quarterly Review , Vol. 38, no. 1 (1962), pp. 13–35; partially quoted in Philip Hardie's The Last Trojan Hero: A Cultural History of Virgil's Aeneid (2014), p. 14, and in Richard Jenkyns's The Legacy of Rome: A New Appraisal (1992), p. 142.
  • Brooks Otis , Virgil: A Study in Civilized Poetry (1964), p. 88
  • Mark Van Doren , as quoted in Allen Mandelbaum, trans., The Aeneid of Virgil (1971), p. vi
  • Joseph Brodsky , "Virgil: Older than Christianity, a Poet for the New Age", in Vogue (October 1981), p. 180
  • K. W Gransden, "War and Peace", in Harold Bloom 's Virgil's Aeneid (1987), p. 143
  • Robert Fagles , "Translator's Postscript" to Virgil, The Aeneid (New York: Viking, 2006), p. 389
  • The Works of Virgil (trans. John Dryden)

External links

  • Original texts of Virgil's works at The Latin Library

essay writing on love conquers all

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3 Ways Love Conquers All

  • Bill Delvaux Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer
  • Updated Jul 21, 2020

3 Ways Love Conquers All

It is often said that love conquers all, that love is the greatest force in the universe. It is the force that gives healing and life, binds souls together, and whispers to us that all will be well. We can see throughout the Bible that love conquers fear, evil, and sins.

But the power of love comes from its source. It is not a thing in and of itself. This is the mistake the world often makes. When love becomes the force we honor or worship, its power vaporizes. But if we let the radiance of love beckon us back to its source, we find the true reason as to why love conquers all. We find there is a Lover behind love, and that Lover is committed to conquering all that is not love and all that is not lovely.

That Lover is God Himself, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, whose life together is always one of mutual love. Love conquers all because God is love and God has already won.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/koyu

What Does ‘Love Conquers All’ Mean Biblically?

‘Love Conquers All’ Scriptures and Biblical Meaning

What do we mean when we say that love conquers all? How are we to understand this in terms of how the Bible pictures love? The very idea of conquering implies a battle being fought with victors and losers. And this is certainly how the Bible pictures reality. There is a massive war being fought between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world.

The history of the human race and of each individual is marked by the struggle between these two sides. On one side, we have the Holy Trinity , the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit . On the other, we have the Unholy Trinity, the world with its structures opposed to God, the sin that corrupts us, called the flesh, and Satan himself. This Unholy Trinity seeks to dominate by hatred, deception, manipulation, and power struggles.

But God doesn’t fight with any of those weapons. The weapon He has chosen is love.

The Father gave His only Son and then the gift of His Holy Spirit, all out of sacrificial love. This tactic may appear foolish and weak in the face of such a titanic war. But we underestimate the power of love to conquer. We underestimate God and His wisdom.

Photo Credit: © Sparrowstock

love being a conquerer in bible

What the Bible Says about Love Being a Conqueror

Although the actual phrase “love conquers all” is not in the Bible, the truth of it is behind so many verses. Here are a few examples:

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. – Romans 8:37

Paul has just mentioned all the hardships a believer may face. Yet none of these in the end keep us from experiencing God’s love. In fact, through His conquering love for us, we become super-conquerors over those hardships.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. – 1 Corinthians 13:7

Paul is delivering a tribute to the supremacy of love when he makes this amazing statement. Love bears and endures whatever wrongs or irritations come. It also believes and hopes the best for others, seeing with the eyes of faith all that they could be. In this sense, love truly conquers.

In the world you will have tribulation . But take heart; I have overcome the world. – John 16:33

Jesus is teaching His disciples for the last time before His death. The last words of that teaching are: “I have overcome the world.” And how does He overcome it? By submitting Himself to the horror of the cross . He does all this because He loves us .

His love conquers the world.

But let’s get a little more practical. How exactly does love conquer all? Here are three ways:

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love conquers sins power

Way #1: Love Dismantles Sin’s Power

We all have those habits of behavior and thinking that seem resistant to change. We know we should stop doing them, but their power over us feels overwhelming. Further attempts yield only more frustration or despair. You can call it an addiction, a bad habit, a character defect, or a thorn in the flesh (to use Paul’s term). Whatever you call it, the result is the same. We feel stuck. We are in bondage.

Enter God’s love. To open our hearts and receive His love precisely at the place we feel stuck is to open the door out of this prison.

Most sin patterns are simply disordered loves. We are looking for love in the wrong place or have shut the door to it altogether. But when we begin to experience His personal embrace for us as His son or daughter, a new power is released inside us. It is the power of our new self in Christ. We are given power to say 'no' to the sin that once overwhelmed us.

Here’s a personal story along these lines. I struggled for years with an unhealthy addiction to exercise and food. I would workout in extreme ways and then eat huge meals. My whole day became centered around getting the workout in and the food to follow. As I began to pray about this, the Lord revealed to me that I was trying to receive affirmation as a man through physical prowess. The food was a way to fill the void left by that same lack of affirmation. As I began to let Jesus affirm me as both a man and as His brother, the bondage to food and exercise began to release. His love conquered what I could not change.

Way #2: Love Heals Enmity

Once you have tasted God’s love, there is a desire to offer that love to others. It starts with loved ones and friends, but it is to move out into more difficult relationships, even to those we consider enemies. How does this happen? It starts by choosing to forgive those who have wounded us. This is the way of Christ. But it is also the way our hearts become freed from bitterness. Then we make that love tangible by listening. In the listening, enmity is healed.

For years I was angry with my father for his disengagement in my life, an abandonment that left a wake of devastation in me. Through the prompting of the Holy Spirit , I finally chose to forgive him, a process that I had to repeat a number of times.

But as I forgave him, I also desired to know him and began to ask him questions about his life. As I listened, I heard stories from his past that helped me understand him and even empathize with him. Love healed the enmity I had with my father. In the end, love conquered.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Digitalskillet

love believes the best in others

Way #3: Love Believes the Best for Others

Here is a final way love conquers all. Our default mode as humans is to find fault with others so that we can feel better about ourselves. We all carry on this critical tendency to one degree or another. In its most virulent form, it becomes a toxic mistrust or hatred. This is the genesis of all prejudices, where the things that make someone unique become the subject of criticism.

But the way of love is so different. Instead of looking for the worst in others and finding fault, love believes the best in others and seeks to build them up. This does not mean that we overlook their faults. What it does mean is that our focus is not there. It is instead on their gifts and strengths and on all the good that God can accomplish in their lives.

This is perhaps what Paul meant when he said that love believes all things and hopes all things. In the end, love can conquer our critical spirit.

A Prayer to Experience the Conquering Power of Love

The power of love is available to any of us because it’s the free gift of God. Use this prayer as a way to start:

Father, I long to know more of your personal love for me. You don’t just love generic humanity. You love me individually with all of my faults and sins. Help me to open my heart to receive the love you have for me through your Son. Let that love conquer my heart. And then teach me the way of love toward all those around me. I want to see Your kingdom expand and watch Your love conquer. Come do more than I could ever ask or imagine because of the power of Your Holy Spirit . Amen.

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essay writing on love conquers all

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Love Conquers All

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Joliet glanced up from her computer screen.  In this century it made sense to type instead of write, but oh how she missed the feel of the pen touching the paper.  She blinked, clearing her thoughts and looked at the clock.  It was three in the morning.  Noticing for the first time how tired she was, Joliet saved the file.  After closing down the laptop and hiding it, she exited her study and slowly made her way down the hall.  She stopped to check on her sleeping children and found them out like a light.  She smiled to herself knowing in her heart these children were her blessings.  Joliet continued down the hall and quietly entered her room.  Slipping gently into the bed, she was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

The next morning she was up before anyone else in the house.  She glanced at the clock; 5 a.m.  She’s only been asleep for two hours.  She suddenly felt the need to write so she quickly and quietly eased herself out of bed and made her way down to the study.  Carefully, she removed her laptop from its hiding place.  While waiting for it to boot up, Joliet glanced out the window.  She’d been blessed in this life; she was sure of it.  The laptop caught her attention with a minor “ding” to signal the need for a password.  Joliet punched in the password and waited until the home screen was up before clicking on the icon that read “Story”.  After reading what she’d written so far, she started typing, adding more to the story.

               

Joliet wiped tears away from her eyes and felt a hand on her shoulder.  Her husband and true love stood there, “I thought I might find you here.  Are you okay baby girl?”  Quickly saving and closing the file, she look up at him.  “How long have you been standing there?”  “Not long.”  Joliet looked at the clock; 5:30 A.M.  She must have woken him when she got out of bed.  “Want some breakfast?”, she said with a forced smile.  Looking at him, she already knew the answer even before he said the words.  “Sure baby.”  He then held out his hand to her just as he always did, but instead of letting her start walking to the kitchen he pulled her close and hugged her tight.  “I love you.”  Joliet’s throat closed up with emotion because he always knew just what to say, he’d always known just what to say.  They stood hugging for a few minutes until he finally let her go and took her hand once again.  Hand in hand, they walked down the stairs and to the kitchen where Joliet was shocked.  He’d already cooked breakfast for the two of them and it was her favorite.  She looked at him and he just shrugged, “I got up when you did, but figured you needed time alone so I decided to cook us something.”  Instead of answering, she walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek.  “Thank you baby.  It looks delicious.” 

They sat down at the table and enjoyed a nice breakfast together in a comfortable silence.  Once they’d both finished eating, they put the dishes in the sink and went to watch television.  By this time, their youngest child, Daniel, was wide awake and bounding down the stairs with more energy than anyone should have at this time in the morning.  Joliet smiled at her husband and went to meet their son at the bottom of the stairs.  When he saw his mother, Daniel, who was eight at the time, jumped into her arms and gave her a big hug.  “Good mornin’ mommy”  “Good morning sweetie,” she said as she carried him into the living room.  She set him down on the floor and he immediately went to his father, “Morning Daddy!”  Joliet sat down on the couch and watched the two of them talk and play for what seemed like hours.  It was 7:30 before Daniel realized his favorite show was on.  He stopped playing with his dad and curled up to watch TV.  Watching the two of them curled up together made Joliet smile and she quietly slipped away to her study to write some more.



   

Joliet wiped more tears away from her eyes.  Why was it so hard to write about this when it happened so long ago?  She knew why, time doesn’t heal all wounds.  Yes, they’re less painful, but they’re always there and always waiting to be let loose again.  She sighed and continued typing.

               

Joliet was startled by a loud noise coming from one of the bedrooms down the hall.  Her eldest, and only daughter, Annabelle was now awake and blaring some of her favorite music.  Joliet got up from her study and walked down the hall to Annabelle’s room and opened the door quietly.  Her daughter was up cleaning her room and dancing while she was doing it.  The child had OCD almost as bad as she did.  Annabelle turned down her stereo, “Mornin’ Mom.  Did I wake you?”  “Oh, umm, no.  I was just writing and heard your music and thought I’d pop in to tell you good morning.”  “Oh, well, okay then.  I’m going to finish cleaning and then I’ll go eat something, okay?”  “That sounds good baby girl.  Don’t forget to say hi to your dad and little brother or brothers if Joshua ever wakes up.”  Joliet then walked over to Annabelle and kissed her forehead.  “I can’t believe you’re going to be going to college soon.”  Annabelle smiled, “I know, I know Mom.  Now, go back to writing.”  Joliet walked out and closed the door behind her, but instead of going back to her study, she walked to Joshua’s room and knocked on the door.  No answer.  He was sixteen and thought he could sleep ‘til noon.  Instead of waking him and causing an argument, she just went back to her study and sat at her desk where she continued typing.

               

Joliet looked up from the screen and glanced at the clock.  It was now almost 9:30 and she decided it was time for a break.  She could stay here and write all day, but she had plenty of time before it needed to be done.  She saved the file and password protected it before exiting her study and going to Joshua’s room.  Hearing guitar music coming through the door was a sure sign that her oldest son was now awake.  Joliet knocked on the door and waited until he opened the door.  “Mornin’ Mom.  Did’ya need something?”  “Nope, just came to ask if you wanted anything for breakfast.  I’m going downstairs now to cook for your brother and sister, if she’s still here.”  She was worried he’d say no, like all the other mornings, but he surprisingly said otherwise.  “Sure Mom.  I’ll be down in a few, and I think Belle’s still here.”  Seeing the surprise on her face, he leaned over and kissed her cheek causing her to smile.  “Okay, well, I’ll go start on breakfast then.”



After being thoroughly shocked by her son’s attitude this morning, Joliet made her way downstairs to start breakfast for the kids.  She glanced in the living room and saw that Annabelle had gotten caught in a tickle war.  She smiled and called out, “I’m making breakfast for y’all.  I’m glad you’re working up an appetite.”  Amongst the laughter, she heard an “Okay Mom”.  She chuckled and continued on towards the kitchen.  Joliet paused at the refrigerator and glanced inside; good, she had pancake mix.  All of the kids loved her pancakes.  She pulled the box of Aunt Jemima’s out of the fridge along with the carton of eggs.  Pancakes and scrambled eggs would give the children plenty of energy for the day.  While she cooked their breakfast, she fixed herself a glass of cool iced tea.  Once everything was done cooking, she fixed each of the plates, and she put whipped cream smiley faces on each stack of pancakes.  After setting the plates down at the table, she noticed for the first time how quiet it was.  She glanced back into the living room and what she saw made her smile; her husband and their children were praying together.  She watched and when she heard the soft “Amen”, she walked in and laid a kiss on her husband’s cheek.  “Breakfast is served kids.”  As they made their way to the kitchen, she sat down on her husband’s lap to rest for awhile.  He just put his arms around her and held her close, knowing she needed the rest.

Joliet must have dozed off because she didn’t remember hearing the kids leave, but she was laying on the couch, covered in a throw blanket.  She stretched and then went to the kitchen where she heard some noise.  Her handsome husband was washing the dishes and putting them away before he had to go to work.  He hadn’t heard her come in, so she snuck up behind him and put her arms around his waist.  He turned and kissed her nose playfully, “Almost done here, then I need to get ready for work.”  Joliet sighed; she’d have the house to herself again today.  “Okay, I’ll be in my study if you need me.”  Before she left though, he grabbed her waist and pulled her close, giving her a long, slow kiss.  “I love you.”  Joliet smiled, “I love you too. Now get busy or you’ll be late for work.”  She started to walk out of the kitchen, but when she made it to the door she turned around and watched him for awhile.  After watching him for five minutes or so, Joliet left and went upstairs to her study.  She booted up the laptop, opened her story, and began typing.

         

Joliet’s train of thought was cut short by the abrupt ringing of the phone. She saved her file and grabbed the phone on its third ring.  “Hello?”  “Mom?  It’s me, Joshua.  There’s been an incident at Daniel’s school.”  Joliet’s heart began to race as she took a deep breath and clutched the phone more tightly than before.  “Son, what…what kind of incident?”  There was a pause on the other end of the line.  “Joshua!” 

The young man sounded near tears telling his mother what he had accidentally done.  Dropping his brother off at school was an ordinary thing for him, but today was not ordinary.  Daniel had forgotten something and had run back to the car, but Joshua hadn’t seen him.  He’d backed up and hit him.  Joshua would probably never forgive himself, but he had to tell his mother so she could get to the hospital. 
“Mom…I accidentally backed into Daniel with the car.  I didn’t see him there.  He must’ve come back for something, and I was upset with a message from Lucy…I’m so sorry Mom…”  Joliet was speechless.  Her eight-year-old had been hit with a car driven by her eldest son?  Impossible.  Yet it had happened.  “Joshua…listen to me, get your sister.  I’ll call your father.  Meet us at the hospital.”  Her oldest son, who tried to never show emotion around anyone sounded five again, “Yes ma’am.”  “I love you Joshua.  Now hurry.”  “I love you too Mom.”  They both hung up the phone.  Joliet immediately called Michael to relay the news of what had happened and he said he’d be home to get her in five minutes.  Joshua meanwhile found his sister, and they headed to the hospital to wait on their mother and father.

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  1. Love Conquers All Essay Speech Example

    essay writing on love conquers all

  2. Love Conquers All Analysis Essay Example

    essay writing on love conquers all

  3. Love Conquers All Odds

    essay writing on love conquers all

  4. ⇉The Crucible: True Love Conquers All Essay Example

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  5. What is an example of love conquers all?

    essay writing on love conquers all

  6. “Love Conquers All”: Analyzing Romance and Relationships Within The

    essay writing on love conquers all

COMMENTS

  1. Love Conquers All Essay Speech Example

    Essay on Love Conquers All Love conquers all, let us too surrender to love. " Love could be described as insanity and outrageous to those who know it or even despise it.

  2. "Love Conquers All": Analyzing Romance and ...

    Love relationships consume a substantial portion of public attention, whether in regards to legitimate bonds, media exposure, or literary portrayal. In... read full [Essay Sample] for free

  3. "Omnia Vincit Amor"

    The idea of "Omnia Vincit Amor", or love conquers all, was first introduced by the poet Virgil in his tenth Eclogue, which was published sometime around 37 B.C. (Kingsley-Smith 8). Therefore, according to author Jane Kinglsey-Smith, Virgil, "…coins a phrase that would inspire numerous Renaissance emblems, paintings, and poems" (8).

  4. Amor Vincit Omnia (Love Conquers All)

    Amor vincit Omnia is a Latin phrase meaning "love conquers all.". Everybody says that love hurts, but that's not true. Loneliness hurts, rejection hurts, losing someone hurts. Everyone confuses these things with love but in reality love is the only thing in this world that covers up all the pain and makes us feel wonderful again.

  5. Les Miserables Essay

    Love Conquers All: The Central Theme of Les Miserables Anonymous 9th Grade Love is one of the fundamental principles of humanity. It is what ties humans together as a people, and is vital to society. As such, it has influenced the world in countless ways, just one of which being through literature. Les Misèrables tells the tale of Jean Valjean, a convicted criminal who must escape his past ...

  6. The Great Gatsby Essay

    "Love Conquers All": Analyzing Romance and Relationships Within The Great Gatsby Libby Giesbrecht College Love relationships consume a substantial portion of public attention, whether in regards to legitimate bonds, media exposure, or literary portrayal. In The Great Gatsby, a number of love relationships are introduced and explored, including the bonds between Myrtle and George Wilson ...

  7. Is "Love Conquers All" a true theme in Romeo and Juliet

    Share Cite. "Love conquers all" may be a theme of The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, but it does not necessarily prove true depending on how the audience interprets the ending of the play. Both ...

  8. Love Conquers All by Robert Benchley

    Sixty-three essays on a variety of topics as wide apart as Family Life in America, Opera Synopses, Bigamy, International Finance and many more, Love Conquers All by Robert Benchley strangely enough does not touch upon romance at all! However, these delightful notes provide hours of browsing pleasure for young and old readers alike.

  9. Expansion of an Idea / Proverb / Theme

    Write-up on the Expansion of an Idea, Love Conquers All. Great for students/teachers seeking top-quality examples.

  10. Essays on love conquers all

    Essays on love conquers all The Love conquers all is one of the most popular assignments among students' documents. If you are stuck with writing or missing ideas, scroll down and find inspiration in the best samples. Love conquers all is quite a rare and popular topic for writing an essay, but it certainly is in our database.

  11. Love Conquers All

    'Love Conquers All' is a collection of Benchley's humorous essays featuring his observations on daily life, ranging from marriage, business and gardening to newspapers, opera, trout fishing and even toothaches.

  12. Love Conquers All

    Love Conquers All, a novel by Fred Saberhagen. Love Conquers All, a 1922 compilation by Robert Benchley. Love Conquers All (1934 film), a 1934 German film. Love Conquers All (2006 film), a 2006 Malaysian film by Tan Chui Mui. Love Conquers All, the name of a specific edit of Terry Gilliam's 1985 film Brazil.

  13. Love Conquers All: Definition, Meaning and Origin

    The idiom "Love conquers all" is a poignant reminder of love's profound power and capacity to overcome adversity. It encapsulates an enduring message that reverberates through time, affirming love's potential to heal, unite, and transform. The idiom suggests that love, in its many forms, is capable of overcoming all challenges.

  14. Obs Speaks Out: Why Does Love Conquer All?

    Why Does Love Conquer All? We've all heard it time and time again that "love conquers all." It's rampant throughout romantic comedies, novels, and television shows. It's easy to say that everyone wants a happy ending, but is there more to it? First, let's begin with the origin of this phrase.

  15. How Love Conquers All as Described in Sophocles's Antigone

    In Antigone by Sophocles, Ode III discusses how love conquers all; love is unconquerable. However the entire play refutes this idea. Three main characters kill themselves due to the circumstances in Sophocles play, maybe because they loved one another, but love does not succeed in these sit...

  16. Love Conquers All Essay

    Love Conquers All Essay Decent Essays 490 Words 2 Pages Open Document Love Conquers All When love is strong between two people it can outweigh the problems of a marriage, if the couple can work together in solving the problems. In the story The Gilded Six-Bits written by Zora Neale Hurston, you meet a couple very much in love, Joe and Missie ...

  17. Can Love Conquer All?

    What can two movies—1954's "Brigadoon" and 2011's "Crazy Love"—tell us about the power of love to overcome life's obstacles?

  18. Virgil

    Virgil. Love conquers all. Publius Vergilius Maro (October 15, 70 BC - September 21, 19 BC), known in English as Virgil or Vergil, was a Roman poet, the author of the Eclogues, the Georgics and the Aeneid, the last being an epic poem of twelve books that became the Roman Empire's national epic.

  19. Love Conquers All

    It is often said that love conquers all, that love is the greatest force in the universe. It is the force that gives healing and life, binds souls together, and whispers to us that all will be ...

  20. Love Conquers All

    You will do a thing that you didn't do before. Love conquers everything because when the person you love hurt you, you still forgive him/her. Love conquers everything because most of the time we fall in love at the wrong place and at the wrong time but we still choose to continue it.

  21. An Analysis of Love Conquers All

    We always say 'Love conquers all' is commonly said and heard in our daily lives. Ironically, this is necessarily not true as James Baldwin views our society. He illustrates the stereotypes of both Blacks and Whites. In his argumentative autobiography, The Fire Next Time, the author brillian...

  22. Love Conquers All

    With love you can overcome any circumstance...or can you? Delve in and find out!