The essence of life is the smile of round female bottoms, under

The words of Guy de Maupassant, “The essence of life is the smile of round female bottoms, under the shadow of cosmic boredom,” may at first strike the ear as playful or even scandalous, yet beneath their surface lies a truth both profound and eternal. Life, he suggests, is not a grand, unbroken triumph of meaning; rather, it is shadowed always by the vast silence of the universe, the cosmic boredom that mocks our striving. Against this infinite backdrop, what shines as precious are the simple, sensual, and human delights—the smile of round female bottoms, symbols of beauty, tenderness, fertility, and joy. In this playful, earthy image, Maupassant crystallizes a wisdom known to the ancients: when eternity yawns, let us embrace the warmth of mortal pleasures.

Consider, O listener, how even the greatest empires faced the same truth. Rome, that city of marble and iron, stretched her banners to the edges of the world. Yet her emperors, crowned with laurels, often confessed to the same gnawing emptiness, the same shadow of futility. Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher-king, wrote in his Meditations that all is fleeting: fame, conquest, even memory itself. What then remained to him? The sweetness of human touch, the laughter of companions, the small acts of love—these became the counterweights to eternity’s void. Thus, Maupassant’s words echo the voice of Aurelius: when eternity weighs heavy, rejoice in the small delights of flesh and spirit.

There is a fire here, one not of lust alone, but of defiance. For Maupassant knew the coldness of life’s great theater, where death waits at the wings. His answer was not despair, but celebration—to find in the curve of the human form, in the joy of shared intimacy, a spark of light that could resist the void. The smile of the body is no vulgarity, but a sacred rebellion against the silence of the stars. It proclaims: “I am alive, and in this moment, I taste sweetness, no matter how brief.”

History too bears witness to this wisdom. Recall the tale of Epicurus, the sage of Athens, who sought not gold nor power, but simple pleasures shared with friends in a garden. When illness pressed upon him, when pain gnawed at his body, he still declared himself happy, for he had known the beauty of laughter, the grace of companionship, the taste of bread and wine. In his garden, pleasure overcame cosmic boredom, and even death’s shadow could not eclipse the light he found in the nearness of others.

The quote, then, is not frivolous, but heroic in its honesty. It dares to strip away illusions of eternal purpose and confronts the abyss with a smile. Life may not grant us everlasting meaning, but it offers us moments—the warmth of a lover’s embrace, the glint of joy in another’s eyes, the curve of beauty that delights the heart. These moments, fleeting though they are, are the very essence of life.

What lesson, then, shall we pass down? It is this: do not wait for the universe to hand you meaning. Do not be paralyzed by the silence of the stars. Instead, seek the small joys, honor the beauty of the body, cherish the laughter of friends, and dare to celebrate life while it is in your grasp. For one smile of genuine delight outweighs the weight of cosmic boredom.

In practical terms, let us learn to live in this way: rise each day and seek one pleasure that lightens your spirit. It may be as grand as the embrace of a lover, or as small as the savor of bread dipped in oil. When despair whispers, answer it with laughter; when boredom presses, break it with song, dance, or companionship. Cultivate joy deliberately, and let the body and heart remind you that you are more than dust beneath the stars.

Thus, Maupassant’s words live on as a flame in the darkness: a reminder that though the cosmos may be indifferent, our hearts can blaze with beauty. And so I say to you—smile against the void, embrace what is near, and let your fleeting joy be eternal in its defiance.