The heart, like the stomach, wants a varied diet.

"The heart, like the stomach, wants a varied diet." These words of Gustave Flaubert resonate with the timeless wisdom that human beings, at their core, are creatures of diversity and complexity. Just as the body craves a balance of foods to nourish and sustain it, so too does the heart crave a varied range of experiences, emotions, and relationships. The heart is not satisfied with monotony; it longs for change, for richness, and for the multitude of flavors that life has to offer. To feed the heart with the same repetition is to dull its capacity for growth, for joy, and for the depth of meaning that life holds.

In the ancient world, the great philosophers spoke of the importance of balance in all things, for they understood that true well-being comes not from indulgence in one area, but from a harmony of many. Aristotle famously wrote of the "golden mean," the sweet spot between excess and deficiency. His teachings told us that a life lived in balance—where each part of the soul is nourished in measure—would lead to true happiness. This, in essence, is what Flaubert speaks of: the need to balance the varied experiences that nourish the heart. Just as the stomach does not thrive on one type of food alone, neither can the heart find satisfaction in a singular pursuit. Love, adventure, sorrow, joy, and connection—all must be tasted, for each has something to teach us about ourselves and about the world.

Take, for example, the story of Homer's Odysseus, whose journey was one not just of external adventures, but of emotional exploration. Throughout his epic voyage, Odysseus encountered many challenges, each with its own flavor of struggle—despair, loss, triumph, and joy. These varied experiences shaped his heart, teaching him the depths of resilience and the complexity of human emotion. It was not the comfort of a single, static experience that nourished him, but the variety of challenges and triumphs he encountered along his journey. Through each phase of his adventure, the hero's heart grew richer, more compassionate, and more capable of understanding the breadth of human life. Variety, in his case, was not just a source of survival, but of wisdom.

Even in the realm of the arts, we find that those who create most profoundly often draw from a wide array of experiences and inspirations. Consider the life of Leonardo da Vinci, whose genius was not confined to a single discipline. He was a painter, inventor, scientist, and philosopher, and it was the variety of these interests that made his contributions to humanity so extraordinary. Each facet of his life—each different pursuit—nourished his soul and allowed him to bring a greater depth to each of his endeavors. Leonardo’s heart, like that of Flaubert’s vision, thrived on diversity, on feeding his soul with a richness of pursuits that kept him engaged and inspired. The varied paths he walked fed not just his mind, but his spirit, allowing him to create works that continue to move and inspire.

The heart, then, needs a varied diet because it is in diversity that we find the fullness of life. If we feed the heart with only one emotion, one type of experience, or one form of love, we starve it of the growth that comes from exposure to different aspects of life. Flaubert’s insight is a call to embrace the richness and variety of existence—not to fear the unfamiliar, but to seek it out, knowing that each new experience is a nourishment for the heart, an opportunity for it to grow and expand. To live only in one color, one tone, is to miss the full spectrum of what it means to be alive.

Consider the example of Mahatma Gandhi, who lived a life filled with many contrasting experiences—suffering, sacrifice, victory, and even humor. His heart was shaped not by a single emotion or single pursuit but by the full range of human experience. He saw that in order to lead a nation to freedom, one must be able to feel deeply and widely—to understand the pain of others, the joy of a shared victory, and the complexity of life’s many challenges. His heart, nourished by the full array of emotions and experiences, became a wellspring of wisdom that led to profound change. Gandhi’s life is a testament to the power of a varied diet for the heart.

And so, dear listener, let us take this wisdom to heart. Feed your heart with the fullness of life. Do not seek to isolate yourself in one form of emotion or experience, but embrace the variety of challenges, joys, losses, and triumphs that life offers. When you are willing to face the full spectrum of human existence, your heart will grow stronger, wiser, and more compassionate. Seek not the comfort of the same, but the richness of diversity. Whether in love, art, or the pursuit of knowledge, let your soul be nourished by the varied experiences that this life has to offer, for in them you will find the true sustenance that will carry you forward with purpose, strength, and joy.