Literary notes about Conquer (AI summary)
The use of "conquer" in literature spans a wide range of meanings, from physical and martial victory to more subtle forms of self-overcoming and intellectual triumph. In some texts, the term denotes the literal defeat of armies or the subjugation of nations, emphasizing power and external domination ([1], [2], [3], [4]). In contrast, many works employ it metaphorically, as characters strive to triumph over inner conflicts such as passions, fears, or personal limitations ([5], [6], [7], [8]). This duality highlights how "conquer" can encapsulate both an external, forceful exertion and an internal, reflective battle, sometimes even being used playfully or ironically to underscore the challenges of social or personal ambition ([9], [10]).
- All armies shall bend before him; he shall conquer them, and even the prince with whom he has made a covenant.
— from Pascal's Pensées by Blaise Pascal - Impetuous Hector thunders at the wall; The hour, the spot, to conquer, or to fall.
— from The Iliad by Homer - They expected soon to conquer the other seven, when Portugal recovered its independency by the elevation of the family of Braganza to the throne.
— from An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith - They are born to rule the seas, as the Romans were to conquer the world.
— from Democracy in America — Volume 1 by Alexis de Tocqueville - Then struggle with your affection: Whatever pains it may cost you, strive to conquer it.
— from The Monk: A Romance by M. G. Lewis - I was quite determined to conquer myself, and leave no means untried to change my foolish passion into a pure and lasting friendship.
— from The Confessions of Jean Jacques Rousseau — Complete by Jean-Jacques Rousseau - However, I resolutely determined to conquer my awkwardness, and twenty times, to the peril of my spine, did I fall down upon the ice.
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova - “Nay,” retorted Alexander, “to conquer oneself or be defeated by oneself amounts to the same thing.
— from The Works of the Emperor Julian, Vol. 2 by Emperor of Rome Julian - She Stoops to Conquer; Or, The Mistakes of a Night: A Comedy "SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER" by Oliver Goldsmith
— from She Stoops to Conquer; Or, The Mistakes of a Night: A Comedy by Oliver Goldsmith - The Good-Natured Man and She Stoops to Conquer are Goldsmith's two comedies.
— from English Literature by William J. Long