# Quote — Chuck Palahniuk, Diary

> "Stendhal syndrome, Angel says, is a medical term. It's when a painting, or any form of art, is so beautiful it overwhelms the viewer. It's a form of shock. When Stendhal toured the Church of Santa Croce in Florence in 1817, he reported almost fainting from joy. People feel rapid heart palpitations. They get dizzy. Looking at great art makes you forget your own name, forget even where you're at. It can bring on depression and physical exhaustion. Amnesia. Panic. Heart attack. Collapse."

- Author: [Chuck Palahniuk](https://www.leafyquotes.com/chuck-palahniuk.md)
- Book: [Diary](https://www.leafyquotes.com/chuck-palahniuk/diary.md)
- Source: [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Diary_(novel)) ([CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/))
- Quote page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/chuck-palahniuk/diary/stendhal-syndrome-angel

## More from this book

> "Leave this island before you can't."

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/chuck-palahniuk/diary/leave-this-island.md)

> "Because you believed in her so much more than she did. You expected more from her than she did from herself."

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/chuck-palahniuk/diary/because-you-believed.md)

> "Dear sweet Peter. Can you feel this?"

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/chuck-palahniuk/diary/dear-sweet-peter.md)