Can someone explain this quote?

There is nothing so agreeable as to put oneself out for a person who is worths one's while. For the best of us, the study of the arts, a taste for old things, collections, gardens, are all mere ersatz surrogates, alibis. From the depths of our tub, like Diogenes, we cry out for a man. We cultivate begonias, we trim yews, as a last resort, because yews and begonias submit to treatment. But we should prefer to give our time to a plant of human growth, if we were sure that he was worth the trouble. That is the whole question. You must know yourself a little. Are you worth my trouble or not?





M. de Charlus in "The Guermantes Way"


Prost

Can someone explain this quote?
I would have to say that this quote is talking about the relationships we have with others. If we deem someone worth our time and we invest in them, we will see something for our efforts. A relationship evolves from the effort we have put forth. Plants, trees, hobbies etc. are investments of our time in which we can control the outcome. We can't do that with people. Therefore we are more cautious in getting involved with people because we don't know what the outcome will be. We must know ourselves well enough to decide whether the risk of cultivating personal relationships is worth the effort.
Reply:Hes talking about sp3 hybridization, although in a very incospicuous way.


Problem is, however, that Hybridisation theory has failed in a few aspects, notably in explaining the energy considerations for the involvement of d-orbitals in chemical bonding (See above for sp3d and sp3d2 hybridisation). This can be well-explained by means of an example. Consider, for instance, how the theory in question accounts for the bonding in phosphorus pentachloride (PCl5). d-orbitals are large, comparatively distant from the nucleus and high in energy.





Radial distances of orbitals from the nucleus seem to reveal that d-orbitals are way too high in energy to 'mix' with s- and p-orbitals. 3s - 0.47 , 3p - 0.55, 3d - 2.4 (in angstroms). Thus, at first sight, it seems improbable for sp3d hybridisation to occur.
Reply:It means approximately the same thing as that there is no greater happiness than to cultivate true love.





It means that of all the hobbies you can have, a hobby of loving the right person brings the greatest rewards. But that you have to know if it's really the right person.
Reply:He is saying the best thing is to help someone who is worth helping. We spend our time on on substitutes like the arts, colletcions, gardens ect., because things like plants always respond to our working with them in a positive way when humans may not--humans may reject us or fail us. They may not be worth the time and trouble.

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