“Lust will not keep—something must be done about it.”

Lust will not keep—something must be done about it. The expression turns desire’s transience into a demand for action: recognizing that a feeling will not last is not presented as a reason to wait, but as the reason to respond while there is still time.

Meaning and Form

The sentence moves in two beats. Its opening clause treats lust as temporary; the dash makes that recognition a hinge, shifting from what will pass to what must be done. The impersonal phrasing leaves the action unspecified, while the force of necessity gives the expression its urgency. It frames desire not as a permanent state but as a condition requiring a decision.

A Parallel of Urgency

A supplied strategic exchange offers a limited parallel to that movement from recognition to action. After confirming that Jikkyu is dead, Toranaga refuses Sudara’s suggestion to add two more regiments. He judges that ten thousand men should suffice with surprise, while keeping forces to guard the borders and contain Zataki; when he asks who should lead, he names Hiro-matsu. The exchange is about military calculation, not lust, but its sequence similarly turns a changed circumstance into a deliberate response rather than delay.