Good-bye,' I said to them, but they didn't seem to hear…
““Good-bye,' I said to them, but they didn't seem to hear me, and why would they have wanted to? Why would they have wanted to do with the world outside of each other? Outside each other, they were mean little human beings like the rest of us, the kind of people you both loathed and pitied. Separately, they were characters, and not in a good way. But together they were something to wonder at and maybe even envy. I had this unoriginal thought as I walked out the door and toward my van: love changes us, makes us into people whom others then want to love. That's why, to those of us without it, love is the voice asking, What else? What else? And to those of us who have had love and lost it or thrown it away, then love is the voice that leads us back to love, to see if it might still be ours or if we've lost it, love is also the thing that makes us speak in aphorisms about love, which is why we try to get love back, so we can stop speaking that way. Aphoristically, that is.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Love transforms individuals, making them desirable and prompting reflection on loss and longing.
In simple terms: Love changes us and makes us seek it.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate love, reflect on its impact.
Themes
love
transformation
loneliness
Mood
reflective
hopeful
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- relationship counseling
- personal growth
- creative writing
- therapy sessions
Key Concepts
psychology
human connection
Questions to Reflect On
- What does love demand of you?
- How do you recover from lost love?
A Different Perspective
Idealizing love may overlook practical relationship work.