If there is no love, what is there?" she cried, almost…
““If there is no love, what is there?" she cried, almost jeering. "There is," he said, in a voice of pure abstraction, "a final me which is stark and impersonal and beyond responsibility. So there is a final you. And it is there I would want to meet you-not in the emotional loving plane-but there beyond, where there is no speech and no terms of agreement. There we are two stark, unknown beings, two utterly strange creatures, I would want to approach you, and you me. And there could be no obligation, because there is no standard for action there, because no understanding has been reaped from that plane. It is quite inhuman-so there can be no calling to book, in any form whatsoever-because one is outside the pale of all that is accepted, and nothing known applies. On can only follow the impulse, taking that which lies in front, and responsible for nothing, asked for nothing, giving nothing, only each taking according to the primal desire.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The speaker describes a relationship beyond love, pure, impersonal, and free of obligations, existing in an abstract, non‑human realm.
In simple terms: A love‑free, abstract connection without duty.
Key Takeaway
Consider relationships beyond emotional expectations.
Themes
philosophy
existence
relationships
freedom
obligation
abstraction
Mood
thoughtful
detached
introspective
Type
literary
philosophical
existential
When to use this quote
- Intimate conversation
- philosophical debate
- personal introspection
- creative writing
- literary analysis
Key Concepts
Existentialism
nihilism
ontological freedom
Questions to Reflect On
- What does it mean to love without responsibility?
- Can true connection exist without shared meaning?
A Different Perspective
Such a bond may lack moral grounding and practical relevance.