There is no true love save in suffering, and in this world…
““There is no true love save in suffering, and in this world we have to choose either love, which is suffering, or happiness. And love leads us to no other happiness than that of love itself and its tragic consolation of uncertain hope. The moment love becomes happy and satisfied, it no longer desires and it is no longer love. The satisfied, the happy, do not love; they fall asleep in habit, near neighbor to annihilation. To fall into a habit is to begin to cease to be. We are the more—that is the more divine—the greater our capacity for suffering, or rather, for anguish.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Love is intrinsically linked to suffering; true love cannot coexist with complacent happiness, and the capacity for anguish reflects a divine depth.
In simple terms: Love equals suffering; happiness ends love.
Embrace suffering as part of love.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- relationships
- personal growth
- grief processing
- creative expression
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- Can love exist without pain?
- What does “tragic consolation” mean?
If love becomes merely comfort, it loses its essence.