---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They knew now that if there is one thing…"
description: "\"They knew now that if there is one thing one can always yearn for, and sometimes attain, it is human love.\" — Albert Camus"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9c/albert-camus-47_human-love_they-knew-now-that-if-there-is-one-thing_544133.jpg"
---

#  They knew now that if there is one thing one can always…

![“They knew now that if there is one thing one can always yearn for, and sometimes attain, it is human love.” quote by Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9c/albert-camus-47_human-love_they-knew-now-that-if-there-is-one-thing_544133.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9c/albert-camus-47_human-love_they-knew-now-that-if-there-is-one-thing_544133.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9c/albert-camus-47_human-love_they-knew-now-that-if-there-is-one-thing_544133.jpg)

> “They knew now that if there is one thing one can always yearn for, and sometimes attain, it is human love.”

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Human love is a rare, yearning desire that sometimes materializes, highlighting our need for connection.

**In simple terms:** We long for love, sometimes we find it.

Key Takeaway

Seek genuine connections despite existential doubts.

Themes

love existence longing

Mood

contemplative hopeful

Type

philosophical literary

When to use this quote

- friendships
- family bonds
- romantic pursuits

Key Concepts

existentialism humanism

Questions to Reflect On

- What does love mean in an absurd world?
- Can love give life purpose?

A Different Perspective

Love may be fleeting and cannot solve deeper existential angst.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Attain Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attain-human-4543185/) [Human love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-love/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Knew Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knew-thing-995098/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-does/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Yearn Attain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yearn-attain-4543186/)

## Related quotes

> [To attain to the human form must always be a source of joy. And then to undergo continuous transitions, with only the infinite to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/to-attain-to-the-human-form-must-always-be-a-source-of-joy-and-then/)

[Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/)

> [I knew one thing: as soon as anyone said you didn't need a gun, you'd better take one along that worked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/i-knew-one-thing-as-soon-as-anyone-said-you-didn-t-need-a-gun-you-d/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [I knew one thing. I did not want to be a mommy like mommy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/i-knew-one-thing-i-did-not-want-to-be-a-mommy-like-mommy/)

[Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/)

> [“She knew nothing of Ren except his name, his aptitude with vocabulary, the fact that he wasn’t in college, and the way his hair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ringle/she-knew-nothing-of-ren-except-his-name-his-aptitude-with-vocabulary/)

[Molly Ringle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ringle/)

> [“Anyone who has made it big didn't know how they were going to doing it. They just knew one thing - they had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thomas/anyone-who-has-made-it-big-didn-t-know-how-they-were-going-to-doing/)

[john thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thomas/)

> [But I knew one more thing. That people w ho denied who they were or where they had been were in the greatest danger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/but-i-knew-one-more-thing-that-people-w-ho-denied-who-they-were-or/)

[Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/)

> [He knew one thing for sure, though. Whatever happened, Matt would have some handy excuse. He'd make up some story or change an old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-higson/he-knew-one-thing-for-sure-though-whatever-happened-matt-would-have/)

[Charlie Higson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-higson/)

> [Perhaps you should put your head down.” I knew this was the thing to do, although I’ve never fainted and I don’t intend to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franny-billingsley/perhaps-you-should-put-your-head-down-i-knew-this-was-the-thing-to-do/)

[Franny Billingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franny-billingsley/)

> [I just knew how to do the one thing I did, and whether I did it well or not depended on who the director…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-cooper/i-just-knew-how-to-do-the-one-thing-i-did-and-whether-i-did-it-well/)

[Jackie Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-cooper/)

> [“This could be a big mistake... but it was already happening. I was not a girl with all the information, but I knew one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/this-could-be-a-big-mistake-but-it-was-already-happening-i-was-not-a/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [At that moment he knew one thing. The only thing that mattered. He loved her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-james/at-that-moment-he-knew-one-thing-the-only-thing-that-mattered-he/)

[Julie James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-james/)

> [“But I knew one more thing. That people who denied who they were or where they had been were in the greatest danger.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/but-i-knew-one-more-thing-that-people-who-denied-who-they-were-or/)

[Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/)

> [If your love didn't always contain the possibility of loss, it would be very different from human love as we know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/if-your-love-didn-t-always-contain-the-possibility-of-loss-it-would/)

[Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/)

> [“We may give our human loves the unconditional allegiance which we owe only to God. Then they become gods: then they become demons. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/we-may-give-our-human-loves-the-unconditional-allegiance-which-we-owe/)

[Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/)

> [“The story ends. It was written for several reasons. Nine of them are secrets. The tenth is that one should never cease considering human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/the-story-ends-it-was-written-for-several-reasons-nine-of-them-are/)

[Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/)

## More by Albert Camus

> [“The whole town rushed outside to celebrate this crowded minute when the time of suffering had ended and the time of forgetting had not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-whole-town-rushed-outside-to-celebrate-this-crowded-minute-when/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [Generally, I like all islands. There, it is easier to rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/generally-i-like-all-islands-there-it-is-easier-to-rule/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [Being is good, but getting rich is better… If the gods had only the riches of men's adoration, they would be as poor as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/being-is-good-but-getting-rich-is-better-if-the-gods-had-only-the/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [The more I produce, the less I am certain. On the road along which the artist walks, night falls ever more densely. Finally, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-more-i-produce-the-less-i-am-certain-on-the-road-along-which-the/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [“Having been, not only mutilated in our country, wounded in our very flesh, but also divested of our most beautiful images, for you gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/having-been-not-only-mutilated-in-our-country-wounded-in-our-very/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [I've seen of enough of people who die for an idea. I don't believe in heroism; I know it's easy and I've learned it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-ve-seen-of-enough-of-people-who-die-for-an-idea-i-don-t-believe-in/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [The best are led to make greater demands upon themselves. As for those who succumb, they did not deserve to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-best-are-led-to-make-greater-demands-upon-themselves-as-for-those/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [“Then he asked me if I wasn’t interested in a change of life. I said that people never change their lives, that in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/then-he-asked-me-if-i-wasn-t-interested-in-a-change-of-life-i-said/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [Life is meaningless, but worth living, provided you recognize it's meaningless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/life-is-meaningless-but-worth-living-provided-you-recognize-it-s/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [Thinking of the future, establishing aims for oneself, having preferences-all this presupposes a belief in freedom, even if one occasionally ascertains that one doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/thinking-of-the-future-establishing-aims-for-oneself-having/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [I explained to him, however, that my nature was such that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-explained-to-him-however-that-my-nature-was-such-that-my-physical/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-only-way-to-deal-with-an-unfree-world-is-to-become-so-absolutely/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [“We love people not because for good they did for us, but for good we did for them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/we-love-people-not-because-for-good-they-did-for-us-but-for-good-we/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [You have so much inside you, and the noblest happiness of all. Don’t just wait for a man to come along. That’s the mistake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/you-have-so-much-inside-you-and-the-noblest-happiness-of-all-don-t/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [The desire for possession is insatiable, to such a point that it can survive even love itself. To love, therefore, is to sterilize the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-desire-for-possession-is-insatiable-to-such-a-point-that-it-can/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

[Explore all 1,600 Albert Camus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

## More Human love quotes

> [“The story ends. It was written for several reasons. Nine of them are secrets. The tenth is that one should never cease considering human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/the-story-ends-it-was-written-for-several-reasons-nine-of-them-are/)

[Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/)

> [“We may give our human loves the unconditional allegiance which we owe only to God. Then they become gods: then they become demons. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/we-may-give-our-human-loves-the-unconditional-allegiance-which-we-owe/)

[Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/)

> [If your love didn't always contain the possibility of loss, it would be very different from human love as we know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/if-your-love-didn-t-always-contain-the-possibility-of-loss-it-would/)

[Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/)

> [I like grit, I like love and death, I'm tired of irony. ... A lot of good fiction is sentimental. ... The novelist who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/i-like-grit-i-like-love-and-death-i-m-tired-of-irony-a-lot-of-good/)

[Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/)

> [It costs so much to be a full human being that there are very few who have the Love and the courage to pay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-west/it-costs-so-much-to-be-a-full-human-being-that-there-are-very-few-who/)

[Morris West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-west/)

> [The difference between tragedy and comedy is the difference between experience and intuition. In the experience we strive against every condition of our animal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fry/the-difference-between-tragedy-and-comedy-is-the-difference-between/)

[Christopher Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fry/)

> [“The soul grows through: 1 Humility and self-responsibility, your desire to totally and completely feel all your emotions, and to make it no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padma-aon-prakasha/the-soul-grows-through-1-humility-and-self-responsibility-your-desire/)

[Padma Aon Prakasha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padma-aon-prakasha/)

> [“Without her, there wouldn't be a me any more. I'm human because I love her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-bradley-rede/without-her-there-wouldn-t-be-a-me-any-more-i-m-human-because-i-love/)

[Laura Bradley Rede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-bradley-rede/)

> [The more healthy relationships a child has, the more likely he will be to recover from trauma and thrive. Relationships are the agents of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-d-perry/the-more-healthy-relationships-a-child-has-the-more-likely-he-will-be/)

[Bruce D. Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-d-perry/)

> [Cupid is anything but cute. As for handing our hearts, he’s more likely to rip them out. (Julian) But he can make people fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/cupid-is-anything-but-cute-as-for-handing-our-hearts-he-s-more-likely/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [You can love a person dear to you with a human love, but an enemy can only be loved with divine love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/you-can-love-a-person-dear-to-you-with-a-human-love-but-an-enemy-can/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [“In humans (and humans alone), sexuality is embodied in desire--in the primordial desire for life-as-relation. That the sex drive serves the vital desire for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christos-yannaras/in-humans-and-humans-alone-sexuality-is-embodied-in-desire-in-the/)

[Christos Yannaras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christos-yannaras/)

> [I will love you if you are stupid, if you slip and fall on your face, if you do the wrong thing, if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-buscaglia/i-will-love-you-if-you-are-stupid-if-you-slip-and-fall-on-your-face/)

[Leo Buscaglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-buscaglia/)

> [Human love is needing the other one. Divine love is giving to the other one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-levenson/human-love-is-needing-the-other-one-divine-love-is-giving-to-the/)

[Lester Levenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-levenson/)

> [“The limbic connectedness of a working psychotherapy requires uncommon courage. A patient asks to surrender the life he knows and to enter and emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-lewis/the-limbic-connectedness-of-a-working-psychotherapy-requires-uncommon/)

[Thomas Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lewis/)

[Browse all 243 Human love quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-love/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "They knew now that if there is one thing one can always yearn for, and sometimes attain, it is human love.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Albert Camus"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/they-knew-now-that-if-there-is-one-thing-one-can-always-yearn-for-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Human love"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/they-knew-now-that-if-there-is-one-thing-one-can-always-yearn-for-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9c/albert-camus-47_human-love_they-knew-now-that-if-there-is-one-thing_544133.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9c/albert-camus-47_human-love_they-knew-now-that-if-there-is-one-thing_544133.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9c/albert-camus-47_human-love_they-knew-now-that-if-there-is-one-thing_544133.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“They knew now that if there is one thing one can always yearn for, and sometimes attain, it is human love.” — Albert Camus",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Albert Camus",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "They knew now that if there...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/they-knew-now-that-if-there-is-one-thing-one-can-always-yearn-for-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/they-knew-now-that-if-there-is-one-thing-one-can-always-yearn-for-and/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
