Despair Quote by André Breton
““People despair of love stupidly – I have despaired of it myself — they live in servitude to this idea that love is always behind them, never before them: bygone years, lies about forgetting after twenty years. They can bear to admit – and force themselves to – that love is not for them , with its procession of clarities, with this look it casts upon the world from all the eyes of diviners. They are limping with fallacious memories, for which they even invent the origin of an immemorial fall, so as not to find themselves too guilty. And yet for each, the promise of each coming hour contains life's whole life secret, perhaps about to be revealed one day, possibly in another being.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Manifesto of Surrealism, André Breton, 1924
Love is portrayed as an elusive, often misunderstood ideal that people feel excluded from, yet each moment holds the potential for revelation.
In simple terms: People think love is out of reach, but each hour could bring its secret.
Key Takeaway
Seek openness to love’s possibilities.
Themes
loneliness
hope
illusion
memory
selfdeception
Mood
melancholic
reflective
Type
philosophical
literary
When to use this quote
- romantic relationships
- self‑reflection
- creative pursuits
- healing past wounds
Key Concepts
existentialism
surrealism
psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- Do you limit love by past disappointments?
- How can present moments reveal love’s secret?
A Different Perspective
Love may remain unattainable despite effort.
