---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The most outlandish people can be the…"
description: "\"“The most outlandish people can be the stimulus for love...A most mediocre person can be the object of a love which is wild, extravagant, and beautiful..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da0/carson-mccullers-1694_good-man_the-most-outlandish-people-can-be-the-st_511643.png"
---

#  The most outlandish people can be the stimulus for…

![“The most outlandish people can be the stimulus for love...A most mediocre person can be the object of a love which is wild, extravagant, and beautiful as the poison lilies of the swamp. A good man may be the stimulus for a love both violent and debased, or a jabbering madman may bring about in the…” quote by Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da0/carson-mccullers-1694_good-man_the-most-outlandish-people-can-be-the-st_511643.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da0/carson-mccullers-1694_good-man_the-most-outlandish-people-can-be-the-st_511643.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da0/carson-mccullers-1694_good-man_the-most-outlandish-people-can-be-the-st_511643.png)

> ““The most outlandish people can be the stimulus for love...A most mediocre person can be the object of a love which is wild, extravagant, and beautiful as the poison lilies of the swamp. A good man may be the stimulus for a love both violent and debased, or a jabbering madman may bring about in the soul of someone a tender and simple idyll. Therefore, the value and quality of any love is determined solely by the lover himself. It is for this reason that most of us would rather love than be loved. Almost everyone wants to be the lover. And the curt truth is that, in a deep secret way, the state of being beloved is intolerable to many. ””

[Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/)

## About This Quote

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

Love’s value is set by the lover’s perception, not the beloved’s qualities, making love a self‑created experience.

**In simple terms:** Love is defined by the lover, not the loved.

Key Takeaway

Recognize love as a personal creation.

Themes

love self‑perception desire power dynamics

Mood

reflective introspective melancholic

Type

philosophical literary

When to use this quote

- relationships
- personal growth
- self‑reflection
- artistic expression

Key Concepts

subjectivity psychology identity

Questions to Reflect On

- How does your self‑image shape the love you seek?
- Do you prefer being the lover or the beloved?

A Different Perspective

Love’s intensity can be limited by unrealistic expectations.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Good man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-man/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Lover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lover/)

## Related quotes

> [“Love is a joint experience between two persons—but the fact that it is a joint experience does not mean that it is a similar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/love-is-a-joint-experience-between-two-persons-but-the-fact-that-it/)

[Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/)

> [If you can do anything for love there's no reason you can't do everything to someone you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayjay-guillermo/if-you-can-do-anything-for-love-there-s-no-reason-you-can-t-do/)

[Jayjay Guillermo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayjay-guillermo/)

> [In fact, too many people say I love You just the way you are but in the middle of the night they change. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myself/in-fact-too-many-people-say-i-love-you-just-the-way-you-are-but-in/)

Myself

> [If you're not ready to commit then tell me whats the reason why... you love to make my heart skip a beat...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-lobedica/if-you-re-not-ready-to-commit-then-tell-me-whats-the-reason-why-you/)

[Joanne Lobedica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-lobedica/)

> [Love where there is no reason to love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sangharakshita/love-where-there-is-no-reason-to-love/)

[Sangharakshita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sangharakshita/)

> [God's love for us is not the reason for which we should love him. God's love for us is the reason for us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/god-s-love-for-us-is-not-the-reason-for-which-we-should-love-him-god/)

[Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/)

> [for a woman, love is its own reason. "I love you because I love you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/for-a-woman-love-is-its-own-reason-i-love-you-because-i-love-you/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“If I could put back the pieces and make them right,I’d turn back the hands of time with all my might.You’d never think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-reber/if-i-could-put-back-the-pieces-and-make-them-right-i-d-turn-back-the/)

[Tina Reber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-reber/)

> [“He was no fool; he knew that love existed. But he also believed in the power of the mind, and perhaps even more importantly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/he-was-no-fool-he-knew-that-love-existed-but-he-also-believed-in-the/)

[Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/)

> [You don't need to precisely figure out the reason why you are in love with someone. because LOVE IS MEANT TO BE FELT AND…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nofacetoshow/you-don-t-need-to-precisely-figure-out-the-reason-why-you-are-in-love/)

[NoFaceToShow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nofacetoshow/)

> [Just when you give up and think the whole world is heartless, you turn around and face someone so wonderful that they give you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/just-when-you-give-up-and-think-the-whole-world-is-heartless-you-turn/)

[Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/)

> [There is no reason not to love. There is no reason not to be joyous. There is no reason not to celebrate because all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-is-no-reason-not-to-love-there-is-no-reason-not-to-be-joyous/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Dont love me for fun girl, let me be the one now, love me for a reason. Let the reason be love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/westlife/dont-love-me-for-fun-girl-let-me-be-the-one-now-love-me-for-a-reason/)

Westlife

> [An friend asked me a while ago to give her one good reason why I love you so much. I smiled and said, Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edchelyn/an-friend-asked-me-a-while-ago-to-give-her-one-good-reason-why-i-love/)

Edchelyn

> [For some reason I leave you, There's no mercy to love you back; For some reason I love you, Nothing's should be changed except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-some-reason-i-leave-you-there-s-no-mercy-to-love-you-back-for/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Carson McCullers

> [“Because things accumulate around your name," said Berenice. "You have a name and one thing after another happens to you, and you behave in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/because-things-accumulate-around-your-name-said-berenice-you-have-a/)

[Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/)

> [It was like she was cheated. Only nobody had cheated her. So there was nobody to take it out on. However, just the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/it-was-like-she-was-cheated-only-nobody-had-cheated-her-so-there-was/)

[Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/)

> [“Love is a joint experience between two persons—but the fact that it is a joint experience does not mean that it is a similar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/love-is-a-joint-experience-between-two-persons-but-the-fact-that-it/)

[Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/)

> [The thinking mind is best controlled by the imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/the-thinking-mind-is-best-controlled-by-the-imagination/)

[Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/)

> [“He was like a man who had served a term in prison or had been to Harvard College or had left for a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/he-was-like-a-man-who-had-served-a-term-in-prison-or-had-been-to/)

[Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/)

> [Comparing the Brooklyn that I know with Manhattan is like comparing a comfortable and complacent duenna to her more brilliant and neurotic sister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/comparing-the-brooklyn-that-i-know-with-manhattan-is-like-comparing-a/)

[Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/)

> [“Son, do you know how love should be begun?" The boy sat small and listening and still. Slowly he shook his head. The old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/son-do-you-know-how-love-should-be-begun-the-boy-sat-small-and/)

[Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/)

> [The most fatal thing a man can do is try to stand alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/the-most-fatal-thing-a-man-can-do-is-try-to-stand-alone/)

[Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/)

> [The dimensions of a work of art are seldom realized by the author until the work is accomplished. It is like a flowering dream.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/the-dimensions-of-a-work-of-art-are-seldom-realized-by-the-author/)

[Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/)

> [Now hoppin'-john was F. Jasmine's very favorite food. She had always warned them to wave a plate of rice and peas before her nose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/now-hoppin-john-was-f-jasmine-s-very-favorite-food-she-had-always/)

[Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/)

> [There's nothing that makes you so aware of the improvisation of human existence as a song unfinished. Or an old address book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/there-s-nothing-that-makes-you-so-aware-of-the-improvisation-of-human/)

[Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/)

> [“Maybe when people longed for a thing that bad the longing made them trust in anything that might give it to them . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/maybe-when-people-longed-for-a-thing-that-bad-the-longing-made-them/)

[Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/)

> [“But the music did not come again. The tune was left broken, unfinished. And the drawn tightness she could no longer stand. She felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/but-the-music-did-not-come-again-the-tune-was-left-broken-unfinished/)

[Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/)

> [“...we must remember that we all make the things of this earth of value because of labor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/we-must-remember-that-we-all-make-the-things-of-this-earth-of-value/)

[Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/)

> [I have more to say than Hemingway, and God knows, I say it better than Faulkner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/i-have-more-to-say-than-hemingway-and-god-knows-i-say-it-better-than/)

[Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/)

[Explore all 211 Carson McCullers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/)

## More Good man quotes

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [Good manners are not bred in moments, but in years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-mcnair-wright/good-manners-are-not-bred-in-moments-but-in-years/)

[Julia McNair Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-mcnair-wright/)

> [Troy was a sweet, good man. We just were never destined to be married. We just didn't have the same values. But I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-pleshette/troy-was-a-sweet-good-man-we-just-were-never-destined-to-be-married/)

[Suzanne Pleshette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-pleshette/)

> [The life of a good man was a continual warfare with his passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/the-life-of-a-good-man-was-a-continual-warfare-with-his-passions/)

[Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/)

> [ I don't see \[ Trainspotting \] as an albatross, I see it more as a calling card. It's got me out to Hollywood, I've… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/i-don-t-see-trainspotting-as-an-albatross-i-see-it-more-as-a-calling/)

[Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/)

> [“I put no stock in religion. By the word religion I have seen the lunacy of fanatics of every denomination be called the will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/i-put-no-stock-in-religion-by-the-word-religion-i-have-seen-the/)

[William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/)

> [To follow good manners willingly is like paving the road and to tell somebody to follow them is like the road which is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/to-follow-good-manners-willingly-is-like-paving-the-road-and-to-tell/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [“It is said that the hallmark of a gentleman is that he is only ever rude intentionally. Arthur Bryant was no gentleman. His rudeness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fowler/it-is-said-that-the-hallmark-of-a-gentleman-is-that-he-is-only-ever/)

[Christopher Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fowler/)

> [I'm a good man with a good heart had a tough time, got a rough start But I finally learned to let it go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayer/i-m-a-good-man-with-a-good-heart-had-a-tough-time-got-a-rough-start/)

[John Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayer/)

> [ I've often thought about that and the only suitable member to join me on that climb \[to Everest\] was George Lowe: he was strong,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-hillary/i-ve-often-thought-about-that-and-the-only-suitable-member-to-join-me/)

[Edmund Hillary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-hillary/)

> [Of course, when you play football yourself you can think you want to become a manager but it does not make you a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaap-stam/of-course-when-you-play-football-yourself-you-can-think-you-want-to/)

[Jaap Stam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaap-stam/)

> [“Falsehood of a good man is better than truth of a bad one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raheel-farooq/falsehood-of-a-good-man-is-better-than-truth-of-a-bad-one/)

[Raheel Farooq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raheel-farooq/)

> [“Atticus adjusted his glasses as he peered down at the blanket. “Hey, is that the book Nellie told us about?” Jake’s eyes flicked to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jude-watson/atticus-adjusted-his-glasses-as-he-peered-down-at-the-blanket-hey-is/)

[Jude Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jude-watson/)

> [A good man therefore is a standing lesson to us all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/a-good-man-therefore-is-a-standing-lesson-to-us-all/)

[Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/)

> [“Grits Glossary blues \\’blüz\\ n: nothing but a good man singing about hardship, sorrow, and the things he’s done wrong--but sake’s alive, they make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-ford/grits-glossary-blues-bl-z-n-nothing-but-a-good-man-singing-about/)

[Deborah Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-ford/)

[Browse all 2,081 Good man quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-man/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The most outlandish people can be the stimulus for love...A most mediocre person can be the object of a love which is wild, extravagant, and beautiful as the poison lilies of the swamp. A good man may be the stimulus for a love both violent and debased, or a jabbering madman may bring about in the soul of someone a tender and simple idyll. Therefore, the value and quality of any love is determined solely by the lover himself. It is for this reason that most of us would rather love than be loved. Almost everyone wants to be the lover. And the curt truth is that, in a deep secret way, the state of being beloved is intolerable to many. ”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Carson McCullers"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/the-most-outlandish-people-can-be-the-stimulus-for-love-a-most/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Good man"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/the-most-outlandish-people-can-be-the-stimulus-for-love-a-most/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da0/carson-mccullers-1694_good-man_the-most-outlandish-people-can-be-the-st_511643.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da0/carson-mccullers-1694_good-man_the-most-outlandish-people-can-be-the-st_511643.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da0/carson-mccullers-1694_good-man_the-most-outlandish-people-can-be-the-st_511643.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The most outlandish people can be the stimulus for love...A most mediocre person can be the object of a love…” — Carson McCullers",
                "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": "Carson McCullers",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The most outlandish people can be...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/the-most-outlandish-people-can-be-the-stimulus-for-love-a-most/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/the-most-outlandish-people-can-be-the-stimulus-for-love-a-most/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
