Absent Quote by Denis de Rougemont
“To love in the sense of passion-love is the contrary of to live. It is an impoverishment of one's being, an askesis without sequel, an inability to enjoy the present without imagining it as absent, a never-ending flight from possession.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Love in the Western World by Denis de Rougemont, 1958
Passionate love can dominate life, preventing true living and enjoyment of the present.
In simple terms: Passion can imprison us.
Key Takeaway
Balance love with present living.
Themes
love
presence
freedom
Mood
thoughtful
melancholic
Type
philosophical
literary
When to use this quote
- relationships
- mindfulness
- creative pursuits
Key Concepts
existentialism
attachment
authenticity
Questions to Reflect On
- Can love coexist with living fully?
- How to differentiate healthy passion from obsession?
A Different Perspective
Passion also fuels creativity and deep connection.
![“[Some] people really expect the passion of love to fill and gratify every need of life, whereas nature only intended that it should meet one of many demands. They insist on making it stand for all the emotional pleasures of life and art; expecting an individual and self-limited passion to yield…” quote by Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/94d/willa-cather-634_art_some-people-really-expect-the-passion-of_890954.jpg)
![“[...] passion is by no means the fuller life which it seems to be in the dreams of adolescence, but is on the contrary a kind of naked and denuding intensity, verily, a bitter destitution, the impoverishment of a mind being emptied of all diversity, an obsession of the imagination by a single image.” quote by Denis De Rougemont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4ec/denis-de-rougemont-28525_dreams_passion-is-by-no-means-the-fuller-life-w_2631583.jpg)
