---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Romantic love is mental illness. But it's…"
description: "\"Romantic love is mental illness. But it's a pleasurable one. It's a drug. It distorts reality, and that's the point of it. It would be impossible to fa..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96c/fran-lebowitz-690_broken_romantic-love-is-mental-illness-but-it-s_2421300.png"
---

#  Romantic love is mental illness. But it's a pleasurable…

![“Romantic love is mental illness. But it's a pleasurable one. It's a drug. It distorts reality, and that's the point of it. It would be impossible to fall in love with someone that you really saw. The second you meet someone that you're going to fall in love with you deliberately become a moron…” quote by Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96c/fran-lebowitz-690_broken_romantic-love-is-mental-illness-but-it-s_2421300.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96c/fran-lebowitz-690_broken_romantic-love-is-mental-illness-but-it-s_2421300.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96c/fran-lebowitz-690_broken_romantic-love-is-mental-illness-but-it-s_2421300.png)

> “Romantic love is mental illness. But it's a pleasurable one. It's a drug. It distorts reality, and that's the point of it. It would be impossible to fall in love with someone that you really saw. The second you meet someone that you're going to fall in love with you deliberately become a moron. You do this in order to fall in love, because it would be impossible to fall in love with any human being if you actually saw them for what they are.”

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

## About This Quote

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

Romantic love acts like an intoxicating drug, reshaping perception and rationality.

**In simple terms:** Love is a pleasurable, reality‑distorting illness.

Key Takeaway

Recognize love’s irrational influence.

Themes

love illusion psychology addiction

Mood

introspective melancholic

Type

literary psychological

When to use this quote

- dating
- creative writing
- self‑reflection

Key Concepts

cognitive bias emotional intensity

Questions to Reflect On

- Can love be both enriching and deceptive?
- How do you balance passion with clarity?

A Different Perspective

Love may lead to harmful self‑deception.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Broken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken/) [Broken ; heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken-heart/) [Drug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Fall in love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall-in-love/) [Falling in love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falling-in-love/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illness/) [Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossible/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Deliberately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-deliberately-1761144/) [Love Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-impossible/) [Love is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-is/) [Love Mental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-mental-415942/) [Love you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-you/) [Mental illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-illness/) [Moron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moron/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Romantic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romantic/) [Romantic love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romantic-love/) [Saws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saws/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/)

## Related quotes

> [Romantic love is mental illness. But it's a pleasurable one. It's a drug. It distorts reality, and that's the point of it. It would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yass/romantic-love-is-mental-illness-but-it-s-a-pleasurable-one-it-s-a/)

[YASS](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yass/)

> [Romantic love is mental illness. But it's a pleasurable one. It's a drug. It distorts reality, and that's the point of it. It would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/romantic-love-is-mental-illness-but-it-s-a-pleasurable-one-it-s-a-2/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [“How many times Can you go back to the same spot With love? I never hope to know. We work patiently at our quarrels,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-shapiro/how-many-times-can-you-go-back-to-the-same-spot-with-love-i-never/)

[Harvey Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-shapiro/)

> [love is a mental illness, an obsessive-compulsive disorder romanticized!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/love-is-a-mental-illness-an-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-romanticized/)

[Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/)

> [Love is mental illness going in and mental illness coming out. In between, you do a lot of laundry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lopez/love-is-mental-illness-going-in-and-mental-illness-coming-out-in/)

[Steve Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lopez/)

> [Romantic love is mental illness. But it's a pleasurable one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/romantic-love-is-mental-illness-but-it-s-a-pleasurable-one/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [Whether we love, or close our hearts to love, is a mental choice we make, every moment of every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/whether-we-love-or-close-our-hearts-to-love-is-a-mental-choice-we/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [“The ancient Greeks considered love a mental illness that led to suicide, homicide, betrayal, war, all sorts of fun.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-g-harmon/the-ancient-greeks-considered-love-a-mental-illness-that-led-to/)

[Marion G. Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-g-harmon/)

> [Love is a serious mental disease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/love-is-a-serious-mental-disease/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [“Plato said, “Love is a serious mental disease.”  Damn that guy was smart. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genna-rulon/plato-said-love-is-a-serious-mental-disease-damn-that-guy-was-smart/)

[Genna Rulon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genna-rulon/)

> [Love is everywhere, but if our eyes aren't open to see it, we miss out. Who among us hasn't missed out on love because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/love-is-everywhere-but-if-our-eyes-aren-t-open-to-see-it-we-miss-out/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [Actors love mental disorders, dialects, and corsets. Give them one of the three and they're happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-tunney/actors-love-mental-disorders-dialects-and-corsets-give-them-one-of/)

[Robin Tunney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-tunney/)

> [What, I ask, drives me to disorder? How can I diagnose myself? All I feel, most immediately, is the most anguished need for physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/what-i-ask-drives-me-to-disorder-how-can-i-diagnose-myself-all-i-feel/)

[Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/)

> [“Love is a mental madness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/love-is-a-mental-madness/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [Love is a serious mental illness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/love-is-a-serious-mental-illness/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

## More by Fran Lebowitz

> [Why not have your first baby at sixty, when your husband is already dead and your career is over? Then you can really devote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/why-not-have-your-first-baby-at-sixty-when-your-husband-is-already/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [I've never had the experience of being edited and never will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-ve-never-had-the-experience-of-being-edited-and-never-will/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [I think humor is warmer, and wit is colder. Wit is judgment, whereas humor invites some sort of response.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-think-humor-is-warmer-and-wit-is-colder-wit-is-judgment-whereas/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [Communists all seem to wear small caps, a look I consider better suited to tubes of toothpaste than to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/communists-all-seem-to-wear-small-caps-a-look-i-consider-better/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [“lack, or loutish and crass kollective is a program dedicated to the proposition that vulgarity and bad taste are an inalienable right. the lackies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/lack-or-loutish-and-crass-kollective-is-a-program-dedicated-to-the/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [I figure you have the same chance of winning the lottery whether you play or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-figure-you-have-the-same-chance-of-winning-the-lottery-whether-you/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [ \[Friendships\] are easy to get out of compared to love affairs, but they are not easy to get out of compared to, say, jail. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/friendships-are-easy-to-get-out-of-compared-to-love-affairs-but-they/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [Smoking is, as far as I'm concerned, the entire point of being an adult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/smoking-is-as-far-as-i-m-concerned-the-entire-point-of-being-an-adult/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [If you want to get ahead in this world get a lawyer -- not a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/if-you-want-to-get-ahead-in-this-world-get-a-lawyer-not-a-book/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [When it comes to sports I am not particularly interested. Generally speaking, I look upon them as dangerous and tiring activities performed by people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/when-it-comes-to-sports-i-am-not-particularly-interested-generally/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [The first time I ever saw platform shoes in the '70s, I knew they'd been revived from the '40s, and I felt sickened. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/the-first-time-i-ever-saw-platform-shoes-in-the-70s-i-knew-they-d/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [Children ask better questions than adults. "May I have a cookie?" "Why is the sky blue?" and "What does a cow say?" are far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/children-ask-better-questions-than-adults-may-i-have-a-cookie-why-is/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [ I do not think everyone is created equal. In fact, I know they're not. \[The Constitution\] means that everyone should have the same laws… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-do-not-think-everyone-is-created-equal-in-fact-i-know-they-re-not/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [When I fly, I'm never afraid the plane is going to crash. But there have often been times when I was afraid it wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/when-i-fly-i-m-never-afraid-the-plane-is-going-to-crash-but-there/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [Smoking is, if not my life, then at least my hobby. I love to smoke. Smoking is fun. Smoking is cool. Smoking is, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/smoking-is-if-not-my-life-then-at-least-my-hobby-i-love-to-smoke/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

[Explore all 408 Fran Lebowitz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

## More Broken quotes

> [Broken by hardships, disappointments and tragedy, people can become discouraged and cynical. But lives can also be mended. Put back together well, they won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/broken-by-hardships-disappointments-and-tragedy-people-can-become/)

[Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/)

> [You don't want to fix things that aren't broken, so that kind of stops you from make changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-weidman/you-don-t-want-to-fix-things-that-aren-t-broken-so-that-kind-of-stops/)

[Chris Weidman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-weidman/)

> [How else but through a broken heart may Lord Christ enter in?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/how-else-but-through-a-broken-heart-may-lord-christ-enter-in/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [Marriage is a desperate thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-selden/marriage-is-a-desperate-thing/)

[John Selden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-selden/)

> [The child who ran weeping to you with a cut finger is now brought home, smiling gamely, with a broken collarbone and incredible contusions-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-brown/the-child-who-ran-weeping-to-you-with-a-cut-finger-is-now-brought/)

[Pam Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-brown/)

> [There is no pain like the first time you get your heart broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/there-is-no-pain-like-the-first-time-you-get-your-heart-broken/)

[Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/)

> [Broken china lasts longer than unbroken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/broken-china-lasts-longer-than-unbroken/)

[Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/)

> [My life was incoherent to me. I felt it quivering, spitting out broken teeth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-fox/my-life-was-incoherent-to-me-i-felt-it-quivering-spitting-out-broken/)

[Paula Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-fox/)

> [Don't fix what's not broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-atkins/don-t-fix-what-s-not-broken/)

[Robert Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-atkins/)

> [“ving self and others is an every second of every day of every week, of every month, of every year gift that should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/ving-self-and-others-is-an-every-second-of-every-day-of-every-week-of/)

[Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/)

> [Your head's like mine, like all our heads; big enough to contain every god and devil there ever was. Big enough to hold the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-morrison/your-head-s-like-mine-like-all-our-heads-big-enough-to-contain-every/)

[Grant Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-morrison/)

> [Rome, believe me, my friend, is like its own Monte Testaceo, Merelya marvellous mass of broken and castaway wine-pots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hugh-clough/rome-believe-me-my-friend-is-like-its-own-monte-testaceo-merelya/)

[Arthur Hugh Clough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hugh-clough/)

> [Its funny how someone breaks your heart but you still love them with all those broken pieces..!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-funny-how-someone-breaks-your-heart-but-you-still-love-them-with/)

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

> [When we don't get what we want, there's a legitimate grieving, and then the spiritual journey truly begins, because not getting what we want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/when-we-don-t-get-what-we-want-there-s-a-legitimate-grieving-and-then/)

[Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/)

[Browse all 5,851 Broken quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Romantic love is mental illness. But it's a pleasurable one. It's a drug. It distorts reality, and that's the point of it. It would be impossible to fall in love with someone that you really saw. The second you meet someone that you're going to fall in love with you deliberately become a moron. You do this in order to fall in love, because it would be impossible to fall in love with any human being if you actually saw them for what they are.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Fran Lebowitz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/romantic-love-is-mental-illness-but-it-s-a-pleasurable-one-it-s-a-3/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Broken"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/romantic-love-is-mental-illness-but-it-s-a-pleasurable-one-it-s-a-3/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96c/fran-lebowitz-690_broken_romantic-love-is-mental-illness-but-it-s_2421300.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96c/fran-lebowitz-690_broken_romantic-love-is-mental-illness-but-it-s_2421300.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96c/fran-lebowitz-690_broken_romantic-love-is-mental-illness-but-it-s_2421300.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Romantic love is mental illness. But it's a pleasurable one. It's a drug. It distorts reality, and that's…” — Fran Lebowitz",
                "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": "Fran Lebowitz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Romantic love is mental illness. But...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/romantic-love-is-mental-illness-but-it-s-a-pleasurable-one-it-s-a-3/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/romantic-love-is-mental-illness-but-it-s-a-pleasurable-one-it-s-a-3/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
