Skip to content

Able Quote by Jonathan Safran Foer

“So she had to satisfy herself with the idea of love – loving the loving of things whose existence she didn’t care at all about. Love itself became the object of her love. She loved herself in love, she loved loving love, as love loves loving, and was able, in that way, to reconcile herself with a…” quote by Jonathan Safran Foer
Download Open image
““So she had to satisfy herself with the idea of love – loving the loving of things whose existence she didn’t care at all about. Love itself became the object of her love. She loved herself in love, she loved loving love, as love loves loving, and was able, in that way, to reconcile herself with a world that fell so short of what she would have hoped for. It was not the world that was the great and saving lie, but her willingness to make beautiful and fair, to live a once-removed life, in a world once-removed from the one in which everyone else seemed to exist.””

Jonathan Safran Foer

About This Quote

Source Novel: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, 2005

She finds solace by turning love into a self‑referential ideal, using it to soften a disappointing reality.

In simple terms: She loves love to cope with a world that falls short.

Key Takeaway

Embrace love as a personal refuge.

Themes

self‑reflection coping idealism

Mood

melancholic reflective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

  • personal loss
  • creative writing
  • philosophical contemplation

Key Concepts

metacognition self‑love escapism

Questions to Reflect On

  • How does idealizing love affect your perception of reality?
  • Can love be both a shield and a cage?
A Different Perspective

Love may become a self‑absorbing illusion, limiting real connection.

2.3 out of 5 (3 ratings)

More by Jonathan Safran Foer

Explore all 1,117 Jonathan Safran Foer quotes

More Able quotes

Browse all 17,257 Able quotes