--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In seeing there is love, in being seen…" description: "\"“In seeing there is love, in being seen there is abhorrence. One grins, trying to bear the pain of being seen. But not just anyone can be someone who o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a7/kobo-abe-9863_looking_in-seeing-there-is-love-in-being-seen-th_2463966.jpg" --- # In seeing there is love, in being seen there is… ![“In seeing there is love, in being seen there is abhorrence. One grins, trying to bear the pain of being seen. But not just anyone can be someone who only looks. If the one who is looked at looks back, then the person who was looking becomes the one who is looked at.” quote by Kōbō Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a7/kobo-abe-9863_looking_in-seeing-there-is-love-in-being-seen-th_2463966.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a7/kobo-abe-9863_looking_in-seeing-there-is-love-in-being-seen-th_2463966.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a7/kobo-abe-9863_looking_in-seeing-there-is-love-in-being-seen-th_2463966.jpg) > ““In seeing there is love, in being seen there is abhorrence. One grins, trying to bear the pain of being seen. But not just anyone can be someone who only looks. If the one who is looked at looks back, then the person who was looking becomes the one who is looked at.”” [Kōbō Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Seeing and being seen create a dynamic of love and hatred, where mutual gaze flips power and vulnerability. **In simple terms:** Seeing creates love or hate; being seen changes roles. Key Takeaway Recognize how mutual attention shifts power. Themes perception vulnerability power dynamics Mood reflective introspective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - art criticism - personal relationships - social media interactions Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does being observed affect your behavior? - When does looking become an act of dominance? 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That is a goal worth fighting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/that-was-king-s-dream-a-society-that-is-capable-of-seeing-each-of-us/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) ## More by Kōbō Abe > [“People like me who lack something are liable to become spiteful critics.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobo-abe/people-like-me-who-lack-something-are-liable-to-become-spiteful/) [Kobo Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) > [“I rather think the world is like sand. The fundamental nature of sand is very difficult to grasp when you think of it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobo-abe/i-rather-think-the-world-is-like-sand-the-fundamental-nature-of-sand/) [Kōbō Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) > [“Injuries to the body, especially the face, are not treated simply as problems of form. 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But I think that people who ask don't know the vanity and the nothingness of writing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobo-abe/many-people-ask-why-a-writer-commits-suicide-but-i-think-that-people/) [Kobo Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) > [Defeat begins with the fear that one has lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobo-abe/defeat-begins-with-the-fear-that-one-has-lost/) [Kobo Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) > [“Being free always involves being lonely.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobo-abe/being-free-always-involves-being-lonely/) [Kōbō Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) > [“Everyone has his own philosophy that doesn't hold good for anybody else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobo-abe/everyone-has-his-own-philosophy-that-doesn-t-hold-good-for-anybody/) [Kōbō Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) > [“It would seem that marsupials are poor imitations of full-fledged mammals. Their inadequacy gives them a certain appeal; we’re touched by it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobo-abe/it-would-seem-that-marsupials-are-poor-imitations-of-full-fledged/) [Kōbō Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) > [“The suffering of being imprisoned rests in the fact that it is impossible, at any time, to escape from oneself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobo-abe/the-suffering-of-being-imprisoned-rests-in-the-fact-that-it-is/) [Kōbō Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) > [When I was young, I could bounce back from things like a brand-new rubber ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobo-abe/when-i-was-young-i-could-bounce-back-from-things-like-a-brand-new/) [Kobo Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) > [“If there were no risk of a punishment, a getaway would lose the pleasure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobo-abe/if-there-were-no-risk-of-a-punishment-a-getaway-would-lose-the/) [Kōbō Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) [Explore all 67 Kōbō Abe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) ## More Looking quotes > [I'm tired of looking for the perfect guy. 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I spend very little time, looking backwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-vaynerchuk/i-m-just-always-looking-forwards-i-spend-very-little-time-looking/) [Gary Vaynerchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-vaynerchuk/) > [I will support my party when they are right on an issue, but am not afraid to stand up to party bosses who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darlene-senger/i-will-support-my-party-when-they-are-right-on-an-issue-but-am-not/) [Darlene Senger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darlene-senger/) > [Nothing is really broke, so it's not like I can fix it. I just have to keep trying to find what I'm looking for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/nothing-is-really-broke-so-it-s-not-like-i-can-fix-it-i-just-have-to/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [The hard-working Mexican tries to get up here looking for opportunities because America's one of the greatest countries in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-ruiz-jr/the-hard-working-mexican-tries-to-get-up-here-looking-for/) [Andy Ruiz Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-ruiz-jr/) > [Whenever I was flying commercial, I would land in Chicago, and they would announce, 'Get your passports out.' It happened so often, I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahid-khan/whenever-i-was-flying-commercial-i-would-land-in-chicago-and-they/) [Shahid Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahid-khan/) > [If it comes, it comes, but its not like a main focus. If you go looking for something youre never gone find what youre…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akon/if-it-comes-it-comes-but-its-not-like-a-main-focus-if-you-go-looking/) [Akon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akon/) > [I've played a mother before, but it's always been a very young child, which is closer to what I can imagine my own life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-riseborough/i-ve-played-a-mother-before-but-it-s-always-been-a-very-young-child/) [Andrea Riseborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-riseborough/) > [“I’ve been looking for you my whole damn life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/i-ve-been-looking-for-you-my-whole-damn-life/) [Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/) > [“God isn't looking for perfect people. He is looking to perfect people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hileman/god-isn-t-looking-for-perfect-people-he-is-looking-to-perfect-people/) [John Hileman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hileman/) > [The woman who gave birth to me, I don't have a relationship with. I'm not looking for one, either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-fisher/the-woman-who-gave-birth-to-me-i-don-t-have-a-relationship-with-i-m/) [Jordan Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-fisher/) > [It's very important to me that I look good when I go out publicly. 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