--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's unthinkable not to love -you'd have…" description: "\"It's unthinkable not to love -you'd have a severe nervous breakdown. Or you'd have to be Philip Larkin.\" — Lawrence Durrell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f52/lawrence-durrell-2169_breakdown_it-s-unthinkable-not-to-love-you-d-have_133044.jpg" --- # It's unthinkable not to love -you'd have a severe nervous… ![“It's unthinkable not to love -you'd have a severe nervous breakdown. Or you'd have to be Philip Larkin.” quote by Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f52/lawrence-durrell-2169_breakdown_it-s-unthinkable-not-to-love-you-d-have_133044.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f52/lawrence-durrell-2169_breakdown_it-s-unthinkable-not-to-love-you-d-have_133044.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f52/lawrence-durrell-2169_breakdown_it-s-unthinkable-not-to-love-you-d-have_133044.jpg) > “It's unthinkable not to love -you'd have a severe nervous breakdown. Or you'd have to be Philip Larkin.” [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Neglecting love leads to emotional collapse, or one must adopt a detached, poetical stance like Philip Larkin. **In simple terms:** Avoiding love causes breakdown; or be poetically detached. Key Takeaway Cultivate love or accept poetic detachment. Themes love mental health poetry Mood reflective melancholic Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - relationships - mental health counseling - creative writing Key Concepts emotional dependency artistic detachment Questions to Reflect On - Can you love without losing yourself? - Is detachment a healthy coping? A Different Perspective Love alone may not prevent breakdown; other factors matter. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Breakdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breakdown/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-you/) [Nervous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nervous/) [Nervous breakdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nervous-breakdown/) [Philip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philip/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philip-larkin-1219840/) [Severe Nervous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/severe-nervous-1520656/) [Unthinkable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unthinkable/) [Unthinkable Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unthinkable-love-1520655/) ## Related quotes > [I remember coming upon Philip Larkin in my 20s in the early '60s and when Sylvia Plath's "Ariel" came out it knocked me off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/i-remember-coming-upon-philip-larkin-in-my-20s-in-the-early-60s-and/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [The best books of our times have included the three mature volumes of Philip Larkin. They're very short books of poems, and very carefully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-morgan/the-best-books-of-our-times-have-included-the-three-mature-volumes-of/) [Robert Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-morgan/) > [Philip Larkin used to cheer himself up by looking in the mirror and saying the line from Rebecca, 'I am Mrs de Winter now!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/philip-larkin-used-to-cheer-himself-up-by-looking-in-the-mirror-and/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [Philip Larkin didn't write for several years before his life ended. And when he was asked why he didn't write, he said the muse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/philip-larkin-didn-t-write-for-several-years-before-his-life-ended/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [ Speaking of \[Philip\] Larkin, in his poem about the First World War he wrote something like, "Never such innocence, before or since, that turned… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/speaking-of-philip-larkin-in-his-poem-about-the-first-world-war-he/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [Since the majority of me Rejects the majority of you, Debating ends forthwith, and we Divide.'' Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/since-the-majority-of-me-rejects-the-majority-of-you-debating-ends-2/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [I did a load of medicine cabinets a long time ago and I named them after Sex Pistols songs. I suppose I must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-hirst/i-did-a-load-of-medicine-cabinets-a-long-time-ago-and-i-named-them/) [Damien Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-hirst/) > [I like Philip Larkin an awful lot; I really like his view on life, and I really connect to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/domhnall-gleeson/i-like-philip-larkin-an-awful-lot-i-really-like-his-view-on-life-and/) [Domhnall Gleeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/domhnall-gleeson/) > [Philip Larkin has a tough honesty and sense of humor that I find irresistible, as a contemporary poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-morgan/philip-larkin-has-a-tough-honesty-and-sense-of-humor-that-i-find/) [Robert Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-morgan/) > [When I come to England, I don't claim England; I don't own it. I feel a great kinship because of the literature and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/when-i-come-to-england-i-don-t-claim-england-i-don-t-own-it-i-feel-a/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [“Delve into the unconscious, to learn the codes inside the unconscious, to discover what are its views of reality. No amount of conscious desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-galian/delve-into-the-unconscious-to-learn-the-codes-inside-the-unconscious/) [Laurence Galian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-galian/) > [Everybody faces obstacles. And I looked to people who had been through many to succeed in life. Abraham Lincoln, born to a poor family,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-winfield/everybody-faces-obstacles-and-i-looked-to-people-who-had-been-through/) [Dave Winfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-winfield/) > [I understand why creative people like dark, but American audiences dont like dark. They like story. They do not respond to nervous breakdowns and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-moonves/i-understand-why-creative-people-like-dark-but-american-audiences/) [Leslie Moonves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-moonves/) > [When Mom had her first nervous breakdown, she said she had a vision of Christ coming to her in the living room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spalding-gray/when-mom-had-her-first-nervous-breakdown-she-said-she-had-a-vision-of/) [Spalding Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spalding-gray/) > [“I’ve had boyfriends before, and frankly, each one was a disappointment. There was nothing horribly wrong with these boys. It was my fault. I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-bushnell/i-ve-had-boyfriends-before-and-frankly-each-one-was-a-disappointment/) [Candace Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-bushnell/) ## More by Lawrence Durrell > [Life is more complicated than we think, yet far simpler than anyone dares to imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/life-is-more-complicated-than-we-think-yet-far-simpler-than-anyone/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [“Suddenly at the end of the great couloir my vision is sharpened by a pale disjunctive shudder as a bar of buttercup-yellow thickening gradually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/suddenly-at-the-end-of-the-great-couloir-my-vision-is-sharpened-by-a/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [To be the equal of reality you must learn how to ignore it without danger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/to-be-the-equal-of-reality-you-must-learn-how-to-ignore-it-without/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [The cocktail party - as the name itself indicates - was originally invented by dogs. They are simply bottom-sniffings raised to the rank of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/the-cocktail-party-as-the-name-itself-indicates-was-originally/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [It only takes one match to ignite a haystack, or one remark to fire a mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/it-only-takes-one-match-to-ignite-a-haystack-or-one-remark-to-fire-a/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [“He felt that his mind had become a battle-ground for the forces of good and evil and that his task was to strain every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/he-felt-that-his-mind-had-become-a-battle-ground-for-the-forces-of/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [Science is the poetry of the intellect and poetry the science of the heart's affections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/science-is-the-poetry-of-the-intellect-and-poetry-the-science-of-the/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [Travel can be one of the most rewarding forms of introspection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/travel-can-be-one-of-the-most-rewarding-forms-of-introspection/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [We live" writes Pursewarden somewhere, "lives based upon selected fictions. Our view of reality is conditioned by our position in space and time -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/we-live-writes-pursewarden-somewhere-lives-based-upon-selected/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [“...man is only an extension of the spirit of place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/man-is-only-an-extension-of-the-spirit-of-place/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [“God did not create us, nor did He wish us to be created. We are the work of a lesser deity, a demiurge, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/god-did-not-create-us-nor-did-he-wish-us-to-be-created-we-are-the/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [The steward, according to custom, had stopped all the clocks. This, in the language of Narouz, said "Your stay with us is so brief,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/the-steward-according-to-custom-had-stopped-all-the-clocks-this-in/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [Everyone loathes his own country and countrymen if he is any sort of artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/everyone-loathes-his-own-country-and-countrymen-if-he-is-any-sort-of/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [“The slither of tyres across the waves of the desert under a sky blue and frost-bound in winter; or in summer a fearful lunar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/the-slither-of-tyres-across-the-waves-of-the-desert-under-a-sky-blue/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [“One learns nothing from those who return our love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/one-learns-nothing-from-those-who-return-our-love/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) [Explore all 179 Lawrence Durrell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) ## More Breakdown quotes > [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [When Mom had her first nervous breakdown, she said she had a vision of Christ coming to her in the living room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spalding-gray/when-mom-had-her-first-nervous-breakdown-she-said-she-had-a-vision-of/) [Spalding Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spalding-gray/) > [By measuring the proportion of children living with the same parents from birth and whether their parents report a good quality relationship we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-duncan-smith/by-measuring-the-proportion-of-children-living-with-the-same-parents/) [Iain Duncan Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-duncan-smith/) > [I myself am hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/i-myself-am-hell/) [Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/) > [The general public have a warped view of the speed at which an investigation proceeds. They like to imagine tense conversations going on behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/the-general-public-have-a-warped-view-of-the-speed-at-which-an/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [I understand why creative people like dark, but American audiences dont like dark. They like story. They do not respond to nervous breakdowns and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-moonves/i-understand-why-creative-people-like-dark-but-american-audiences/) [Leslie Moonves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-moonves/) > [“The demand being made of me was to treat the breakdown as if fear and frustration were not a part of it, to act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-frank/the-demand-being-made-of-me-was-to-treat-the-breakdown-as-if-fear-and/) [Arthur W. Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-frank/) > [No matter what, once in your life, someone will hurt you. That someone will take all that you are, and rip it into pieces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate/no-matter-what-once-in-your-life-someone-will-hurt-you-that-someone/) [Nate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate/) > [Everybody faces obstacles. And I looked to people who had been through many to succeed in life. Abraham Lincoln, born to a poor family,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-winfield/everybody-faces-obstacles-and-i-looked-to-people-who-had-been-through/) [Dave Winfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-winfield/) > [Consider that all accomplishment is constituted by a series of resolved breakdowns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-erhard/consider-that-all-accomplishment-is-constituted-by-a-series-of/) [Werner Erhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-erhard/) > [Yes, Jenna, I love you with all my heart. And with my atoms and molecules and electrons and whatever further breakdown you require.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-shinn/yes-jenna-i-love-you-with-all-my-heart-and-with-my-atoms-and/) [Sharon Shinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-shinn/) > [Every god is a jealous god after the breakdown of the bicameral mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-jaynes/every-god-is-a-jealous-god-after-the-breakdown-of-the-bicameral-mind/) [Julian Jaynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-jaynes/) > [Whether or not we can save Lake Michigan, whether or not we can avoid a breakdown in our criminal justice system are more important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-scott/whether-or-not-we-can-save-lake-michigan-whether-or-not-we-can-avoid/) [Bill Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-scott/) > [Distance cannot kill this relationship. Time cannot breakdown anything we have. This is a relationship that I am ready to sacrifice and stand up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-cannot-kill-this-relationship-time-cannot-breakdown-anything/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Today in Ukraine, many people struggle to survive, older ones often see the breakdown of the Soviet system as a loss of stability and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-pinchuk/today-in-ukraine-many-people-struggle-to-survive-older-ones-often-see/) [Victor Pinchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-pinchuk/) [Browse all 385 Breakdown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breakdown/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's unthinkable not to love -you'd have a severe nervous breakdown. Or you'd have to be Philip Larkin.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lawrence Durrell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/it-s-unthinkable-not-to-love-you-d-have-a-severe-nervous-breakdown-or/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Breakdown" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/it-s-unthinkable-not-to-love-you-d-have-a-severe-nervous-breakdown-or/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f52/lawrence-durrell-2169_breakdown_it-s-unthinkable-not-to-love-you-d-have_133044.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f52/lawrence-durrell-2169_breakdown_it-s-unthinkable-not-to-love-you-d-have_133044.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f52/lawrence-durrell-2169_breakdown_it-s-unthinkable-not-to-love-you-d-have_133044.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's unthinkable not to love -you'd have a severe nervous breakdown. Or you'd have to be Philip Larkin.” — Lawrence Durrell", "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": "Lawrence Durrell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's unthinkable not to love -you'd...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/it-s-unthinkable-not-to-love-you-d-have-a-severe-nervous-breakdown-or/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/it-s-unthinkable-not-to-love-you-d-have-a-severe-nervous-breakdown-or/#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 } } ] } ```