Lazarus Quote by Leonid Andreyev
““Look at us, Lazarus, and share our joy. Is there anything stronger than love?" And Lazarus looked. And for the rest of their life they kept on loving each other, but their passion grew gloomy and joyless, like those funeral cypresses whose roots feed on the decay of the graves and whose black summits in a still evening hour seek in vain to reach the sky. Thrown by the unknown forces of life into each other's embraces, they mingled tears with kisses, voluptuous pleasures with pain, and they felt themselves doubly slaves, obedient slaves to life, and patient servants of the silent Nothingness. Ever united, ever severed, they blazed like sparks and like sparks lost themselves in the boundless Dark.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Life of Lazarus, 1905
Intense love can become suffocating, intertwining joy with sorrow and existential dread.
In simple terms: Love may turn dark and oppressive.
Key Takeaway
Recognize when passion becomes harmful.
Themes
love
existence
duality
despair
Mood
melancholic
poetic
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- intimate relationships
- creative inspiration
- personal crises
- spiritual contemplation
Key Concepts
psychology of attachment
nihilism
romantic fatalism
Questions to Reflect On
- What boundaries protect love from becoming oppressive?
- How does suffering shape deep connections?
A Different Perspective
Passion can lead to self‑destruction.
