Christianity Quote by Roland Barthes
““…This singular reversal may perhaps proceed from the fact that for us the “subject” (since Christianity) is the one who suffers: where there is a wound, there is a subject: die Wunde! die Wunde! says Parsifal, thereby becoming “himself”; and the deeper the wound, at the body’s center (at the “heart”), the more the subject becomes a subject: for the subject is intimacy (“The wound…is of a frightful intimacy”). Such is love’s wound: a radical chasm (at the “roots” of being), which cannot be closed, and out of which the subject drains, constituting himself as a subject in this very draining.” ―from_A Lover’s Discourse: Fragments_. Translated by Richard Howard, p. 189””
About This Quote
Source Book: A Lover’s Discourse: Fragments, translated by Richard Howard, 1977
The wound of love makes the subject deeply intimate, creating an endless, unfillable chasm that both defines and drains the self.
In simple terms: Love’s wound creates deep intimacy and endless longing.
Key Takeaway
Embrace vulnerability as a source of connection.
Themes
love
intimacy
subjectivity
pain
drain
radical chasm
Mood
melancholic
intense
Type
philosophical
literary
When to use this quote
- relationships
- artistic creation
- therapy
- spiritual practice
- personal crisis
Key Concepts
existentialism
psychoanalysis
philosophy of love
Questions to Reflect On
- How does acknowledging pain deepen love?
- Can we find wholeness without pain?
A Different Perspective
The metaphor may romanticize suffering.
