--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no man at once so unselfish and…" description: "\"There is no man at once so unselfish and selfish as a man in love.\" — Thomas Bailey Aldrich" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/645/thomas-bailey-aldrich-4098_love_there-is-no-man-at-once-so-unselfish-and_13251.png" --- # There is no man at once so unselfish and selfish as a man… ![“There is no man at once so unselfish and selfish as a man in love.” quote by Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/645/thomas-bailey-aldrich-4098_love_there-is-no-man-at-once-so-unselfish-and_13251.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/645/thomas-bailey-aldrich-4098_love_there-is-no-man-at-once-so-unselfish-and_13251.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/645/thomas-bailey-aldrich-4098_love_there-is-no-man-at-once-so-unselfish-and_13251.png) > “There is no man at once so unselfish and selfish as a man in love.” [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Love creates a paradox where devotion to another amplifies self-interest, making the lover both generous and self‑centered. **In simple terms:** Love breeds selfishness and selflessness simultaneously. Key Takeaway Love intertwines self‑interest with altruism. Themes love paradox human nature self‑interest altruism Mood passionate conflicted reflective Type aphorism observation When to use this quote - romantic partnership - unrequited love - marriage - friendship - family bond Key Concepts emotions relationships psychology Practical Applications - relationship counseling - literary analysis Questions to Reflect On - How does love reshape personal priorities? - Can self‑interest be a healthy part of love? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) [Man In Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-in-love/) [Selfish Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selfish-man/) ## Related quotes > [“The best way to be unselfish is to be selfish enough to get yourself to a position where you can afford to help many.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamadi-tapsoba/the-best-way-to-be-unselfish-is-to-be-selfish-enough-to-get-yourself/) [Mohamadi Tapsoba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamadi-tapsoba/) > [To have a high basketball IQ, I think you have to be unselfish, but also selfish at the same time. 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But you need two movies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-langmann/when-my-father-made-jean-de-florette-and-manon-des-sources-back-to/) [Thomas Langmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-langmann/) > [There is none of my uncle's marks upon you; he taught me how to know a man in love; in which cage of rushes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/there-is-none-of-my-uncle-s-marks-upon-you-he-taught-me-how-to-know-a/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [A man in love can do extraordinary things, I dont care if youre an angel, youre my angel, and I wont let you go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-in-love-can-do-extraordinary-things-i-dont-care-if-youre-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“But it is easy to call a man in love a mad man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-connell/but-it-is-easy-to-call-a-man-in-love-a-mad-man/) Brendan Connell ## More by Thomas Bailey Aldrich > [No bird has ever uttered note That was not in some first bird's throat; Since Eden's freshness and man's fall No rose has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/no-bird-has-ever-uttered-note-that-was-not-in-some-first-bird-s/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [I have frequently noticed how circumstances conspire to help a man, or a boy, when he has thoroughly resolved on doing a thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/i-have-frequently-noticed-how-circumstances-conspire-to-help-a-man-or/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [Everywhere on the Continent, the tourist is looked upon as a bird to be plucked, and presently the bird himself feebly comes to regard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/everywhere-on-the-continent-the-tourist-is-looked-upon-as-a-bird-to/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [Imagine all human beings swept off the face of the earth, excepting one man. 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