Love does not cause suffering: what causes it is the sense of ownership, which is love's opposite.
Interpretation
Love itself is not the source of pain; rather, it's the possessive nature that leads to suffering.
In this quote, Antoine De Saint-Exupery highlights the idea that true love is not associated with suffering. Instead, it is the desire to possess or control someone that causes emotional pain. Love should be free and selfless, whereas feelings of ownership can lead to conflict and hurt in relationships. This perspective encourages a healthier understanding of love, where mutual trust and respect are prioritized over possessiveness.
In practice
In a heartwarming wedding speech, one might reflect on how true love is about freedom, as illustrated by this quote.
Grown-ups love figures... When you tell them you've made a new friend they never ask you any questions about essential matters. They never say to you "What does his voice sound like? What games does he love best? Does he collect butterflies? " Instead they demand "How old is he? How much does he weigh? How much money does his father make? " Only from these figures do they think they have learned anything about him.
Attitude is a paintbrush. It colors everything!
Water, thou hast no taste, no color, no odor; canst not be defined, art relished while ever mysterious. Not necessary to life, but rather life itself, thou fillest us with a gratification that exceeds the delight of the senses.
In those days, I didn't understand anything. I should have judged her according to her actions, not her words. She perfumed my planet and lit up my life. I should never have run away! I ought to have realized the tenderness underlying her silly pretensions. Flowers are so contadictory! But I was too young to know how to love her.
When a mystery is too overpowering, one dare not disobey.
When the body sinks into death, the essence of man is revealed. Man is a knot, a web, a mesh into which relationships are tied. Only those relationships matter. The body is an old crock that nobody will miss. I have never known a man to think of himself when dying. Never.
The aim of every human being is to understand the meaning of total love.
One word from you shall silence me forever.
In that book which is my memory, On the first page of the chapter that is the day when I first met you, Appear the words, ‘Here begins a new life’.
Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever.
The tears that kept Buttercup company the remainder of the day were not at all like those that had blinded her into the tree trunk. Those were noisy and hot; they pulsed. These were silent and steady and all they did was remind her that she wasn’t good enough. She was seventeen, and every male she’d ever known had crumbled at her feet and it meant nothing. The one time it really mattered, she wasn’t good enough.
Her love was trembling in laughter on her lips.
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