To say 'I love you' one must first be able to say the 'I.'
Ayn RandRead
I love you, Dominique. As selfishly as the fact that I exist. As selfishly as my lungs breathe air. I breathe for my own necessity, for the fuel of my body, for my survival. I've given you, not my sacrifice or my pity, but my ego and my naked need. This is the only way I can want you to love me.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote expresses a deep and self-aware love that acknowledges personal needs and desires.
In this quote, Ayn Rand articulates a love rooted in self-necessity, suggesting that her affection for Dominique is an intrinsic part of her existence. Rather than presenting love as a selfless act, she emphasizes that genuine connection comes from recognizing one's own needs and desires, thus framing love as a complex interplay of ego, survival, and emotional vulnerability.
Themes
LoveSelfishnessExistenceEgoNeed
In practice
Example use cases
During a wedding ceremony, a speaker might use this quote to emphasize the importance of understanding personal needs in a relationship.
More from Ayn Rand
All quotes →The difference between animals and humans is that animals change themselves for the environment, but humans change the environment for themselves.
Ayn RandRead
It is my eyes which see, and the sight of my eyes grants beauty to the earth. It is my ears which hear, and the hearing of my ears gives its song to the world. It is my mind which thinks, and the judgement of my mind is the only searchlight that can find the truth. It is my will which chooses, and the choice of my will is the only edict I must respect.
Ayn RandRead
What is the basic, the essential, the crucial principle that differentiates freedom from slavery? It is the principle of voluntary action versus physical coercion or compulsion.
Ayn RandRead
One method of destroying a concept is by diluting its meaning. Observe that by ascribing rights to the unborn, i.e., the nonliving, the anti-abortionists obliterate the rights of the living.
Ayn RandRead
I think that when in doubt about the truth of an issue, it's safer and in better taste to select the least numerous of the adversaries.
Ayn RandRead
Similar quotes
My soul Is Naked. _x000D_ It wears The Transparent Garment Of Love.
RumiRead
If I never see you again I will always carry you inside outside on my fingertips and at brain edges and in centers centers of what I am of what remains.
Charles BukowskiRead
Conceit, more rich in matter than in words, _x000D_ Brags of his substance, not of ornament: _x000D_ They are but beggars that can count their worth; _x000D_ But my true love is grown to such excess, _x000D_ I cannot sum up half my sum of wealth.
William ShakespeareRead
Whether you call my heart affectionate, or you call it womanish: I confess, that to my misfortune, it is soft.
OvidRead
Don't tell me you're not beautiful. You're the kind of beautiful the blind would see if we could figure out some way to give them three seconds of sight.
Shane KoyczanRead
There's something like a line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself.
John Gregory BrownRead