Feelings dwell in man; but man dwells in his love. That is no metaphor, but the actual truth. Love does not cling to the I in such a way as to have the Thou only for its " content," its object; but love is between I and Thou. The man who does not know this, with his very being know this, does not know love; even though he ascribes to it the feelings he lives through, experiences, enjoys, and expresses.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes that true love exists in the relationship between individuals rather than as a mere emotion or feeling.
Martin Buber's quote explores the essence of love, asserting that it is not just a feeling that an individual possesses but rather a relational dynamic that occurs between people. He suggests that if someone perceives love only as personal sentiments, they lack a true understanding of what love is, which involves a deeper connection and shared existence between 'I' and 'Thou'. Love, in this sense, transcends individual feelings and is fundamentally about the relationship itself.
In practice
Using this quote in a wedding ceremony to highlight the essence of love in a marriage.
When I confront a human being as my Thou and speak the basic word I-Thou to him, then he is no thing among things nor does he consist of things. He is no longer He or She, a dot in the world grid of space and time, nor a condition to be experienced and described, a loose bundle of named qualities. Neighborless and seamless, he is Thou and fills the firmament. Not as if there were nothing but he; but everything else lives in his light.
Play is the exultation of the possible.
There is no room for God in him who is full of himself.
Every person born in this world represents something new, something that never existed before, something original and unique.
It is usual to think of good and evil as two poles, two opposite directions, the antithesis of one another...We must begin by doing away with this convention.
God dwells wherever man lets Him in.
When you find yourself with the Beloved, embracing for _x000D_ one breath, in that moment you will find your true destiny. _x000D_ Alas, don't spoil this precious moment. _x000D_ Moments like this are very, very rare.
Your body is away from me, but there is a window open from my heart to yours.
I am happier when I love than when I am loved. I adore my husband, my son, my grandchildren, my mother, my dog, and frankly, I don't know if they even like me. But who cares? Loving them is my joy.
You can’t replace people you love with other people…But you can trust that you’re not going to run out of people to love.
Caresses, expressions of one sort or another, are necessary to the life of the affections as leaves are to the life of a tree. If they are wholly restrained, love will die at the roots.
But you were something more than young and sweet And fair, - and the long year remembers you.
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