To fall in love is easy, even to remain in it is not difficult; our human loneliness is cause enough. But it is a hard quest worth making to find a comrade through whose steady presence one becomes steadily the person one desires to be.
Interpretation
Love comes easily, but finding a true companion who inspires personal growth is challenging yet rewarding.
This quote speaks to the complexities of love and human relationships, highlighting that while falling in love may be simple, sustaining that love and fostering personal growth through companionship is much more profound. It emphasizes the idea that a true partner not only enhances our joy but also encourages us to become our best selves, making the journey of finding such a connection truly worthwhile.
In practice
Quoting this during a wedding speech to highlight the importance of finding a true partner.
I think that love is more like a light that you carry. At first childish happiness keeps it lighted and after that romance. Then motherhood lights it and then duty . . . and maybe after that sorrow. You wouldn't think that sorrow could be a light, would you, dearie? But it can. And then after that, service lights it. Yes. . . . I think that is what love is to a woman . . . a lantern in her hand.
Life and hope for the world are to be found only in the deeds of love.
I looked and looked at her, and I knew, as clearly as I know that I will die, that I loved her more than anything I had ever seen or imagined on earth. She was only the dead-leaf echo of the nymphet from long ago - but I loved her, this Lolita, pale and polluted and big with another man's child. She could fade and wither - I didn't care. I would still go mad with tenderness at the mere sight of her face.
Joy is love exalted; peace is love in response; long-suffering is love enduring; gentleness is love in society; goodness is love in action; faith is love on the battlefield; meekness is love in tough situations; and temperance is love in training.
The greatest distance in this World is not that between living and death, it is when I am just before you, and you don't know that I Love You.
Maybe it's just hiding somewhere. Or gone on a trip to come home. But falling in love is always a pretty crazy thing. It might appear out of the blue and just grab you. Who knows — maybe even tomorrow.
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