To say 'I love you' one must first be able to say the 'I.'
Ayn RandRead
He, too, stood looking at her for a moment - and it seemed to her that it was not a look of greeting after an absence, but the look of someone who had thought of her every day of that year. She could not be certain, it was only an instant, so brief that just as she caught it, he was turning.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote captures a moment of deep, unspoken connection between two people, indicating profound emotional investment over time.
In this quote, Ayn Rand illustrates a powerful emotional moment between two characters, suggesting that the intensity of their connection transcends mere greeting. The look exchanged conveys a heartfelt recognition that one has been present in the thoughts of the other consistently, emphasizing the depth of their feelings and a bond that has endured time apart.
Themes
LoveConnectionEmotionAbsenceThoughts
In practice
Example use cases
In a romantic novel, the author could use this quote to frame a pivotal reunion between two lovers.
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
The root of the matter is a very simple and old fashioned thing... love or compassion. If you feel this, you have a motive for existence, a guide for action, a reason for courage, an imperative necessity for intellectual honesty.
Bertrand RussellRead
First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried letters from a girl named Martha, a junior at Mount Sebastian College in New Jersey. They were not love letters, but Lieutenant Cross was hoping, so he kept them folded in plastic at the bottom of his rusack. In the late afternoon, after a day's march, he would dig his foxhole, wash his hands under a canteen, unwrap the letters, hold them with the tips of his fingers, and spend the last hour of light pretending.
Tim O'BrienRead
You don't have to prove to me you're beautiful to strangers, I've got loving eyes of my own.
Carly SimonRead
Beauties in vain their pretty eyes may roll; charms strike the sight, but merit wins the soul.
Alexander PopeRead
Forgive yourself and welcome love back into your life.
Wayne DyerRead
There is only one good thing in life, and that is love. And how you misunderstand it! how you spoil it! You treat it as something solemn like a sacrament, or something to be bought, like a dress.
Guy De MaupassantRead