Love is generally confused with dependence; but in point of fact, you can love only in proportion to your capacity for independence.
Rollo MayRead
The poet, like the lover, is a menace on the assembly line.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that creativity and passion disrupt the routine and mechanization of life, similar to a love affair.
Rollo May's quote compares poets to lovers, emphasizing how both embody a sense of creativity and passion that stands in stark contrast to the mundane and systematic nature of everyday life, much like an assembly line. The notion of being a 'menace' implies that this creativity can disrupt the order and efficiency of conventional existence, suggesting that true artistry and romance introduce chaos that is vital for genuine expression and connection.
Themes
PoetLoverCreativityAssembly LineDisruption
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of creativity in education, I might say, 'As Rollo May famously stated, the poet, like the lover, is a menace on the assembly line.'
More from Rollo May
All quotes →To love means to open ourselves to the negative as well as the positive - to grief, sorrow, and disappointment as well as to joy, fulfillment, and an intensity of consciousness we did not know was possible before
Rollo MayRead
Terrorism and the whole drug scene are vivid examples of the fact that what persons abhor most of all in life is the possibility that they will not matter.
Rollo MayRead
Humor is the healthy way of feeling "distance" between one's self and the problem, a way of standing off and looking at one's problem with perspective.
Rollo MayRead
Beauty is the experience that gives us a sense of joy and a sense of peace simultaneously.
Rollo MayRead
Joy is the zest that you get out of using your talents, your understanding, the totality of your being, for great aims...That's the kind of feeling that goes with creativity. That's why I say the courage to create. Creation does not come out of simply what you're born with. That must be united with your courage, both of which cause anxiety, but also great joy.
Rollo MayRead
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