The poet is one who is able to keep the fresh vision of the child alive.
Anais NinRead
Since desire always goes towards that which is our direct opposite, it forces us to love that which will make us suffer.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Desire often leads us to pursue things that ultimately cause us pain or suffering.
This quote by Anais Nin suggests that our desires tend to gravitate toward what is contrary to our well-being, enticing us to develop attachments to individuals or circumstances that may lead to our suffering. It highlights the paradox of human longing, where the pursuit of desire often results in emotional turmoil, reinforcing the complex interplay between love and pain in relationships.
Themes
DesireSufferingLoveRelationshipsPain
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the complexities of love and attachment, this quote could be used to illustrate the idea that what we desire may not be what is good for us.
More from Anais Nin
All quotes βAnxiety is love's greatest killer, because it is like the stranglehold of the drowning.
Anais NinRead
We celebrate peace. Yet we pay no attention to the ways of curing aggression in human beings. And when one sees in psychoanalysis hostility disappearing as people conquer their fears, one wonders if the cure is not there.
Anais NinRead
The impetus to grow and live intensely is so powerful in me I cannot resist it. I will work, I will love my husband, but I will fulfill myself.
Anais NinRead
We have been poisoned by fairy tales.
Anais NinRead
But I lie. I embellish. My words are not deep enough. They disguise, they conceal. I will not rest until I have told of my descent into a sensuality which was as dark, as magnificent, as wild, as my moments of mystic creation have been dazzling, ecstatic, exalted.
Anais NinRead
Similar quotes
When people kill themselves, they think they're ending the pain, but all they're doing is passing it on to those they leave behind.
Jeannette WallsRead
It was just enough to sit there without words.
Louise ErdrichRead
I have had to contend against the unkindness of his sister, and the insolence of his mother; and have suffered the punishment of an attachment, without enjoying its advantages.
Jane AustenRead
These kids at the Ali Forney Center are literally dumped by their families because of the fact that they are lesbian, gay, or transgender - this organization really is saving lives.
Bea ArthurRead
As for becoming queen, it was never on the forefront of my mind when I married my husband. It was a long way off, that thought.
Princess DianaRead
The only people out at this hour were ones who couldn't sleep,those haunted by one thing or another:love thwarted, love lost, love thrown away. They were the sort of people who didn't want to be noticed, who wanted to slip through shadows, be alone with their despair.
Alice HoffmanRead