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 →Anxiety is love's greatest killer, because it is like the stranglehold of the drowning.
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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.
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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.
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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
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