Love is generally confused with dependence; but in point of fact, you can love only in proportion to your capacity for independence.
Rollo MayRead
Tenderness emerges from the fact that the two persons, longing, as all individuals do, to overcome the separateness and isolation to which we are all heir because we are individuals, can participate in a relationship that, for the moment, is not of two isolated selves but a union
Interpretation
What this quote means
Tenderness arises from the desire for connection in relationships, allowing individuals to overcome their sense of isolation.
This quote by Rollo May highlights the essence of tenderness in human relationships. It suggests that as individuals, we often feel alone and separate from others. However, through a meaningful connection with another person, we can experience a momentary unity that transcends our individual isolation. This bond allows us to experience love and intimacy, revealing the shared human condition of longing for closeness.
Themes
TendernessRelationshipsConnectionIsolationUnity
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared at a wedding to emphasize the importance of connection in marriage.
More from Rollo May
All quotes βTo 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
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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.
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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
The poet, like the lover, is a menace on the assembly line.
Rollo MayRead
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