“Unrequited love may be painful, but it is safely painful, because it does not involve inflicting damage on anyone but oneself, a private pain that is as bitter-sweet as it is self-induced. But as soon as love is reciprocated, one must be prepared to give up the passivity of simply being hurt to take on the responsibility of perpetrating hurt oneself.”
More from Alain de Botton
“To be a child of snobs deserves its own taxonomy, treatment and pathway to health. Part of…”
“By understanding and analyzing our feelings, we learn to see how emotions impact on our…”
“You could perhaps say ‘happiness’ but ‘happiness’ is misleading, for it suggests…”
“To cope with the conflict between hope and reality, our culture should teach us good…”