Perhaps it will seem to you that the sunshine is brighter and that everything has a new charm. At least, I believe this is always the result of a deep love, and it is a beautiful thing. And I believe people who think love prevents one from thinking clearly are wrong; for then one thinks very clearly and is more active than before. And love is something eternal - the aspect may change, but not the essence. There is the same difference in a person before and after he is in love as there is in an unlighted lamp and one that is burning. The lamp was there and it was a good lamp, but now it is shedding light too, and that is its real function. And love makes one calmer about many things, and in that way, one is more fit for one's work.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Love brings clarity, activity, and calmness, acting like a lamp that sheds light; it is eternal though its aspect may change.
- In plain terms
- Love makes people think clearly and work better because it sheds light on them.
- What can you take from it?
- Love gives clarity and energy to your work.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Does love clarify or cloud your thinking?
- How has love changed your work?
Another view
It idealizes love as always productive which ignores toxic relationships.
More from Vincent Van Gogh
Paintings have a life of their own that derives from the painter's soul.
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