"To love is to give freely, but not harmlessly. It is impossible to explain why its object is one human being and not another; nevertheless, its dynamics were clear to the ancients, who emphasized its strategic aspect. Giving to the lover does not solicit an exchange, but constitutes a challenge. The lover tends not to take something away from the beloved, but to possess them in a sense that, alongside its sexual significance, also has political and military connotations. Eroticism would be a very insipid and vacuous experience if the lover were not exposed to the danger of defeat. (p. 113)"
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Mario Perniola, Del sentire
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Eroticism
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Eroticism
11 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Eroticism →
Related Quotes
"There are many kinds of power, used and unused, acknowledged or otherwise. The erotic is a resource within each of us…"
"The erotic offers a well of replenishing and provocative force to the woman who does not fear its revelation, nor suc…"
"The erotic is a measure between the beginnings of our sense of self and the chaos of our strongest feelings. It is an…"
"The erotic is not a question only of what we do; it is a question of how acutely and fully we can feel in the doing. …"
"The very word erotic comes from the Greek word ', the personification of love in all its aspects — born of Chaos, and…"
"Understanding is a hand-maiden which can only wait upon, or clarify, that knowledge, deeply born. The erotic is the n…"
"When we live outside ourselves, and by that I mean on external directives only rather than from our internal knowledg…"
"The erotic cannot be felt secondhand."
"Recognizing the power of the erotic within our lives can give us the energy to pursue genuine change within our world…"
"When I speak of the erotic, then I speak of it as an assertion of the life force of women; of that creative energy em…"