“The longest absence is less perilous to love than the terrible trials of incessant proximity.”
What this quote means
Millay suggests that absence, even long, preserves love, while constant proximity can destroy it. This resonates because many have experienced the tension between the desire for presence and the need for space. In life, it applies to relationships where one feels suffocated or weary of the other. The quote invites us to reflect on the balance needed in intimacy, and how absence can rekindle desire and appreciation.
How to apply it daily
If you feel suffocated in a relationship, schedule some alone time or a separate activity to rekindle mutual appreciation.
Continue
Related quotes
Same author or same theme — keep reading.
“Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”Create visual
“He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”Create visual
“The love of a mother is the veil of a softer light between the heart and the heavenly Father.”Create visual
“Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”Create visual
“Do you really think it is possible for a man to be happy with a woman who is always thinking of the past?”Create visual
“The love that lasts longest is the love that is never returned.”Create visual
More quotes by Edna St. Vincent Millay
“My candle burns at both ends; It will not last the night; But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends— It gives a lovely light!”Create visual
“Childhood is not from birth to a certain age and at a certain age the child is grown and puts away childish things. Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies.”Create visual