Paradox of Desire Quotes

There is something I have noticed about desire, that it opens the eyes and strikes them blind at the same time.

Since desire always goes towards that which is our direct opposite, it forces us to love that which will make us suffer.

What a pathetic creature is man! His senses are awakened by the hope for the very thing whose consummation puts him to sleep.

Curious how often you Humans manage to obtain that which you do not want.

Why is it that man desires to be made sad, beholding doleful and tragical things, which yet himself would by no means suffer?

As soon as you stop wanting something you get it. I've found that to be absolutely axiomatic.

What appeals to you the most is the very thing that will drive you crazy

The cosmic humor is that if you desire to move mountains and you continue to purify yourself, ultimately you will arrive at the place where you are able to move mountains. But in order to arrive at this position of power you will have had to give up being he-who-wanted-to-move-mountains so that you can be he-who-put-the-mountain-there-in-the-first-place. The humor is that finally when you have the power to move the mountain, you are the person who placed it there--so there the mountain stays.

We desire truth, and find within ourselves only uncertainty. We seek happiness, and find only misery and death. We cannot but desire truth and happiness, and are incapable of certainty or happiness.

I write of the wish that comes true - for some reason, a terrifying concept.

Most marriages recognize this paradox: Passion destroys passion; we want what puts an end to wanting what we want.

why human beings despise what is beautiful and good, and seek to destroy the things they need the most

The very urge to get rid of desire is still desire, is it not?

The good want power, but to weep barren tears. The powerful goodness want: worse need for them. The wise want love; and those who love want wisdom.

Life has all of these contradictory feelings and contradictory results. People spend their whole lives struggling to get what they think they want, and even if they get it, they find that it's either not what they wanted, or it comes with so many unwanted consequences. We're always shut off from pure joy.