Commentary

This line closes a passage in On Love that describes love's aspiration as wholly internal, aimed at its own completion rather than at any external reward. Gibran's claim that love desires nothing beyond its own fulfilment repeats the book's insistence that love is self-justifying and resists instrumental calculation. Suheil Bushrui has argued that this emphasis reflects a mystical idealism that Gibran shared with figures in the Sufi and Christian traditions, and that the book's readers have often responded to its refusal of utility. Mikhail Naimy's biography describes Gibran's view that art and love are both forms of self-expression that cannot be reduced to purpose, which is consistent with the line. Virginia Hilu's letters include Gibran's reflections on the difference between desire and devotion, which help clarify the distinction the sentence draws. Critics have occasionally called the sentiment abstract, but its place in the chapter shows that Gibran intended it as a counter to the transactional view of affection. The English text is stable and can be quoted with confidence.