Care and responsibility are constituent elements of love, but without respect for and knowledge of the beloved person, love deteriorates into domination and possessiveness. Respect is not fear and awe; it denotes, in accordance with the root of the word (respicere = to look at), the ability to see a person as he is, to be aware of his individuality and uniqueness. To respect a person is not possible without knowing him; care and responsibilty would be blind if they were not guided by the knowledge of the person's individuality.


Ch. 3; in Ch. 2 of his later work The Art of Loving (1956) a similar statement is made : - Man for Himself (1947)


Care and responsibility are constituent elements of love, but without respect for and knowledge of the beloved person, love deteriorates into...

Care and responsibility are constituent elements of love, but without respect for and knowledge of the beloved person, love deteriorates into...

Care and responsibility are constituent elements of love, but without respect for and knowledge of the beloved person, love deteriorates into...

Care and responsibility are constituent elements of love, but without respect for and knowledge of the beloved person, love deteriorates into...