“Romance novels are all about desire and happily-ever-after, but happily-ever-after doesn’t come from desire – at least not the kind portrayed in pulp romances. Real love is not to desire a person but to desire their happiness – sometimes even at the expense of our own happiness. Real love is to expand our own capacity for tolerance and caring, to actively seek another’s well-being. All else is simply a charade of self-interest.”
