There is always some madness in love
The Humans“There is always some madness in love” is the opening of a remembered saying that complicates its own claim: love may contain madness, but madness, in turn, may contain reason. Its significance in the scene lies partly in that balance and partly in the uncertainty surrounding who first said it.
Wording and Attribution
The recalled line continues, “But there is also always some reason in madness.” Rather than presenting love and reason as simple opposites, the saying places each within the other. The speaker cannot identify its source, trailing off with “That was . . . someone.” The hesitant attribution leaves the thought available as a piece of borrowed wisdom without giving it the authority of a named speaker.
Place in the Encounter
The saying follows an exchange in which the other person says that something “doesn’t make sense.” After the line, silence falls; the narrator, unsure of the etiquette, stands and leaves. The other person gives a little whine and then laughs again. The narrator reflects that laughter, like madness, seems to be “the only way out, the emergency exit for humans.” In this immediate context, the saying’s balance of reason and madness is echoed by laughter: neither resolves the awkwardness, but both offer a way through it.
