Romantic Love

The point is that, as in so many other aspects of human "relationships," the feminists are setting out to destroy romance (if that word is not yet obsolete), which thrives on spontaneity, and on implicit, non-verbal mutual understanding. Which is also the problem with the current mania for condoms and other elaborate birth-control machinations ... For generations now, girls, while consenting implicitly to sex, have wanted to assuage their guilt by being able to tell themselves ... that they were merely "swept off their feet" by the charm of the guy and/or the magic of the moment.

The only man capable of experiencing a profound romantic love is the man driven by passion for his work—because love is an expression of self-esteem, of the deepest values in a man's or a woman's character. One falls in love with the person who shares these values. If a man has no clearly defined values, and no moral character, he is not able to appreciate another person.

Q: At NBI someone asked if a person can be involved in two romantic relationships at the same time. You and Miss Rand replied that "Only giants can." ... [H]ave you altered your view on this?
Branden: Today I would answer that people with a less grandiose view of themselves probably have a better chance of succeeding in such a project with some reasonable degree of sanity and balance. Ayn and I—who were operating totally out of reality—had no chance whatsoever. For further details about what is or is not possible in relationships, let me refer you to my Psychology of Romantic Love.

What's your view now of Rand's theory of romantic love?
That's a very big subject ... I think the problem with her theory of romantic love is not so much that it's wrong, but that it's very much oversimplified. Human beings are much more complex than her view of love grants ... I'm convinced that there can be many reasons why one is attracted to one person rather than another and, sometimes, it is difficult to understand the reasons. They can be very complex; they can be a function of some aspect of the person and not others; they can be long-lived or fleeting.