Love is but the discovery of ourselves in others, and the delight in the recognition.

The sentence defines love less as fascination with an “other” than as a moment of self-recognition: we are drawn to people who mirror, complete, or reveal aspects of our own nature. “Discovery” implies that love uncovers latent parts of the self—values, desires, vulnerabilities—by encountering them reflected in another person. The “delight in the recognition” suggests that intimacy is pleasurable because it confirms identity and belonging: we feel understood when we see ourselves echoed back. The idea also carries a cautionary edge: if love is self-discovery, it can be as much about projection and idealization as about truly knowing the other.