QuoteProject
Dorothy was in that state human beings passed through at the beginning of a love affair, in which they desire to say anything and everything to the beloved, to the alter ego, before they have learned what the real Other can and can't understand, can and can't accept.
A. S. Byatt
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote describes the initial phase of a love affair where both individuals are eager to share everything with each other without fully understanding how much can be accepted.

In this quote, A. S. Byatt highlights the excitement and vulnerability that accompany the early stages of romantic relationships. It captures the intensity of emotions and the eagerness to connect on a deep level, while also acknowledging the eventual reality that comes with truly knowing another person—understanding their limits, preferences, and capacity for acceptance. This phase is often filled with idealism, as individuals express their innermost thoughts and feelings in the hopes of forging a meaningful bond.

Themes

LoveRelationshipCommunicationUnderstandingIntimacy

In practice

Example use cases

This quote could be used in a romantic movie to depict the early stages of a relationship.

More from A. S. Byatt

The more research you do, the more at ease you are in the world you're writing about. It doesn't encumber you, it makes you free.
A. S. ByattRead
It's because I'm a feminist that I can't stand women limiting other women's imaginations. It really makes me angry.
A. S. ByattRead
Why do we take pleasure in gruesome death, neatly packaged as a puzzle to which we may find a satisfactory solution through clues - or if we are not clever enough, have it revealed by the all-powerful tale-teller at the end of the book? It is something to do with being reduced to, and comforted by, playing by the rules.
A. S. ByattRead
Never stop paying attention to things. Never make your mind up finally. Do not hold beliefs.
A. S. ByattRead
Only write to me, write to me, I love to see the hop and skip and sudden starts of your ink.
A. S. ByattRead
I am a creature of my pen. My pen is the best of me.
A. S. ByattRead

Similar quotes

She wasn't much to look at but she was something to think about.
James ThurberRead
We cannot love something solely because it has been ignored. It must also be worthy of our attention.
Zadie SmithRead
Life's a game made for everyone, and love is the prize.
AviciiRead
The field of quantum possibility, in which love has opened doors otherwise unimaginable, is our soul's true habitat. The world of fear and limitation is not our home, and who among us is not profoundly weary of hanging out where we do not belong.
Marianne WilliamsonRead
Of the love or hatred God has for the English, I know nothing, but I do know that they will all be thrown out of France, except those who die there.
Joan Of ArcRead
As to the deceit perpetrated upon women, let it pass, for, when love is in the way, men and women as a general rule dupe each other.
Giacomo CasanovaRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.