Death is the sound of distant thunder at a picnic.
W. H. AudenRead
If equal affection cannot be, let the more loving be me.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a willingness to be the one who loves more in a relationship, even if affection cannot be reciprocated equally.
In this quote, W. H. Auden suggests that when love is not perfectly reciprocated, one should take the initiative to love more deeply. It highlights the beauty and strength of unconditional love, indicating that the act of loving someone fully can outweigh the need for equal affection in return.
Themes
LoveAffectionUnconditionalRelationshipSacrifice
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a wedding speech to emphasize devotion.
More from W. H. Auden
All quotes βThat the speech of self-disclosure should be translatable seems to me very odd, but I am convinced that it is. The conclusion that I draw is that the only quality which all human being without exception possess is uniqueness: any characteristic, on the other hand, which one individual can be recognized as having in common with another, like red hair or the English language, implies the existence of other individual qualities which this classification excludes.
W. H. AudenRead
Nobody knows what the cause is, though some pretend they do; it like some hidden assassin waiting to strike at you. Childless women get it, and men when they retire; it as if there had to be some outlet for their foiled creative fire.
W. H. AudenRead
History is, strictly speaking, the study of questions; the study of answers belongs to anthropology and sociology.
W. H. AudenRead
Music is the best means we have of digesting time.
W. H. AudenRead
'Healing,' Papa would tell me, 'is not a science, but the intuitive art of wooing nature.'
W. H. AudenRead
Similar quotes
We are all a part of the divine spark. All have a purpose in creation and that purpose is called Love. That love, however, shouldn't be concentrated in just one person, it should be scattered throughout the world, waiting to be discovered. Wake up that love. What is gone cannot return. What is about to arrive needs to be recognized.
Paulo CoelhoRead
There are few things in life that bring as much joy as the joy that comes from assisting another improve his or her life. That joy is increased when those efforts help someone understand the teachings of the Savior and that person decides to obey them, is converted, and joins His Church.
Richard G. ScottRead
In Hawaii, we greet friends, loved ones or strangers with Aloha, which means love. Aloha is the key word to the universal spirit of real hospitality, which makes Hawaii renowned as the world's center of understanding and fellowship. Try meeting or leaving people with Aloha. You'll be surprised by their reaction. I believe it and it is my creed. Aloha to you.
Duke KahanamokuRead
Let your heart feel for the afflictions and distress of everyone, and let your hand give in proportion to your purse.
George WashingtonRead
Unable to suppress love, the Church wanted at least to disinfect it, and it created marriage.
Charles BaudelaireRead
It was there, in particular, that I confirmed the truth that love, which we cry up as the source of our pleasures, is nothing more than an excuse for them.
Pierre Choderlos De LaclosRead