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
For a quart of ale is a dish for a king.
William ShakespeareRead
She would follow, her dream of love, the dictates of her heart that told her he was her all in all, the only man in all the world for her for love was the master guide. Come what might she would be wild, untrammelled, free.
James JoyceRead
If you find that thing you love, it doesn't necessarily matter whether you do it well or not-you just need to do it.
Stanley TucciRead
Getting a great idea with song writing is a lot like love. You don't know why this one is different, but it is. You don't know why this one is better, but it is. It sticks in your head, and you can't stop thinking about it.
Taylor SwiftRead
Ginny came in to visit while you were unconscious", he said, after a long pause, and Harry's imagination zoomed into overdrive, rapidly constructing a scene in which Ginny, weeking over his lifeless form, confessed her feelings of deep attraction to him while Ron gave them his blessing.
J. K. RowlingRead
My wife comes with me on all the movies, but she is not an appendage to a film star or anything like that. She is a completely intertwined partner. She is the other half of me. Also, we're still very much in love with each other. We always have been, we always will be.
Michael CaineRead