Married couples who quarrel bitterly every day may really need each other as deeply as those who appear to be desperately in love.
Edward AbbeyRead
I've wrecked and ravaged half my life in the pursuit of women, and I suffer the pangs of about seventeen regrets -- the seventeen who got away.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the regrets one may have in love and relationships, highlighting the emotional turmoil caused by past choices.
Edward Abbey's quote poignantly captures the idea of regret associated with romantic pursuits. It suggests that a significant portion of one's life may be spent in the chase for love, leading to a sense of loss or pain over missed opportunities. The number 'seventeen' signifies not just the quantity of relationships, but rather the depth of emotional impact each one had on the speaker, conveying a universal truth about the complexities of love and the haunting nature of what could have been.
Themes
RegretLoveRelationshipsPastLoss
In practice
Example use cases
In a reflective speech at a wedding, one might quote Abbey to emphasize the importance of appreciating love before it slips away.
More from Edward Abbey
All quotes βI love America because it is a confused, chaotic mess - and I hope we can keep it this way for at least another thousand years. The permissive society is the free society.
Edward AbbeyRead
If it's knowledge and wisdom you want, then seek out the company of those who do real work for an honest purpose.
Edward AbbeyRead
The earth is real. Only a fool, milking his cow, denies the cow's reality.
Edward AbbeyRead
I believe in nothing that I cannot touch, kiss, embrace.... The rest is only hearsay.
Edward AbbeyRead
Why can't we simply borrow what is useful to us from Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, especially Zen, as we borrow from Christianity, science, American Indian traditions and world literature in general, including philosophy, and let the rest go hang? Borrow what we need but rely principally upon our own senses, common sense and daily living experience.
Edward AbbeyRead
Similar quotes
We were born to unite with our fellow men, and to join in community with the human race.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead
I assure you. I have no notion of treating men with such respect. That is the way to spoil them.
Jane AustenRead
The global work of the United Nations is not without reason compared to that of a family - striving for a common goal in concert with all members for a better future.
Kofi AnnanRead
LEONATO Well, niece, I hope to see you one day fitted with a husband. BEATRICE Not till God make men of some other metal than earth. Would it not grieve a woman to be overmastered with a pierce of valiant dust? to make an account of her life to a clod of wayward marl? No, uncle, I'll none: Adam's sons are my brethren; and, truly, I hold it a sin to match in my kindred.
William ShakespeareRead
If you're walking with your lady on the sidewalk, I still like to see a man walking street-side, to protect the lady from traffic. I grew up with that, and I hate to see something like that get lost. I still like to see that a man opens the door. I like those touches of chivalry that are fast disappearing.
Betty WhiteRead
Brothers don't necessarily have to say anything to each other - they can sit in a room and be together and just be completely comfortable with each other.
Leonardo DicaprioRead