I loved you so much once. I did. More than anything in the whole wide world. Imagine that. What a laugh that is now. Can you believe it? We were so intimate once upon a time I can't believe it now. The memory of being that intimate with somebody. We were so intimate I could puke. I can't imagine ever being that intimate with somebody else. I haven't been.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on a once-deep romantic intimacy that has faded, invoking both nostalgia and disbelief.
In this poignant quote, Raymond Carver expresses a profound sense of loss and disbelief regarding a past intimate relationship. The speaker acknowledges having loved deeply and shared a significant bond, contrasting it with the current state of disconnection and the inability to replicate such intimacy with anyone else. Through a mix of affection and humor, the quote captures the complexities of love, memory, and the painful realization of how relationships can change over time.
In practice
This quote is perfect for a reflective moment at a wedding, highlighting the evolution of love.
Woke up this morning with a terrific urge to lie in bed all day and read. Fought against it for a minute. Then looked out the window at the rain. And gave over. Put myself entirely in the keep of this rainy morning. Would I live my life over again? Make the same unforgivable mistakes? Yes, given half a chance. Yes.
Fiction shows the external effects of internal conditions. Be aware of the tension between internal and external movement.
Every great or even every very good writer makes the world over according to his own specifications.
When I'm writing, I write every day. It's lovely when that's happening. One day dovetailing into the next. Sometimes I don't even know what day of the week it is.
It's strange. You never start out life with the intention of becoming a bankrupt or an alcoholic or a cheat and a thief. Or a liar.
When you're writing fiction or poetry... it really comes down to this: indifference to everything except what you're doing... A young writer could do worse than follow the advice given in those lines.
If you`d be loved, be worthy to be love
Her cheeks were flushed. She caught hold of the Savage's arm and pressed it, limp, against her side. He looked down at her for a moment, pale, pained, desiring, and ashamed of his desire. He was not worthy, not... Their eyes for a moment met. What treasures hers promised! A queen's ransom of temperament. Hastily he looked away, disengaged his imprisoned arm. He was obscurely terrified lest she should cease to be something he could feel himself unworthy of.
All work is empty save when there is love.
Love often leads on to ambition, but seldom does one return from ambition to love.
Hide them all, then. Keep her – them – safe. Please.' And what will you give me in return, Severus?' In – in return? Anything.
One can be very much in love with a woman without wishing to spend the rest of one's life with her.
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