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.
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
What this quote means
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.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote is perfect for a reflective moment at a wedding, highlighting the evolution of love.
More from Raymond Carver
All quotes →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.
Similar quotes
We are here to love, not to judge. I'd been blaming and raging. I certainly wasn't loving my daughter that afternoon as God loves me. God's love doesn't insist on perfection or even good common sense. Why then should I demand more of those I love? With this tiny change in perspective I began to see the need for correction wasn't in my daughter, but in me.
I might have enjoyed the company of a woman or two... Or three but that had never stopped me from loving you.
People who are obsessed with Jesus give freely and openly without censure. Obsessed people love those who hate them and who can never love them back.
One is never too old for romance.
Mother's love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved.
Love and work are the only two real things in our lives. They belong together, otherwise it is off. Work is in itself a form of love.