And enough for me that when my hand touched your shoulder, you leaned on me; and when you felt me slip away, you called my name.
To reach out to you when I'm in need, and to try to be here for you when you need me back. And to feel such tenderness when I look at you that I want to stand between you and all the world: and yet also to lift you up and carry you above the strong currents of life; and at the same time, I would be glad to stand always like this, at a distance, watching you, the beauty of you.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses the deep connection and commitment one feels in a loving relationship.
This quote beautifully encapsulates the essence of love, illustrating a profound bond that is characterized by support, tenderness, and admiration. It emphasizes the dual nature of love: the desire to protect and support a partner while also respecting their independence and individuality. The speaker conveys a willingness to be there in times of need, showcasing both an emotional closeness and a reverence for the partner's autonomy, indicating that true love involves both sacrifice and appreciation.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be shared at a wedding to highlight the couple's deep emotional bond.
More from Orson Scott Card
All quotes →The world is always a democracy in times of flux, and the man with the best voice will win.
Never mind that the story had turned out to be lies and foolishness—there was always folks stupid enough to say, Where there's smoke there's fire, when the saying should have been, Where there's scandalous lies there's always malicious believers and spreaders-around, regardless of evidence.
The lives of all people flow through time, and, regardless of how brutal one moment may be, how filled with grief or pain or fear, time flows through all lives equally.
You take a step, then another. That's the journey. But to take a step with your eyes open is not a journey at all, it's a remaking of your own mind.
I've had your tears with mine, and you've had mine with yours. I think that's more intimate even than a kiss.
Similar quotes
God will judge us not according to how much we endured, but how much we could love
Twenty-seven people sang 'Wind Beneath My Wings' before I got around to it. A lot of people saw the movie that I sang it in, Beaches, and what they came away with was that song. They turned to their loved ones and said, 'You know, you are the wind beneath my wings!' The song expressed how they felt in a way a simple 'I love you' would not have.
The other one he loved like a slave, like a madman and like a beggar. Why? Ask the dust on the road and the falling leaves, ask the mysterious God of life; for no one knows such things. She gave him nothing, no nothing did she give him and yet he thanked her. She said: Give me your peace and your reason! And he was only sorry she did not ask for his life.
You can't touch love, but you can feel the sweetness that it pours into everything.
You may be a puzzle, but I like the way the parts fit.
All love that has not friendship for its base, is like a mansion built upon the sand.