Men are but children of a larger growth, Our appetites as apt to change as theirs, And full as craving too, and full as vain.
John DrydenRead
Love reckons hours for months, and days for years; and every little absence is an age.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Love distorts the perception of time, making even short separations feel prolonged.
In this quote, John Dryden encapsulates the intense nature of love and longing, suggesting that when one is in love, the passage of time can feel skewed. Hours may stretch into seeming months and days into years when lovers are apart, emphasizing how emotionally impactful absence can be in a relationship.
Themes
LoveAbsenceTimeLongingRelationship
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about long-distance relationships, one might reference this quote to highlight how love can make separation feel significant.
More from John Dryden
All quotes →Of no distemper, of no blast he died, _x000D_ But fell like autumn fruit that mellow'd long: _x000D_ Even wonder'd at, because he dropp'd no sooner. _x000D_ Fate seem'd to wind him up for fourscore years; _x000D_ Yet freshly ran he on ten winters more; _x000D_ Till like a clock worn out with eating time, _x000D_ The wheels of weary life at last stood still.
John DrydenRead
Or hast thou known the world so long in vain?
John DrydenRead
Shame on the body for breaking down while the spirit perseveres.
John DrydenRead
And write whatever Time shall bring to pass_x000D_ _x000D_ With pens of adamant on plates of brass.
John DrydenRead
…So when the last and dreadful hour This crumbling pageant shall devour, The trumpet shall be heard on high, The dead shall live, the living die, And Music shall untune the sky
John DrydenRead
Similar quotes
Senseless is the breast and cold _x000D_ _x000D_ Which relenting love would fold;_x000D_ _x000D_ Bloodless are the veins and chill _x000D_ _x000D_ Which the pulse of pain did fill; _x000D_ _x000D_ Every little living nerve _x000D_ _x000D_ That from bitter words did swerve _x000D_ _x000D_ Round the tortur'd lips and brow, _x000D_ _x000D_ Are like sapless leaflets now _x000D_ _x000D_ Frozen upon December's bough.
Percy Bysshe ShelleyRead
Love is poison. A sweet poison, yes, but it will kill you all the same.
George R. R. MartinRead
Love is familiar. Love is a devil. There is no evil angel but Love." -
William ShakespeareRead
I want it to be less about sexuality and more about being comfortable in who you fall in love with. If I meet someone and I like them, I don’t care if they’re a boy or a girl. You should never, ever apologize for anything that makes you happy.
Jessie JRead
The knowledge that she could learn to love a man had always meant more to her than loving him effortlessly, more even than falling in love, and that was why she now felt that she was on the threshold of a new life, a happiness bound to endure for a very long time.
Orhan PamukRead
I am the lover's gift; I am the wedding wreath; I am the memory of a moment of happiness; I am the last gift of the living to the dead; I am a part of joy and a part of sorrow.
Khalil GibranRead