When he thought of her, it rather amazed him, that he had let that girl with her violin go. Now, of course, he saw that her self-effacing proposal was quite irrelevant. All she had needed was the certainty of his love, and his reassurance that there was no hurry when a lifetime lay ahead of them. Love and patience- if only he had had them both at once- would surely have seen them both through.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on the regret of not appreciating love and the importance of patience in a relationship.
In this quote, the protagonist reflects on a past relationship and recognizes that his failure to express love and reassurance led to the loss of a meaningful connection. He acknowledges that love combined with patience could have provided the foundation needed to maintain the relationship, suggesting that the lack of these essential qualities resulted in missed opportunities and regret.
In practice
During a relationship advice seminar, this quote can highlight the importance of communicating love and support.
Watching him during the first several minutes of his delivery, Cecilia felt a pleasant sinking sensation in her stomach as she contemplated how deliciously self-destructive it would be, almost erotic, to be married to a man so nearly handsome, so hugely rich, so unfathomably stupid. He would fill her with his big-faced children, all of them loud, boneheaded boys with a passion for guns and football and aeroplanes.
My needs were simple I didn't bother much with themes or felicitous phrases and skipped fine descriptions of weather, landscapes and interiors. I wanted characters I could believe in, and I wanted to be made curious about what was to happen to them. Generally, I preferred people to be falling in and out of love, but I didn't mind so much if they tried their hand at something else. It was vulgar to want it, but I liked someone to say 'Marry me' by the end.
It marked the beginning and, of course, an end. At that moment a chapter, no, a whole stage of my closed. Had I known, and had there been a spare second or two, I might have allowed myself a little nostalgia.
There are ways in which art can have a longer reach than politics.
And now she was back in the world, not one she could make, but the one that had made her, and she felt herself shrinking under the early evening sky. She was weary of being outdoors, but she was not ready to go in. Was that really all there was in life, indoors or out? Wasn't there somewhere else for people to go?
Imagining what it is like to be someone other than yourself is at the core of our humanity. It is the essence of compassion, and it is the beginning of morality.
And patience flees my heart, And reason flees my mind. Oh, how drunk can I get to be, Without your love's security?
They've got no idea what happiness is, they don't know that without this love there is no happiness or unhappiness for us--there is no life.
Silence in love betrays more woe - Than words though ne'er so witty; A beggar that is dumb, you know, may challenge double pity.
You’re really cute, Midori,” I corrected myself. “What do you mean really cute?” “So cute the mountains crumble and the oceans dry up.
Tell me, daughter Juliet, How stands your dispositions to be married" It is an honor that I dream not of
Oh, love is real enough; you will find it someday, but it has one archenemy - and that is life.
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