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Falling in love,' we said; 'I fell for him.' We were…

“Falling in love,' we said; 'I fell for him.' We were falling women. We believed in it, this downward motion; so lovely, like flying, and yet at the same time so dire, so extreme, so unlikely. 'God is love,' they once said, but we reversed that, and love, like heaven, was always just around the…” quote by Margaret Atwood
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““Falling in love,' we said; 'I fell for him.' We were falling women. We believed in it, this downward motion; so lovely, like flying, and yet at the same time so dire, so extreme, so unlikely. 'God is love,' they once said, but we reversed that, and love, like heaven, was always just around the corner. The more difficult it was to love the particular man beside us, the more we believed in Love, abstract and total. We were waiting, always, for the incarnation. That word, made flesh.””

Margaret Atwood

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Love is idealized as a lofty, abstract ideal while real relationships feel precarious and intense, revealing a tension between spiritual yearning and human imperfection.

In simple terms: We idealize love but struggle with real people.

Key Takeaway

Accept love’s messiness alongside its beauty.

Themes

love idealism humanity spirituality

Mood

reflective melancholic

Type

philosophical poetic

When to use this quote

  • romantic relationships
  • spiritual quests
  • personal growth

Key Concepts

abstract love embodiment contradiction

Questions to Reflect On

  • How do you balance ideal love with real partners?
  • What does “incarnation” mean in everyday love?
A Different Perspective

Love’s ideal can blind us to practical realities.

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