Fair game Quote by Alan Norman Bold
““Our jobs, our relationships, our lives can all be taken for granted until they bore us-although if they are threatened, appreciation returns quickly enough. Sexual conquest is also subject to this rule. But the personal relationship we have with someone we love has strong subconscious and underpinning-like a mother’s feeling for her baby. This is why ‘What many women cannot give, one woman can’. Having said which, it is necessary to return to the basic fact that, for the male, there is always an element of ‘conquest’ in sexual fulfillment. There is probably an element of conquest in a woman’s attitude to the male, but it is of a different kind. If she feels, of the man who is making love to her, ‘He’s mine’, it is because she feels that he now belongs to her. Before that, he was fair game to all the females in the world; now she has him pinned down. He has become her property-hopefully. This attitude-although it certainly can exist in a man- is certainly less typical of the male. He feels that the world is full of beddable girls who are inaccessible to him for various reasons, but at least he’s got this one undressed…””
About This Quote
People often overlook what they have until it feels threatened, and this applies to love, work, and even sexual dynamics, where possession and conquest shape feelings.
In simple terms: We take things for granted until they’re at risk, and love can feel like owning someone.
Recognize and appreciate relationships before they’re threatened.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- marriage
- long‑term partnership
- workplace appreciation
- sexual relationships
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- Do you value what you have before it’s threatened?
- How does viewing love as possession affect intimacy?
Not all relationships fit this conquest model; many are based on mutual respect rather than ownership.