--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He will hold thee, when his passion shall…" description: "\"He will hold thee, when his passion shall have spent its novel force, Something better than his dog, a little dearer than his horse.\" — Alfred Lord Ten..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/alfred-lord-tennyson-521_animal_he-will-hold-thee-when-his-passion-shall_758552.png" --- # He will hold thee, when his passion shall have spent its… ![“He will hold thee, when his passion shall have spent its novel force, Something better than his dog, a little dearer than his horse.” quote by Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/alfred-lord-tennyson-521_animal_he-will-hold-thee-when-his-passion-shall_758552.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/alfred-lord-tennyson-521_animal_he-will-hold-thee-when-his-passion-shall_758552.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/alfred-lord-tennyson-521_animal_he-will-hold-thee-when-his-passion-shall_758552.png) > “He will hold thee, when his passion shall have spent its novel force, Something better than his dog, a little dearer than his horse.” [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When his passion wanes, he will hold his beloved more dearly than any pet. **In simple terms:** Passion fades, love endures beyond pets. Key Takeaway Value enduring love over fleeting passions. Themes poetry love loss loyalty nature Mood melancholic romantic contemplative Type poetic reflective emotional When to use this quote - marriage - elder care - friendship - memorials - literary study Key Concepts passion attachment legacy companionship Questions to Reflect On - How does love evolve after intense passion fades? - What forms of companionship sustain us in later life? A Different Perspective Romantic idealization may ignore practical realities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) [Horse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horse/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Something better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something-better/) ## Related quotes > [Thus let me hold thee to my heart, And every care resign: And we shall never, never part, My life-my all that's mine!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/thus-let-me-hold-thee-to-my-heart-and-every-care-resign-and-we-shall/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [Go, poor devil, get thee gone! Why should I hurt thee? This world surely is wide enough to hold both thee and me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-sterne/go-poor-devil-get-thee-gone-why-should-i-hurt-thee-this-world-surely/) [Laurence Sterne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-sterne/) > [O world, I cannot hold thee close enough!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-st-vincent-millay/o-world-i-cannot-hold-thee-close-enough/) [Edna St. Vincent Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-st-vincent-millay/) > [“What is thy body but a swallowing grave, Seeming to bury that posterity Which, by the rights of time, thou needs must have If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/what-is-thy-body-but-a-swallowing-grave-seeming-to-bury-that/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I'll not hurt thee, says Uncle Toby, rising with the fly in his hand. Go, he says, opening the window to let it escape.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-sterne/i-ll-not-hurt-thee-says-uncle-toby-rising-with-the-fly-in-his-hand-go/) [Laurence Sterne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-sterne/) > [Yet then from all my grief, O Lord, Thy mercy set me free, Whilst in the confidence of pray'r My soul took hold on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/yet-then-from-all-my-grief-o-lord-thy-mercy-set-me-free-whilst-in-the/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [If I bought groceries the way I buy health insurance, I'd eat a lot better - and so would my dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/if-i-bought-groceries-the-way-i-buy-health-insurance-i-d-eat-a-lot/) [Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/) > [If your words do not have a smile, if you do not talk heart to heart, and you decide everything with your head, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/if-your-words-do-not-have-a-smile-if-you-do-not-talk-heart-to-heart/) [Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/) > [Dogs can bear more cold than human beings, but they do not like cold any better than we do; and when a dog has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-beecher-stowe/dogs-can-bear-more-cold-than-human-beings-but-they-do-not-like-cold/) [Harriet Beecher Stowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-beecher-stowe/) > [If I brought groceries the way I buy health insurance, I'd eat a lot better - and so would my dog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/if-i-brought-groceries-the-way-i-buy-health-insurance-i-d-eat-a-lot/) [Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/) > [Better not take a dog on the space shuttle, because if he sticks his head out when you're coming home, his face might burn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/better-not-take-a-dog-on-the-space-shuttle-because-if-he-sticks-his/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [“It was a cliché, but for all-weather company, you couldn’t do better than a dog. Couldn’t do better than a dog, period. Dogs didn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-was-a-clich-but-for-all-weather-company-you-couldn-t-do-better/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [A shepherd may be a very able, trusty, and good shepherd, without a sweetheart - better, perhaps, than with one. But what is he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hogg/a-shepherd-may-be-a-very-able-trusty-and-good-shepherd-without-a/) [James Hogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hogg/) > [The implication of AKC registration is that a dog who has it is better than a dog who hasn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-hanff-korelitz/the-implication-of-akc-registration-is-that-a-dog-who-has-it-is/) [Jean Hanff Korelitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-hanff-korelitz/) > [Better to be a dog in times of peace than a human being in times of trouble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinese-proverbs/better-to-be-a-dog-in-times-of-peace-than-a-human-being-in-times-of/) Chinese Proverbs ## More by Alfred Lord Tennyson > [Faith and unfaith can ne'er be equal powers; Unfaith is aught is want of faith in all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/faith-and-unfaith-can-ne-er-be-equal-powers-unfaith-is-aught-is-want/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [There is sweet music here that softer falls Than petals from blown roses on the grass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/there-is-sweet-music-here-that-softer-falls-than-petals-from-blown/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [The still affection of the heart Became an outward breathing type, That into stillness past again, And left a want unknown before; Although the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/the-still-affection-of-the-heart-became-an-outward-breathing-type/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [I do but sing because I must; and pipe but as the linnets sing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/i-do-but-sing-because-i-must-and-pipe-but-as-the-linnets-sing/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [Here about the beach I wandered, nourishing a youth sublime With the fairy tales of science, and the long result of Time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/here-about-the-beach-i-wandered-nourishing-a-youth-sublime-with-the/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [So now I have sworn to bury All this dead body of hate I feel so free and so clear By the loss of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/so-now-i-have-sworn-to-bury-all-this-dead-body-of-hate-i-feel-so-free/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [The jingling of the guinea helps the hurt that Honor feels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/the-jingling-of-the-guinea-helps-the-hurt-that-honor-feels/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [I come from haunts of coot and hern, I make a sudden sally And sparkle out among the fern, To bicker down a valley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/i-come-from-haunts-of-coot-and-hern-i-make-a-sudden-sally-and-sparkle/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [Willows whiten, aspens quiver, Little breezes dusk and shiver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/willows-whiten-aspens-quiver-little-breezes-dusk-and-shiver/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [Cast all your cares on God; that anchor holds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/cast-all-your-cares-on-god-that-anchor-holds/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [Such a one do I remember, whom to look at was love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/such-a-one-do-i-remember-whom-to-look-at-was-love/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [If Nature put not forth her power About the opening of the flower, Who is it that could live an hour?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/if-nature-put-not-forth-her-power-about-the-opening-of-the-flower-who/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [As the husband is the wife is; thou art mated with a clown, As the grossness of his nature will have weight to drag…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/as-the-husband-is-the-wife-is-thou-art-mated-with-a-clown-as-the/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [Sin is too stupid to see beyond itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/sin-is-too-stupid-to-see-beyond-itself/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [Thou madest man, he knows not why, he thinks he was not made to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/thou-madest-man-he-knows-not-why-he-thinks-he-was-not-made-to-die/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) [Explore all 501 Alfred Lord Tennyson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) Mak\_786 > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/) [Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "He will hold thee, when his passion shall have spent its novel force, Something better than his dog, a little dearer than his horse.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alfred Lord Tennyson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/he-will-hold-thee-when-his-passion-shall-have-spent-its-novel-force/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/he-will-hold-thee-when-his-passion-shall-have-spent-its-novel-force/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/alfred-lord-tennyson-521_animal_he-will-hold-thee-when-his-passion-shall_758552.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/alfred-lord-tennyson-521_animal_he-will-hold-thee-when-his-passion-shall_758552.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/alfred-lord-tennyson-521_animal_he-will-hold-thee-when-his-passion-shall_758552.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He will hold thee, when his passion shall have spent its novel force, Something better than his dog, a…” — Alfred Lord Tennyson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alfred Lord Tennyson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "He will hold thee, when his...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/he-will-hold-thee-when-his-passion-shall-have-spent-its-novel-force/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/he-will-hold-thee-when-his-passion-shall-have-spent-its-novel-force/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```