--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Decade's reading had justified his guess…" description: "\"“Decade's reading had justified his guess that men and women perceive love identically save for, say, five percent. Reading books by men and women show..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/annie-dillard-509_books_decade-s-reading-had-justified-his-guess_836577.jpg" --- # Decade's reading had justified his guess that men and… ![“Decade's reading had justified his guess that men and women perceive love identically save for, say, five percent. Reading books by men and women showed only-but it is something- that love struck, in exactly the same way, most, but not all, of those few men and women, since the invention of…” quote by Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/annie-dillard-509_books_decade-s-reading-had-justified-his-guess_836577.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/annie-dillard-509_books_decade-s-reading-had-justified-his-guess_836577.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/annie-dillard-509_books_decade-s-reading-had-justified-his-guess_836577.jpg) > ““Decade's reading had justified his guess that men and women perceive love identically save for, say, five percent. Reading books by men and women showed only-but it is something- that love struck, in exactly the same way, most, but not all, of those few men and women, since the invention of writing, who wrote something down. An unfair sample.”” [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author suggests that love is experienced similarly by both genders, but our understanding is limited by the small, biased sample of written accounts. **In simple terms:** Love feels alike for men and women, yet we only know it from few written stories. Key Takeaway Recognize bias in how we learn about love. Themes love perception gender bias literature Mood thoughtful analytical Type observational critical When to use this quote - reading romance novels - studying historical letters - analyzing media portrayals - personal reflection - relationship counseling Key Concepts psychology social construct sampling error Questions to Reflect On - How does limited data shape our beliefs about love? - What other sources could broaden our view? A Different Perspective Written accounts may not capture the full diversity of love experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love struck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-struck/) [Men and women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-and-women/) [Reading books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-books/) ## Related quotes > [I often tell my clients they should do at least 30 percent of all their reading outside their own field. This will give them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/i-often-tell-my-clients-they-should-do-at-least-30-percent-of-all/) [Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/) > [“The 1920s was a great time for reading altogether—very possibly the peak decade for reading in American life. 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You feel peaceful and you see love in all situations. Your hang-ups…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-bernstein/when-you-choose-to-perceive-love-over-fear-life-begins-to-flow-you/) [Gabrielle Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-bernstein/) > [When you choose to perceive Love over fear, life begins to flow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-bernstein/when-you-choose-to-perceive-love-over-fear-life-begins-to-flow/) [Gabrielle Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-bernstein/) > [When we start to heal and perceive what I call love consciousness, we begin to perceive reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isha-judd/when-we-start-to-heal-and-perceive-what-i-call-love-consciousness-we/) [Isha Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isha-judd/) > [What you will see is love coming out of the trees, love coming out of the sky, love coming out of the light. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-you-will-see-is-love-coming-out-of-the-trees-love-coming-out-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If you don’t perceive love, if you cannot recognize love, it’s because you only recognize the poison inside you. I am responsible for what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-ruiz/if-you-don-t-perceive-love-if-you-cannot-recognize-love-it-s-because/) [Miguel Ruiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-ruiz/) ## More by Annie Dillard > [Like everyone in his right mind, I feared Santa Claus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/like-everyone-in-his-right-mind-i-feared-santa-claus/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“This is a spendthrift economy; though nothing is lost, all is spent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/this-is-a-spendthrift-economy-though-nothing-is-lost-all-is-spent/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [The creatures I seek do not want to be seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-creatures-i-seek-do-not-want-to-be-seen/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [Nothing moves a woman so deeply as the boyhood of the man she loves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/nothing-moves-a-woman-so-deeply-as-the-boyhood-of-the-man-she-loves/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [We live in all we seek. 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In nature, improbabilities are the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/if-we-were-to-judge-nature-by-its-common-sense-or-likelihood-we/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [For writing a first draft requires from the writer a peculiar internal state which ordinary life does not induce. ... how to set yourself spinning?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/for-writing-a-first-draft-requires-from-the-writer-a-peculiar/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [I am a fugitive and a vagabond, a sojourner seeking signs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-am-a-fugitive-and-a-vagabond-a-sojourner-seeking-signs/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) [Explore all 509 Annie Dillard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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