---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Men theorize about love, but women are…"
description: "\"“Men theorize about love, but women are more often love's practitioners. Most men feel that they receive love and therefore know what it feels like to ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/bell-hooks-464_desire_men-theorize-about-love-but-women-are-mo_3134573.jpg"
---

#  Men theorize about love, but women are more often love's…

![“Men theorize about love, but women are more often love's practitioners. Most men feel that they receive love and therefore know what it feels like to be loved; women often feel we are in constant state of yearning, wanting love but not receiving it.” quote by Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/bell-hooks-464_desire_men-theorize-about-love-but-women-are-mo_3134573.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/bell-hooks-464_desire_men-theorize-about-love-but-women-are-mo_3134573.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/bell-hooks-464_desire_men-theorize-about-love-but-women-are-mo_3134573.jpg)

> ““Men theorize about love, but women are more often love's practitioners. Most men feel that they receive love and therefore know what it feels like to be loved; women often feel we are in constant state of yearning, wanting love but not receiving it.””

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

## About This Quote

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

Women often experience love as yearning and unreciprocated, while men tend to equate love with receiving it

**In simple terms:** Women feel love as longing; men see love as receiving it

Key Takeaway

Recognize differing love experiences and foster mutual understanding

Themes

love gender dynamics empathy relationships expectations

Mood

reflective empathetic thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- marriage counseling
- friendship building
- parenting
- team dynamics

Key Concepts

attachment theory social conditioning emotional labor

Questions to Reflect On

- How can partners better communicate unmet emotional needs?
- What societal factors shape gendered love perceptions?

A Different Perspective

Assuming universal love experiences can overlook individual needs

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Wanting love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanting-love/)

## Related quotes

> [Women who love women, who choose women to nurture and support and to create a living environment in which to work creatively and independently,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blanche-wiesen-cook/women-who-love-women-who-choose-women-to-nurture-and-support-and-to/)

[Blanche Wiesen Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blanche-wiesen-cook/)

> [“On Love - Men love women for their virtues. Women love men in spite of their flaws.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsha-hinds/on-love-men-love-women-for-their-virtues-women-love-men-in-spite-of/)

[Marsha Hinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsha-hinds/)

> [Yeah, we appreciate our women followng...and I love women. I mean, I just really love women. I love men, too, but you know it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ray/yeah-we-appreciate-our-women-followng-and-i-love-women-i-mean-i-just/)

[Amy Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ray/)

> [I see when men love women. They give them but a little of their lives. But women when they love give everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-see-when-men-love-women-they-give-them-but-a-little-of-their-lives/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [I love all women...I love all men...I love everyone who is of the white and black tower...Who is pure at heart...Dont despair...I remember you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-love-all-women-i-love-all-men-i-love-everyone-who-is-of-the-white/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Women do love each other; this whole women-against-each other, 'Dynasty' thing... we're not all after each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-somerville/women-do-love-each-other-this-whole-women-against-each-other-dynasty/)

[Bonnie Somerville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-somerville/)

> [I felt the unordinary romance of / women who love women for the first time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dionne-brand/i-felt-the-unordinary-romance-of-women-who-love-women-for-the-first/)

[Dionne Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dionne-brand/)

> [I love women, I love being around women, I love to learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginuwine/i-love-women-i-love-being-around-women-i-love-to-learn/)

[Ginuwine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginuwine/)

> [I don't love dolls. I love women. I love their bodies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galliano/i-don-t-love-dolls-i-love-women-i-love-their-bodies/)

[John Galliano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galliano/)

> [I love women. I love all the bright and attractive people and things of this world, the flame and also the moth, the dancer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yves-saint-laurent/i-love-women-i-love-all-the-bright-and-attractive-people-and-things/)

[Yves Saint Laurent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yves-saint-laurent/)

> [Men don't love women we love what women do for us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bert-trevino/men-don-t-love-women-we-love-what-women-do-for-us/)

Bert Trevino

> [I love women. I love their hearts. There are a lot of women who are suffering. A lot of women who have been disappointed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-bachmann/i-love-women-i-love-their-hearts-there-are-a-lot-of-women-who-are/)

[Michele Bachmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-bachmann/)

> [Definitely I love women, I love being around women, I find them incredible and intoxicating, and I've never had that feeling I get with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-walliams/definitely-i-love-women-i-love-being-around-women-i-find-them/)

[David Walliams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-walliams/)

> [“There is no reciprocity. Men love women. Women love children. Children love hamsters. Hamsters don't love anyone; it is quite hopeless.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-thomas-ellis/there-is-no-reciprocity-men-love-women-women-love-children-children/)

[Alice Thomas Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-thomas-ellis/)

> [You have to really love women in order to really just have a respect for women and love them. No man - I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-ferlito/you-have-to-really-love-women-in-order-to-really-just-have-a-respect/)

[Vanessa Ferlito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-ferlito/)

## More by Bell Hooks

> [Right now, for many Americans, class is being foregrounded like never before because of the economic situation. It doesn't mean that race doesn't matter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/right-now-for-many-americans-class-is-being-foregrounded-like-never/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [“Most folks believe we are hardwired biologically to long for sex but they do not believe we are hardwired to long for love. Almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/most-folks-believe-we-are-hardwired-biologically-to-long-for-sex-but/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [... we need to interrogate "reverence," for idolization can be another way one is objectified and not really taken seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/we-need-to-interrogate-reverence-for-idolization-can-be-another-way/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [Couples who rarely or never have sex can know lifelong love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/couples-who-rarely-or-never-have-sex-can-know-lifelong-love/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [The power of patriarchy has been to make maleness feared and to make men feel that it is better to be feared that to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/the-power-of-patriarchy-has-been-to-make-maleness-feared-and-to-make/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [“I feel enormously blessed to be a successful black woman writer in this culture, but I have found my small fame, such as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/i-feel-enormously-blessed-to-be-a-successful-black-woman-writer-in/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [Language is also a place of struggle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/language-is-also-a-place-of-struggle/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [In this culture, the phrase 'black woman' is not synonymous with 'tender,' or 'gentle.' It's as if those words couldn't possibly speak to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/in-this-culture-the-phrase-black-woman-is-not-synonymous-with-tender/)

[bell hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [It's interesting to look at all the aspects where everyday Americans, many of whom are not college educated, are thinking deeply now about our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/it-s-interesting-to-look-at-all-the-aspects-where-everyday-americans/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [The true teacher is within us. A good teacher is someone who can help you to go back and touch the true teacher within,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/the-true-teacher-is-within-us-a-good-teacher-is-someone-who-can-help/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [“Advancing the notion that there can be many "feminisms" has served the conservative and liberal political interests of women seeking status and privileged class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/advancing-the-notion-that-there-can-be-many-feminisms-has-served-the/)

[bell hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [I love my family, even as I critique their dysfunctionalities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/i-love-my-family-even-as-i-critique-their-dysfunctionalities/)

[bell hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [You must have courage to love, you have to have a profound will to do what is right to love, and it does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/you-must-have-courage-to-love-you-have-to-have-a-profound-will-to-do/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [To truly love we must learn to mix various ingredients - care, affection, recognition, respect, commitment, and trust, as well as honest and open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/to-truly-love-we-must-learn-to-mix-various-ingredients-care-affection/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [“Often emphasis on identity and lifestyle is appealing because it creates a false sense that one is engaged in praxis. However, praxis within any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/often-emphasis-on-identity-and-lifestyle-is-appealing-because-it/)

[bell hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

[Explore all 541 Bell Hooks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

## More Desire quotes

> [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/)

Ted Martinez

> [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/)

[David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/)

> [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/)

[John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/)

> [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/)

[John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/)

[Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/)

> [On the brink of being satiated, desire still appears infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/on-the-brink-of-being-satiated-desire-still-appears-infinite/)

[Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

> [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

> [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/)

[Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/)

> [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [“from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW : She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lee/from-the-devil-you-know-she-wanted-him-too-he-could-see-it-in-the/)

[Emery Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lee/)

[Browse all 15,155 Desire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Men theorize about love, but women are more often love's practitioners. Most men feel that they receive love and therefore know what it feels like to be loved; women often feel we are in constant state of yearning, wanting love but not receiving it.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bell Hooks"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/men-theorize-about-love-but-women-are-more-often-love-s-practitioners/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Desire"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/men-theorize-about-love-but-women-are-more-often-love-s-practitioners/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/bell-hooks-464_desire_men-theorize-about-love-but-women-are-mo_3134573.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/bell-hooks-464_desire_men-theorize-about-love-but-women-are-mo_3134573.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/bell-hooks-464_desire_men-theorize-about-love-but-women-are-mo_3134573.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Men theorize about love, but women are more often love's practitioners. Most men feel that they receive love…” — Bell Hooks",
                "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": "Bell Hooks",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Men theorize about love, but women...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/men-theorize-about-love-but-women-are-more-often-love-s-practitioners/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/men-theorize-about-love-but-women-are-more-often-love-s-practitioners/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
