---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That's the trouble with loving a wild…"
description: "\"“That's the trouble with loving a wild thing: You're always left watching the door. But you also get kind of used to it.”\" — Edith Pattou"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/edith-pattou-29469_adventure_that-s-the-trouble-with-loving-a-wild-th_2171298.png"
---

#  That's the trouble with loving a wild thing: You're always…

![“That's the trouble with loving a wild thing: You're always left watching the door. But you also get kind of used to it.” quote by Edith Pattou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/edith-pattou-29469_adventure_that-s-the-trouble-with-loving-a-wild-th_2171298.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/edith-pattou-29469_adventure_that-s-the-trouble-with-loving-a-wild-th_2171298.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/edith-pattou-29469_adventure_that-s-the-trouble-with-loving-a-wild-th_2171298.png)

> ““That's the trouble with loving a wild thing: You're always left watching the door. But you also get kind of used to it.””

[Edith Pattou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pattou/)

## About This Quote

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

Loving someone unpredictable keeps you waiting and vigilant, yet you adapt to the uncertainty.

**In simple terms:** Loving wild things makes you wait and adjust.

Key Takeaway

Accept uncertainty, learn to adapt.

Themes

love patience adaptation

Mood

reflective melancholic

Type

advice personal

When to use this quote

- relationships
- long‑distance love
- personal growth

Key Concepts

attachment theory expectation management

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you accept the waiting or change the relationship?
- How does adaptation affect your needs?

A Different Perspective

Adaptation can mask underlying dissatisfaction.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Door](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/door/) [Drama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drama/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Loving Wild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loving-wild-3617359/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Trouble Loving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trouble-loving-3617361/) [Watching Door](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watching-door-3617358/) [Wild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wild/) [Wild Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wild-thing-636723/)

## Related quotes

> [That's the trouble with loving a wild thing: You're always left watching the door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pattou/that-s-the-trouble-with-loving-a-wild-thing-you-re-always-left-2/)

[Edith Pattou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pattou/)

> [While your client is watching for you at the front door, slip out at the back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/while-your-client-is-watching-for-you-at-the-front-door-slip-out-at/)

[Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/)

> [Unpopular, lonely and loving, Elinor need not trouble, For if she were not so loving, She would not be so miserable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-smith/unpopular-lonely-and-loving-elinor-need-not-trouble-for-if-she-were/)

[Stevie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-smith/)

> [“But you can't give your heart to a wild thing: the more you do the stronger they get. Until they're strong enough to run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/but-you-can-t-give-your-heart-to-a-wild-thing-the-more-you-do-the-2/)

[Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/)

> [“Come here, wild thing,” -Nick Allegrezza”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-gibson/come-here-wild-thing-nick-allegrezza/)

[Rachel Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-gibson/)

> [“She was that wild thing I loved. My dark between the stars.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atticus-poetry/she-was-that-wild-thing-i-loved-my-dark-between-the-stars/)

[Atticus Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atticus-poetry/)

> [Never love a wild thing...If you let yourself love a wild thing. You'll end up looking at the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/never-love-a-wild-thing-if-you-let-yourself-love-a-wild-thing-you-ll/)

[Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/)

> [“I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself, A bird will fall frozen dead from a bough, Without ever having felt sorry for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/i-never-saw-a-wild-thing-sorry-for-itself-a-bird-will-fall-frozen/)

[D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/)

> [A wild thing may say wild things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-williams/a-wild-thing-may-say-wild-things/)

[Abigail Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-williams/)

> [I've never seen a wild thing feel sorry for itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/i-ve-never-seen-a-wild-thing-feel-sorry-for-itself/)

[D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/)

> [“If you let yourself love a wild thing. You'll end up looking at the sky.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/if-you-let-yourself-love-a-wild-thing-you-ll-end-up-looking-at-the-sky/)

[Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/)

> [“Never love a wild thing, Mr. Bell,' Holly advised him. 'That was Doc's mistake. He was always lugging home wild things. A hawk with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/never-love-a-wild-thing-mr-bell-holly-advised-him-that-was-doc-s/)

[Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/)

> [I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-never-saw-a-wild-thing-sorry-for-itself/)

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

> [It wasn't the muso thing that got me recognition in the beginning. It was doing 'Wild Thing.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-beck/it-wasn-t-the-muso-thing-that-got-me-recognition-in-the-beginning-it/)

[Jeff Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-beck/)

> [“The mind is a wild thing. An adventurer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-spencer/the-mind-is-a-wild-thing-an-adventurer/)

[A. Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-spencer/)

## More by Edith Pattou

> [A pine needle fell in the forest. The hawk saw it. The deer heard it. The white bear smelled it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pattou/a-pine-needle-fell-in-the-forest-the-hawk-saw-it-the-deer-heard-it/)

[Edith Pattou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pattou/)

> [“Where is it?" I asked, willing him to tell me. He laughed suddenly, and I could hear the full-throated, grating sound of the white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pattou/where-is-it-i-asked-willing-him-to-tell-me-he-laughed-suddenly-and-i/)

[Edith Pattou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pattou/)

> [“I crossed the room to him. "I love you," I said in a rush, afraid I would change my mind. "Charles," he replied.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pattou/i-crossed-the-room-to-him-i-love-you-i-said-in-a-rush-afraid-i-would/)

[Edith Pattou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pattou/)

> [“I knelt by the design. Yes, there was the sun rising. But the white form I had always thought to be a cloud was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pattou/i-knelt-by-the-design-yes-there-was-the-sun-rising-but-the-white-form/)

[Edith Pattou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pattou/)

> [“That indeed would be a great accolade," Monodonock stuttered, his hands frenziedly plucking at his spikey hair, "but the more I think on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pattou/that-indeed-would-be-a-great-accolade-monodonock-stuttered-his-hands/)

[Edith Pattou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pattou/)

> [And telling a story, I suppose, is like winding a skein of spun yarn- you sometimes lose track of the beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pattou/and-telling-a-story-i-suppose-is-like-winding-a-skein-of-spun-yarn/)

[Edith Pattou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pattou/)

> [East of the sun and west of the moon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pattou/east-of-the-sun-and-west-of-the-moon/)

[Edith Pattou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pattou/)

> [It was the difference between walking with a stranger and walking with your heartmate. It was the difference between working for duty and working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pattou/it-was-the-difference-between-walking-with-a-stranger-and-walking/)

[Edith Pattou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pattou/)

> [“They journeyed far and the white bear said, "Are you afraid?" "No," she replied. "I am not afraid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pattou/they-journeyed-far-and-the-white-bear-said-are-you-afraid-no-she/)

[Edith Pattou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pattou/)

> [“Neither Rose nor Charles liked to talk much of their adventures with the trolls, but some of the so-called "softskins" whom they had brought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pattou/neither-rose-nor-charles-liked-to-talk-much-of-their-adventures-with/)

[Edith Pattou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pattou/)

> [“Here. After so long waiting. Her purple eyes. Torn cloak. Skin pale, sheer as ice. Exhausted. But unafraid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pattou/here-after-so-long-waiting-her-purple-eyes-torn-cloak-skin-pale-sheer/)

[Edith Pattou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pattou/)

> [East of the sun and west of the moon.' As unfathomable as the words were, I realized I must figure them out, reason it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pattou/east-of-the-sun-and-west-of-the-moon-as-unfathomable-as-the-words/)

[Edith Pattou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pattou/)

> [It is odd, the twists that life will sometimes take. The ewe that you think will give birth with ease dies bringing forth a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pattou/it-is-odd-the-twists-that-life-will-sometimes-take-the-ewe-that-you/)

[Edith Pattou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pattou/)

> [“It was not a monster that lay sleeping on the white sheets. Nor a faceless horror. Nor even the white bear. It was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pattou/it-was-not-a-monster-that-lay-sleeping-on-the-white-sheets-nor-a/)

[Edith Pattou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pattou/)

> [“She would search for him. In the land that lay east of the sun and west of the moon. But there was no way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pattou/she-would-search-for-him-in-the-land-that-lay-east-of-the-sun-and/)

[Edith Pattou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pattou/)

[Explore all 18 Edith Pattou quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pattou/)

## More Adventure quotes

> [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/)

[Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/)

> [I painted the words "GREAT ADVENTURE" in Beijing, Dallas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, and Japan. What it means to me is completely different to everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-painted-the-words-great-adventure-in-beijing-dallas-san-francisco/)

[Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/)

> [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/)

[Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/)

> [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/)

[Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/)

> [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/)

[Jessica Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-yu/)

> [“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/so-many-people-live-within-unhappy-circumstances-and-yet-will-not/)

[Alexander Supertramp Chris McCandless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/)

> [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/)

[Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/)

> [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/)

[Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/)

> [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [“Love can give you such happiness, then can break the very heart it filled, leaving a hole that can never be fixed or protected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcleod/love-can-give-you-such-happiness-then-can-break-the-very-heart-it/)

[Kevin McLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mcleod/)

> [“It always gave Wolf a peculiar thrill thus to tighten his grip upon his stick, thus to wrap himself more closely in his faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/it-always-gave-wolf-a-peculiar-thrill-thus-to-tighten-his-grip-upon/)

[John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/)

> [“It all had to be squeezed and squeezed again, to provide a thrill, to provide enjoyment. What did people mean, with their simply determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/it-all-had-to-be-squeezed-and-squeezed-again-to-provide-a-thrill-to/)

[D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/)

> [I am not an adventurous person but I am gutsy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-vaidya/i-am-not-an-adventurous-person-but-i-am-gutsy/)

[Rahul Vaidya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-vaidya/)

> [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/)

[James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/)

[Browse all 7,690 Adventure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“That's the trouble with loving a wild thing: You're always left watching the door. But you also get kind of used to it.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edith Pattou"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pattou/that-s-the-trouble-with-loving-a-wild-thing-you-re-always-left/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Adventure"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pattou/that-s-the-trouble-with-loving-a-wild-thing-you-re-always-left/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/edith-pattou-29469_adventure_that-s-the-trouble-with-loving-a-wild-th_2171298.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/edith-pattou-29469_adventure_that-s-the-trouble-with-loving-a-wild-th_2171298.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/edith-pattou-29469_adventure_that-s-the-trouble-with-loving-a-wild-th_2171298.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“That's the trouble with loving a wild thing: You're always left watching the door. But you also get kind of…” — Edith Pattou",
                "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": "Edith Pattou",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pattou/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“That's the trouble with loving a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pattou/that-s-the-trouble-with-loving-a-wild-thing-you-re-always-left/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pattou/that-s-the-trouble-with-loving-a-wild-thing-you-re-always-left/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
