--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: His answer was - not the common…" description: "\"“His answer was - not the common gallantries which come so easily to the lips of me - but simply that he loved me - he met argument with fact. He told ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7d/elizabeth-barrett-browning-102_first-time_his-answer-was-not-the-common-gallantrie_808509.png" --- # His answer was - not the common gallantries which come so… ![“His answer was - not the common gallantries which come so easily to the lips of me - but simply that he loved me - he met argument with fact. He told me - that with himself also, the early freshness of youth had gone by, & that throughout it he had not been able to love any woman - that he loved…” quote by Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7d/elizabeth-barrett-browning-102_first-time_his-answer-was-not-the-common-gallantrie_808509.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7d/elizabeth-barrett-browning-102_first-time_his-answer-was-not-the-common-gallantrie_808509.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7d/elizabeth-barrett-browning-102_first-time_his-answer-was-not-the-common-gallantrie_808509.png) > ““His answer was - not the common gallantries which come so easily to the lips of me - but simply that he loved me - he met argument with fact. He told me - that with himself also, the early freshness of youth had gone by, & that throughout it he had not been able to love any woman - that he loved now for the first time & the last.”” [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He confesses that love is a rare, factual feeling, unlike casual flirtation, and he has never truly loved before. **In simple terms:** He finally loves genuinely for the first time. Key Takeaway Recognize love’s depth when it arrives. Themes love truth self‑discovery Mood reflective romantic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - relationships - personal growth - self‑reflection Key Concepts romantic confession emotional honesty Questions to Reflect On - What does “love with fact” mean to you? - How does this confession change the speaker’s view of love? A Different Perspective Love may be fleeting; true love requires vulnerability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Poets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poets/) [True love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-love/) ## Related quotes > [I simply loved all my life; loved is too strong a word, but I had a tremendous sentiment, partly conditioned, of course, by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/i-simply-loved-all-my-life-loved-is-too-strong-a-word-but-i-had-a/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [In fact, I told our dear friends, the Burrell boys, five boys lived next door to us. 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