---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Falling in love was a solo act. I knew…"
description: "\"Falling in love was a solo act. I knew that, had learned that the hard way. You just jumped and hoped your parachute opened. Sometimes you looked up an..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/eric-jerome-dickey-2982_desire_falling-in-love-was-a-solo-act-i-knew-th_342186.jpg"
---

#  Falling in love was a solo act. I knew that, had learned…

![“Falling in love was a solo act. I knew that, had learned that the hard way. You just jumped and hoped your parachute opened. Sometimes you looked up and saw you were falling by yourself, the object of your desire still on the plane, not interested in jumping, watching you descend into that scary…” quote by Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/eric-jerome-dickey-2982_desire_falling-in-love-was-a-solo-act-i-knew-th_342186.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/eric-jerome-dickey-2982_desire_falling-in-love-was-a-solo-act-i-knew-th_342186.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/eric-jerome-dickey-2982_desire_falling-in-love-was-a-solo-act-i-knew-th_342186.jpg)

> “Falling in love was a solo act. I knew that, had learned that the hard way. You just jumped and hoped your parachute opened. Sometimes you looked up and saw you were falling by yourself, the object of your desire still on the plane, not interested in jumping, watching you descend into that scary place alone.”

[Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/)

## About This Quote

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

Love can feel like a solitary leap, where hope is the only safety net and the desired partner may not share the plunge.

**In simple terms:** Love often feels like a risky solo jump.

Key Takeaway

Embrace vulnerability but seek mutual commitment.

Themes

love risk loneliness hope

Mood

melancholy reflective

Type

narrative emotional

When to use this quote

- first dates
- unrequited love
- self‑reflection
- personal growth

Key Concepts

psychology relationship dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you wait for a partner to jump with you?
- How does fear shape your romantic choices?

A Different Perspective

The metaphor may oversimplify complex relational interdependence.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Falling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falling/) [Falling in love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falling-in-love/) [Falling love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falling-love/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Hard way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-way/) [Jumping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jumping/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-does-231468/) [Love Solo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-solo-3089046/) [Not interested](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-interested/) [Objects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/objects/) [Parachutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parachutes/) [Planes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planes/) [Saws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saws/) [Scary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scary/) [Solo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solo/) [Solo Act](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solo-act-1024871/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/)

## Related quotes

> [I've been a solo act, a columnist and worked from home, only relying on myself. Now I'm part of a team, a leader, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/i-ve-been-a-solo-act-a-columnist-and-worked-from-home-only-relying-on/)

[Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/)

> [I remember going on stage for the very first time as a solo act, I was probably, like, nine or 10 years old. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-edwards/i-remember-going-on-stage-for-the-very-first-time-as-a-solo-act-i-was/)

[Alyssa Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-edwards/)

> [A Solo act, alone and free, the chance of a lifetime, the performance of me, who likes my theme, where is the applause, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-harris/a-solo-act-alone-and-free-the-chance-of-a-lifetime-the-performance-of/)

[Crystal Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-harris/)

> [It's a huge responsibility being a solo act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-williams/it-s-a-huge-responsibility-being-a-solo-act/)

[Robbie Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-williams/)

> [BEING SINGLE doesn't mean that you know noting about LOVE.Sometimes,BEING SOLO is WISER than being a ''FALSE RELATIONSHIP''.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-single-doesn-t-mean-that-you-know-noting-about-love-sometimes/)

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

> [Being single does'nt mean that you know nothing about love being solo is more wiser than being in a false relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-single-does-nt-mean-that-you-know-nothing-about-love-being-solo/)

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

> [Being single doesnt mean that you know nothing about love. Sometimes being solo is wiser than being in a false relationship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/being-single-doesnt-mean-that-you-know-nothing-about-love-sometimes/)

[Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/)

> [Being single doesn't mean that you know nothing about love. Sometimes, being SOLO is wiser than being in a false relationship..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/being-single-doesn-t-mean-that-you-know-nothing-about-love-sometimes/)

[Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/)

> [I do love being solo because I can have more of my own creative input to every aspect of my career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-stevens/i-do-love-being-solo-because-i-can-have-more-of-my-own-creative-input/)

[Rachel Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-stevens/)

> [The reason I'm disabled is because I have wounds and injuries that I got while on active duty ... from parachute jumping to combat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carmona/the-reason-i-m-disabled-is-because-i-have-wounds-and-injuries-that-i/)

[Richard Carmona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-carmona/)

> [I used to be an obsessive outliner - figuring that writing without an outline was like jumping off a cliff and building a parachute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-wasserman/i-used-to-be-an-obsessive-outliner-figuring-that-writing-without-an/)

[Robin Wasserman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-wasserman/)

> [Starting a business is like jumping out of an airplane without a parachute. In mid air, the entrepreneur begins building a parachute and hopes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/starting-a-business-is-like-jumping-out-of-an-airplane-without-a/)

[Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/)

> [The mind is like a parachute. In order to function, it first has to open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dewar-1st-baron-dewar/the-mind-is-like-a-parachute-in-order-to-function-it-first-has-to-open/)

[Thomas Dewar, 1st Baron Dewar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dewar-1st-baron-dewar/)

> [I often say if men were meant to fly we would have been born with either feathers and wings or at the very least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zakour/i-often-say-if-men-were-meant-to-fly-we-would-have-been-born-with/)

[John Zakour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zakour/)

> [Man has been thrown into the world. It had always made him think of Icarus and those other great tumblers, Ixion, Phaeton, Tantalus -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/man-has-been-thrown-into-the-world-it-had-always-made-him-think-of/)

[Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/)

## More by Eric Jerome Dickey

> [“Inside every pause lived a contemplation”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/inside-every-pause-lived-a-contemplation/)

[Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/)

> [“We'd had sex like we were whores to each other, and when it was done, we each moved to our side of the bed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/we-d-had-sex-like-we-were-whores-to-each-other-and-when-it-was-done/)

[Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/)

> [love is a mental illness, an obsessive-compulsive disorder romanticized!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/love-is-a-mental-illness-an-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-romanticized/)

[Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/)

> [“. . . Your hair--it's kind of wavy. Indian in your blood, or are you a hypocrite and texturize your hair?" He hesitated, appeared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/your-hair-it-s-kind-of-wavy-indian-in-your-blood-or-are-you-a/)

[Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/)

> [“Rainwater diluted redness, created a pink death, his matter mixing through mud and grass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/rainwater-diluted-redness-created-a-pink-death-his-matter-mixing/)

[Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/)

> [“. . . I had on . . . black jeggings under a fitted, sleeveless, flowered dress, so he could see my true shape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/i-had-on-black-jeggings-under-a-fitted-sleeveless-flowered-dress-so/)

[Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/)

> [“We disconnected. And I wondered if we had ever truly connected.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/we-disconnected-and-i-wondered-if-we-had-ever-truly-connected/)

[Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/)

> [For a lot of people, becoming an author is a change in occupation... they are coming from something that totally has nothing to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/for-a-lot-of-people-becoming-an-author-is-a-change-in-occupation-they/)

[Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/)

> [We see what we want to see. We idealize each other with our own fantasies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/we-see-what-we-want-to-see-we-idealize-each-other-with-our-own/)

[Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/)

> [It’s scary telling someone you care about, someone you love who you really are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/it-s-scary-telling-someone-you-care-about-someone-you-love-who-you/)

[Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/)

> [“Ownership, even in love, is an illusion. No woman owned any man and no man owned any woman.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/ownership-even-in-love-is-an-illusion-no-woman-owned-any-man-and-no/)

[Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/)

> [hate isn't healthy, it damages the hater more than the one who's hated!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/hate-isn-t-healthy-it-damages-the-hater-more-than-the-one-who-s-hated/)

[Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/)

> [“Losing your job is like having your identity stolen, like having what defined you run through a paper shredder. After a while the despair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/losing-your-job-is-like-having-your-identity-stolen-like-having-what/)

[Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/)

> [“you had to have happiness to miss happiness!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/you-had-to-have-happiness-to-miss-happiness/)

[Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/)

> [“It is silent, an anagram for listen. That is what I do. Listen while she remains silent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/it-is-silent-an-anagram-for-listen-that-is-what-i-do-listen-while-she/)

[Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/)

[Explore all 142 Eric Jerome Dickey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "Falling in love was a solo act. I knew that, had learned that the hard way. You just jumped and hoped your parachute opened. Sometimes you looked up and saw you were falling by yourself, the object of your desire still on the plane, not interested in jumping, watching you descend into that scary place alone.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Eric Jerome Dickey"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/falling-in-love-was-a-solo-act-i-knew-that-had-learned-that-the-hard/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Desire"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/falling-in-love-was-a-solo-act-i-knew-that-had-learned-that-the-hard/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/eric-jerome-dickey-2982_desire_falling-in-love-was-a-solo-act-i-knew-th_342186.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/eric-jerome-dickey-2982_desire_falling-in-love-was-a-solo-act-i-knew-th_342186.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/eric-jerome-dickey-2982_desire_falling-in-love-was-a-solo-act-i-knew-th_342186.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Falling in love was a solo act. I knew that, had learned that the hard way. You just jumped and hoped your…” — Eric Jerome Dickey",
                "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": "Eric Jerome Dickey",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Falling in love was a solo...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/falling-in-love-was-a-solo-act-i-knew-that-had-learned-that-the-hard/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/falling-in-love-was-a-solo-act-i-knew-that-had-learned-that-the-hard/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
