---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was young, I liked romance. But to…"
description: "\"When I was young, I liked romance. But to me, romance is the opposite of domestic life. I just don't want anyone in the apartment, not for longer than ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ee/fran-lebowitz-690_apartment_when-i-was-young-i-liked-romance-but-to_2883440.png"
---

#  When I was young, I liked romance. But to me, romance is…

![“When I was young, I liked romance. But to me, romance is the opposite of domestic life. I just don't want anyone in the apartment, not for longer than a few hours.” quote by Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ee/fran-lebowitz-690_apartment_when-i-was-young-i-liked-romance-but-to_2883440.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ee/fran-lebowitz-690_apartment_when-i-was-young-i-liked-romance-but-to_2883440.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ee/fran-lebowitz-690_apartment_when-i-was-young-i-liked-romance-but-to_2883440.png)

> “When I was young, I liked romance. But to me, romance is the opposite of domestic life. I just don't want anyone in the apartment, not for longer than a few hours.”

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

## About This Quote

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

Romance is seen as fleeting, contrasting with the desire for a private, undisturbed home life.

**In simple terms:** She prefers solitude over romantic encounters.

Key Takeaway

Choose personal space over fleeting romance.

Themes

solitude privacy romance domestic life

Mood

reflective conflicted

Type

personal observational

When to use this quote

- living alone
- short visits
- personal space
- home life
- relationship avoidance

Key Concepts

personal boundaries social preferences

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you ever crave companionship?
- How might brief intimacy enrich life?

A Different Perspective

Romance can offer deep connection despite brief encounters.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Domestic life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/domestic-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Opposites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposites/) [Romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romance/)

## Related quotes

> [What I can't be is monogamous. That tends to upset people. I just don't like domestic life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/what-i-can-t-be-is-monogamous-that-tends-to-upset-people-i-just-don-t/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [Is that what I wanted? To be in the middle of something complicated and dramatic? To be a cheerleader for someone else’s romance? Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-klise/is-that-what-i-wanted-to-be-in-the-middle-of-something-complicated/)

[Kate Klise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-klise/)

> [Romance? What is romance? Is it when I give you flowers? When I give you a gorgeous dinner? Or is it when I simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/romance-what-is-romance-is-it-when-i-give-you-flowers-when-i-give-you/)

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

> [“Life isn’t about gold dust farting unicorns, sugar coated mountains, and fairies. It’s about fun. Romance and romance novels are for pussies and dreamers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-hildreth/life-isn-t-about-gold-dust-farting-unicorns-sugar-coated-mountains/)

[Scott Hildreth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-hildreth/)

> [Love is not blind. Romance is. Romance is the most dangerous thing. Romance is like an illusion. It shows you things, and you hear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hrithik-roshan/love-is-not-blind-romance-is-romance-is-the-most-dangerous-thing/)

[Hrithik Roshan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hrithik-roshan/)

> [More than just romantic comedy, I like romances: drama romance, romance comedy, comedy romance. I also go to the movies to escape. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uma-thurman/more-than-just-romantic-comedy-i-like-romances-drama-romance-romance/)

[Uma Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uma-thurman/)

> [“There's a reason why most men don't read romance: Romance novels are wish-fulfillment for women. The fictitious men in romance novels fall all over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/there-s-a-reason-why-most-men-don-t-read-romance-romance-novels-are/)

[Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/)

> [You have to go beyond romance. Because romance is easy, true love is not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rona-mae-batas/you-have-to-go-beyond-romance-because-romance-is-easy-true-love-is-not/)

Rona Mae Batas

> [I have a desire for romance. Which ia a daily ritual, like brushing ones teeth. One must think about their lover throughout their day.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-mccoy/i-have-a-desire-for-romance-which-ia-a-daily-ritual-like-brushing/)

[Diana McCoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-mccoy/)

> [We arrogantly assume that the nervous system doesn't really need to be coaxed into romance. That romance comes from some other place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/we-arrogantly-assume-that-the-nervous-system-doesn-t-really-need-to/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [To me the outdoors is what you must pass through in order to get from your apartment into a taxicab.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/to-me-the-outdoors-is-what-you-must-pass-through-in-order-to-get-from/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [If there were, say, only 10 percent of the hotels that exist now, there would be all these apartments for people who live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/if-there-were-say-only-10-percent-of-the-hotels-that-exist-now-there/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [When I'm supposed to be writing I clean my apartment, take my clothes to the laundry, get organized, make lists, do the dishes. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/when-i-m-supposed-to-be-writing-i-clean-my-apartment-take-my-clothes/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [The orator, who may be silent without danger, may praise without difficulty and without reluctance; and posterity will confess that the character of Theodosius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-orator-who-may-be-silent-without-danger-may-praise-without/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [“I was lounging in the kitchen, enjoying the small fermata between emptying the dishwasher and reloading it. It's a glamorous life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbi-waxman/i-was-lounging-in-the-kitchen-enjoying-the-small-fermata-between/)

[Abbi Waxman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbi-waxman/)

## More by Fran Lebowitz

> [Why not have your first baby at sixty, when your husband is already dead and your career is over? Then you can really devote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/why-not-have-your-first-baby-at-sixty-when-your-husband-is-already/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [I've never had the experience of being edited and never will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-ve-never-had-the-experience-of-being-edited-and-never-will/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [I think humor is warmer, and wit is colder. Wit is judgment, whereas humor invites some sort of response.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-think-humor-is-warmer-and-wit-is-colder-wit-is-judgment-whereas/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [Communists all seem to wear small caps, a look I consider better suited to tubes of toothpaste than to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/communists-all-seem-to-wear-small-caps-a-look-i-consider-better/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [“lack, or loutish and crass kollective is a program dedicated to the proposition that vulgarity and bad taste are an inalienable right. the lackies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/lack-or-loutish-and-crass-kollective-is-a-program-dedicated-to-the/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [I figure you have the same chance of winning the lottery whether you play or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-figure-you-have-the-same-chance-of-winning-the-lottery-whether-you/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [ \[Friendships\] are easy to get out of compared to love affairs, but they are not easy to get out of compared to, say, jail. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/friendships-are-easy-to-get-out-of-compared-to-love-affairs-but-they/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [Smoking is, as far as I'm concerned, the entire point of being an adult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/smoking-is-as-far-as-i-m-concerned-the-entire-point-of-being-an-adult/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [If you want to get ahead in this world get a lawyer -- not a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/if-you-want-to-get-ahead-in-this-world-get-a-lawyer-not-a-book/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [When it comes to sports I am not particularly interested. Generally speaking, I look upon them as dangerous and tiring activities performed by people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/when-it-comes-to-sports-i-am-not-particularly-interested-generally/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [The first time I ever saw platform shoes in the '70s, I knew they'd been revived from the '40s, and I felt sickened. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/the-first-time-i-ever-saw-platform-shoes-in-the-70s-i-knew-they-d/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [Children ask better questions than adults. "May I have a cookie?" "Why is the sky blue?" and "What does a cow say?" are far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/children-ask-better-questions-than-adults-may-i-have-a-cookie-why-is/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [ I do not think everyone is created equal. In fact, I know they're not. \[The Constitution\] means that everyone should have the same laws… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-do-not-think-everyone-is-created-equal-in-fact-i-know-they-re-not/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [When I fly, I'm never afraid the plane is going to crash. But there have often been times when I was afraid it wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/when-i-fly-i-m-never-afraid-the-plane-is-going-to-crash-but-there/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [Smoking is, if not my life, then at least my hobby. I love to smoke. Smoking is fun. Smoking is cool. Smoking is, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/smoking-is-if-not-my-life-then-at-least-my-hobby-i-love-to-smoke/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

[Explore all 408 Fran Lebowitz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

## More Apartment quotes

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

> [When they started to drain a swamp where birds and fish had lived, for a new housing development down the road from his apartment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maile-meloy/when-they-started-to-drain-a-swamp-where-birds-and-fish-had-lived-for/)

[Maile Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maile-meloy/)

> [I've always been a late bloomer in some ways, and extremely precocious in other ways. When I was twenty I was living in New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meghan-daum/i-ve-always-been-a-late-bloomer-in-some-ways-and-extremely-precocious/)

[Meghan Daum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meghan-daum/)

> [As most New Yorkers have done, I have given serious and generous thought to the state of my apartment should I get killed during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/as-most-new-yorkers-have-done-i-have-given-serious-and-generous/)

[Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/)

> [I feel when you walk into somebody's apartment on Fifth Avenue or house in Malibu and you see a Basquiat, a Warhol, a Richard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-pigozzi/i-feel-when-you-walk-into-somebody-s-apartment-on-fifth-avenue-or/)

[Jean Pigozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-pigozzi/)

> [Every New Yorker spends a certain amount of nervous energy thinking, "How can I afford to stay here? What do I have to sell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-zukin/every-new-yorker-spends-a-certain-amount-of-nervous-energy-thinking/)

[Sharon Zukin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-zukin/)

> [Most of my work is, I get an idea, and, with the help of Wikipedia, I can write. I don't have to leave my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-rich/most-of-my-work-is-i-get-an-idea-and-with-the-help-of-wikipedia-i-can/)

[Simon Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-rich/)

> [Science and art may invent splendid modes of illuminating the apartments of the opulent; but these are all poor and worthless compared with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ellery-channing/science-and-art-may-invent-splendid-modes-of-illuminating-the/)

[William Ellery Channing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ellery-channing/)

> [About 25 years ago, I was in an apartment, and next door, they put on the radio, so I struck the wall with my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/klaus-kinski/about-25-years-ago-i-was-in-an-apartment-and-next-door-they-put-on/)

[Klaus Kinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/klaus-kinski/)

> [I don't think taste is about money. As your career develops, you're able to decide what to spend your money on. I live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-finch/i-don-t-think-taste-is-about-money-as-your-career-develops-you-re/)

[Charles Finch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-finch/)

> [ My father would never have come to visit, he detested Eva's \[Braun\] choice in a man and the fact \[Adolf\] Hitler had set her… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/my-father-would-never-have-come-to-visit-he-detested-eva-s-braun/)

[Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/)

> [He had one uniform practice, and a very bad one it was, during the time of family worship, and just three or four seconds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hogg/he-had-one-uniform-practice-and-a-very-bad-one-it-was-during-the-time/)

[James Hogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hogg/)

> [No birth certificate is issued when friendship is born. There is nothing tangible. There is just a feeling that your life is different and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-tesich/no-birth-certificate-is-issued-when-friendship-is-born-there-is/)

Steve Tesich

> [Music will always be there. I own a piano. I have it in my apartment. I play it every day, and I have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lambert/music-will-always-be-there-i-own-a-piano-i-have-it-in-my-apartment-i/)

[David Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lambert/)

> [ For instance, \[Adolf Hitler\] would never have spent the night at the Widenmayerstraße apartment. He visited it before we moved the furniture in, he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/for-instance-adolf-hitler-would-never-have-spent-the-night-at-the/)

[Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/)

Browse all 884 Apartment quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When I was young, I liked romance. But to me, romance is the opposite of domestic life. I just don't want anyone in the apartment, not for longer than a few hours.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Fran Lebowitz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/when-i-was-young-i-liked-romance-but-to-me-romance-is-the-opposite-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Apartment"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/when-i-was-young-i-liked-romance-but-to-me-romance-is-the-opposite-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ee/fran-lebowitz-690_apartment_when-i-was-young-i-liked-romance-but-to_2883440.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ee/fran-lebowitz-690_apartment_when-i-was-young-i-liked-romance-but-to_2883440.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ee/fran-lebowitz-690_apartment_when-i-was-young-i-liked-romance-but-to_2883440.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When I was young, I liked romance. But to me, romance is the opposite of domestic life. I just don't want…” — Fran Lebowitz",
                "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": "Fran Lebowitz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When I was young, I liked...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/when-i-was-young-i-liked-romance-but-to-me-romance-is-the-opposite-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/when-i-was-young-i-liked-romance-but-to-me-romance-is-the-opposite-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
