---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was the reason he had survived. It was…"
description: "\"“It was the reason he had survived. It was the ordinary way of saying she would refuse all other men. Only you. Come back.”\" — Ian McEwan"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba4/ian-mcewan-494_survived_it-was-the-reason-he-had-survived-it-was_1218036.png"
---

#  It was the reason he had survived. It was the ordinary way…

![“It was the reason he had survived. It was the ordinary way of saying she would refuse all other men. Only you. Come back.” quote by Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba4/ian-mcewan-494_survived_it-was-the-reason-he-had-survived-it-was_1218036.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba4/ian-mcewan-494_survived_it-was-the-reason-he-had-survived-it-was_1218036.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba4/ian-mcewan-494_survived_it-was-the-reason-he-had-survived-it-was_1218036.png)

> ““It was the reason he had survived. It was the ordinary way of saying she would refuse all other men. Only you. Come back.””

[Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/)

## About This Quote

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

He survives because she chooses him exclusively, rejecting all others, urging his return.

**In simple terms:** She refuses everyone else, choosing only him.

Key Takeaway

Cherish exclusive love and loyalty.

Themes

love exclusivity survival choice

Mood

thoughtful hopeful

Type

literary romantic

When to use this quote

- marriage
- long‑distance partnership
- reunion after conflict
- personal crisis

Key Concepts

existentialism relationship dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- What does exclusive devotion cost?
- How to balance love and independence?

A Different Perspective

Exclusivity may breed dependency or loss of self.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [“Perhaps the only reason they survived, Stencil reasoned, was that they were not alone. God knew how many more there were with a hothouse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/perhaps-the-only-reason-they-survived-stencil-reasoned-was-that-they/)

[Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/)

> [The reason why I have survived as long as I have survived is what my friends, comrades and supporters thought was an extraordinarily cautious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-zundel/the-reason-why-i-have-survived-as-long-as-i-have-survived-is-what-my/)

[Ernst Zundel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-zundel/)

> [“I was afraid of being annihilated on account of saying no: those who refuse to fulfill their duties lose their right to exist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/y-ko-tawada/i-was-afraid-of-being-annihilated-on-account-of-saying-no-those-who/)

[Yoko Tawada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/y-ko-tawada/)

> [What we, the Christian community, have to do is to refuse men the right to ravish our land, just as we refuse them the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/what-we-the-christian-community-have-to-do-is-to-refuse-men-the-right/)

[Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/)

> [I survive. I survived it all then and I'll survive the rest of it. Without your help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/i-survive-i-survived-it-all-then-and-i-ll-survive-the-rest-of-it/)

[Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/)

> [It's not like we have a formula, but I think one of the reasons this show has survived is that it has a big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-parker/it-s-not-like-we-have-a-formula-but-i-think-one-of-the-reasons-this/)

[Trey Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-parker/)

> [The greatest danger to the liberal vision are facts about the consequences of liberalism itself and the laws, policies, and ways of life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-greatest-danger-to-the-liberal-vision-are-facts-about-the/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [I remember talking with Arcade Fire after their first record, when they were getting all kinds of offers from major labels, and I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/i-remember-talking-with-arcade-fire-after-their-first-record-when/)

[David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/)

> [Films are not my bread and butter. I do ads. I've survived through ads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arjun-mathur/films-are-not-my-bread-and-butter-i-do-ads-i-ve-survived-through-ads/)

[Arjun Mathur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arjun-mathur/)

> [I've been through hell. It's hard to think you have this life, and then all of a sudden - was it a lie? You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elin-nordegren/i-ve-been-through-hell-it-s-hard-to-think-you-have-this-life-and-then/)

[Elin Nordegren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elin-nordegren/)

> [“survived one trip into”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-demille/survived-one-trip-into/)

[Nelson DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-demille/)

> [You survived the abuse, you’re going to survive the recovery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariska-hargitay/you-survived-the-abuse-you-re-going-to-survive-the-recovery/)

[Mariska Hargitay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariska-hargitay/)

> [Wasn't Saddam destroyed? Wasn't Gaddafi liquidated? Didn't Milosevic go to the Hague? All true. But Stalin survived. Kim Jong-un isn't doing too badly, either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/wasn-t-saddam-destroyed-wasn-t-gaddafi-liquidated-didn-t-milosevic-go/)

[Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/)

> [“No matter what side you were on, if you had survived Gettysburg you were to be congratulated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-jiles/no-matter-what-side-you-were-on-if-you-had-survived-gettysburg-you/)

[Paulette Jiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-jiles/)

> [If memory survived eternally, then indeed there might be justification for a belief in hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-aumonier/if-memory-survived-eternally-then-indeed-there-might-be-justification/)

[Stacy Aumonier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-aumonier/)

## More by Ian McEwan

> [“As you will see, we do not believe that artists have an obligation to strike up attitudes to the war. Indeed, they are wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/as-you-will-see-we-do-not-believe-that-artists-have-an-obligation-to/)

[Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/)

> [You could say that all novels are spy novels and all novelists are spy masters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/you-could-say-that-all-novels-are-spy-novels-and-all-novelists-are/)

[Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/)

> [I've never had a moment's doubt. I love you. I believe in you completely. You are my dearest one. My reason for life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-ve-never-had-a-moment-s-doubt-i-love-you-i-believe-in-you/)

[Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/)

> [“It is shaming sometimes, how the body will not, or cannot, lie about emotions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/it-is-shaming-sometimes-how-the-body-will-not-or-cannot-lie-about/)

[Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/)

> [“While my friends struggled and calculated, I reached a solution by a set of floating steps that were partly visual, partly just a feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/while-my-friends-struggled-and-calculated-i-reached-a-solution-by-a/)

[Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/)

> [“Once, on a walk by a river- Eskdale in low reddish sunlight, with a dusting of snow- his daughter quoted to him an opening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/once-on-a-walk-by-a-river-eskdale-in-low-reddish-sunlight-with-a/)

[Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/)

> [“Perhaps it's one of those cases of a microcosm giving you the whole world. Like a spode dinner plate. Or a single cell. Or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/perhaps-it-s-one-of-those-cases-of-a-microcosm-giving-you-the-whole/)

[Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/)

> [Who you get, and how it works out- there's so much luck involved, as well as the million branching consequences of your conscious choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/who-you-get-and-how-it-works-out-there-s-so-much-luck-involved-as/)

[Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/)

> [“On Chesil Beach he could have called out to Florence, he could have gone after her. He did not know, or would not have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/on-chesil-beach-he-could-have-called-out-to-florence-he-could-have/)

[Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/)

> [It was always the view of my parents...that hot weather encouraged loose morals among young people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/it-was-always-the-view-of-my-parents-that-hot-weather-encouraged/)

[Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/)

> [I apologize for being obvious, but every time I watch the curtain come down on even a halfway decent production of a Shakespeare play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-apologize-for-being-obvious-but-every-time-i-watch-the-curtain-come/)

[Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/)

> [I would rather be physically disabled obviously than mentally. I would rather be paraplegic than nuts. And it is a terrifying prospect and actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-would-rather-be-physically-disabled-obviously-than-mentally-i-would/)

[Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/)

> [“Words, as I'm beginning to appreciate, can make things true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/words-as-i-m-beginning-to-appreciate-can-make-things-true/)

[Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/)

> [I couldn't think about novels at all. It seemed the only writing that was appropriate to that horrendous event was journalism, reportage. And, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-couldn-t-think-about-novels-at-all-it-seemed-the-only-writing-that/)

[Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/)

> [I did not kill my father, but I sometimes felt I had helped him on his way. And but for the fact that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-did-not-kill-my-father-but-i-sometimes-felt-i-had-helped-him-on-his/)

[Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/)

[Explore all 496 Ian McEwan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/)

## More Survived quotes

> [If memory survived eternally, then indeed there might be justification for a belief in hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-aumonier/if-memory-survived-eternally-then-indeed-there-might-be-justification/)

[Stacy Aumonier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-aumonier/)

> [“No matter what side you were on, if you had survived Gettysburg you were to be congratulated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-jiles/no-matter-what-side-you-were-on-if-you-had-survived-gettysburg-you/)

[Paulette Jiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-jiles/)

> [Wasn't Saddam destroyed? Wasn't Gaddafi liquidated? Didn't Milosevic go to the Hague? All true. But Stalin survived. Kim Jong-un isn't doing too badly, either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/wasn-t-saddam-destroyed-wasn-t-gaddafi-liquidated-didn-t-milosevic-go/)

[Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/)

> [You survived the abuse, you’re going to survive the recovery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariska-hargitay/you-survived-the-abuse-you-re-going-to-survive-the-recovery/)

[Mariska Hargitay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariska-hargitay/)

> [“survived one trip into”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-demille/survived-one-trip-into/)

[Nelson DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-demille/)

> [I've been through hell. It's hard to think you have this life, and then all of a sudden - was it a lie? You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elin-nordegren/i-ve-been-through-hell-it-s-hard-to-think-you-have-this-life-and-then/)

[Elin Nordegren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elin-nordegren/)

> [Films are not my bread and butter. I do ads. I've survived through ads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arjun-mathur/films-are-not-my-bread-and-butter-i-do-ads-i-ve-survived-through-ads/)

[Arjun Mathur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arjun-mathur/)

> [I remember talking with Arcade Fire after their first record, when they were getting all kinds of offers from major labels, and I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/i-remember-talking-with-arcade-fire-after-their-first-record-when/)

[David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/)

> [The greatest danger to the liberal vision are facts about the consequences of liberalism itself and the laws, policies, and ways of life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-greatest-danger-to-the-liberal-vision-are-facts-about-the/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [It's not like we have a formula, but I think one of the reasons this show has survived is that it has a big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-parker/it-s-not-like-we-have-a-formula-but-i-think-one-of-the-reasons-this/)

[Trey Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-parker/)

> [I survive. I survived it all then and I'll survive the rest of it. Without your help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/i-survive-i-survived-it-all-then-and-i-ll-survive-the-rest-of-it/)

[Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/)

> [Fidel Castro outlasted U.S. presidents determined to overthrow him, survived the collapse of the communist bloc that sustained him and outlived many of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-gjelten/fidel-castro-outlasted-u-s-presidents-determined-to-overthrow-him/)

[Tom Gjelten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-gjelten/)

> [No democracy has ever long survived the failure of its adherents to be ready to die for it. My own conviction is this, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/no-democracy-has-ever-long-survived-the-failure-of-its-adherents-to/)

[David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/)

> [“But he survived, that radio announcer. His ship and five others out of the flotilla of ten came through, a bit radioactive, but otherwise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wyndham/but-he-survived-that-radio-announcer-his-ship-and-five-others-out-of/)

[John Wyndham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wyndham/)

> [She endured. And survived. Marginally, perhaps, but it is not required of us that we live well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-cameron/she-endured-and-survived-marginally-perhaps-but-it-is-not-required-of/)

[Anne Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-cameron/)

Browse all 671 Survived quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“It was the reason he had survived. It was the ordinary way of saying she would refuse all other men. Only you. Come back.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ian McEwan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/it-was-the-reason-he-had-survived-it-was-the-ordinary-way-of-saying/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Survived"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/it-was-the-reason-he-had-survived-it-was-the-ordinary-way-of-saying/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba4/ian-mcewan-494_survived_it-was-the-reason-he-had-survived-it-was_1218036.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba4/ian-mcewan-494_survived_it-was-the-reason-he-had-survived-it-was_1218036.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba4/ian-mcewan-494_survived_it-was-the-reason-he-had-survived-it-was_1218036.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It was the reason he had survived. It was the ordinary way of saying she would refuse all other men. Only…” — Ian McEwan",
                "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": "Ian McEwan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“It was the reason he had...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/it-was-the-reason-he-had-survived-it-was-the-ordinary-way-of-saying/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/it-was-the-reason-he-had-survived-it-was-the-ordinary-way-of-saying/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```