---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Lovers are not at their best when it…"
description: "\"Lovers are not at their best when it matters. Mouths dry up, palms sweat, conversation flags and all the time the heart is threatening to fly from the ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fe/jeanette-winterson-166_body_lovers-are-not-at-their-best-when-it-mat_1054418.jpg"
---

#  Lovers are not at their best when it matters. Mouths dry…

![“Lovers are not at their best when it matters. Mouths dry up, palms sweat, conversation flags and all the time the heart is threatening to fly from the body once and for all. Lovers have been known to have heart attacks. Lovers drink too much from nervousness and cannot perform. They eat too little…” quote by Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fe/jeanette-winterson-166_body_lovers-are-not-at-their-best-when-it-mat_1054418.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fe/jeanette-winterson-166_body_lovers-are-not-at-their-best-when-it-mat_1054418.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fe/jeanette-winterson-166_body_lovers-are-not-at-their-best-when-it-mat_1054418.jpg)

> “Lovers are not at their best when it matters. Mouths dry up, palms sweat, conversation flags and all the time the heart is threatening to fly from the body once and for all. Lovers have been known to have heart attacks. Lovers drink too much from nervousness and cannot perform. They eat too little and faint during their fervently wished consummation. They do not stroke the favoured cat and their face-paint comes loose. This is not all. Whatever you have set store by, your dress, your dinner, your poetry, will go wrong.”

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

## About This Quote

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

Intimacy can become a performance under pressure, causing anxiety and mishaps.

**In simple terms:** Love under pressure leads to anxiety.

Key Takeaway

Relax and be present.

Themes

love anxiety performance vulnerability

Mood

nervous intense

Type

literary emotive

When to use this quote

- first dates
- important conversations
- public speaking

Key Concepts

psychology social dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- What expectations create your anxiety?
- How can you stay grounded?

A Different Perspective

Pressure can ruin genuine connection.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Cat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cat/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Dinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dinner/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Flags](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flags/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Lovers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lovers/) [Nervousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nervousness/)

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