---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: love doesn't follow the rules... nothing…"
description: "\"love doesn't follow the rules... nothing is worth having so much as something unattainable.\" — Jodi Picoult"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/jodi-picoult-45_love_love-doesn-t-follow-the-rules-nothing-is_675172.jpg"
---

#  love doesn't follow the rules... nothing is worth having…

![“love doesn't follow the rules... nothing is worth having so much as something unattainable.” quote by Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/jodi-picoult-45_love_love-doesn-t-follow-the-rules-nothing-is_675172.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/jodi-picoult-45_love_love-doesn-t-follow-the-rules-nothing-is_675172.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/jodi-picoult-45_love_love-doesn-t-follow-the-rules-nothing-is_675172.jpg)

> “love doesn't follow the rules... nothing is worth having so much as something unattainable.”

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

## About This Quote

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

Unattainable desires often feel more valuable, but true fulfillment comes from appreciating what is within reach.

**In simple terms:** Unattainable things seem precious, yet real value lies in attainable ones.

Key Takeaway

Cherish attainable joys.

Themes

desire value contentment

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

philosophical emotional

When to use this quote

- Relationships
- career goals
- personal growth

Key Concepts

psychology human nature motivation

Questions to Reflect On

- What do you truly value?
- How can you find contentment now?

A Different Perspective

Obsessing over the impossible can cause dissatisfaction.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Having Unattainable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-unattainable-5352991/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-does-231468/) [Love Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-doesn-249741/) [Rules Worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rules-worth-2712587/) [Unattainable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unattainable/)

## Related quotes

> [“And I’m sure they all played by the rules, just liked I did. By the way, when I got laid off four and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-goldstein/and-i-m-sure-they-all-played-by-the-rules-just-liked-i-did-by-the-way/)

[Ken Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-goldstein/)

> [He smiles at me, and I am suddenly seventeen again - the year I realize that love doesn't follow the rules, the year I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/he-smiles-at-me-and-i-am-suddenly-seventeen-again-the-year-i-realize/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [Loving someone who is unworthy of your love doesn't make you a loser. It makes you unforgettable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heart-to-heart-thoughts/loving-someone-who-is-unworthy-of-your-love-doesn-t-make-you-a-loser/)

[Heart To Heart Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heart-to-heart-thoughts/)

> [“Love doesn't care what you want. Love doesn't care if it's convenient. Love pursues its own agenda, and there's no bullet in the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seanan-mcguire/love-doesn-t-care-what-you-want-love-doesn-t-care-if-it-s-convenient/)

[Seanan McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seanan-mcguire/)

> [“As I sit on my island, it becomes clears that we need to stop plotting the course and instead just land the plane on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-goff/as-i-sit-on-my-island-it-becomes-clears-that-we-need-to-stop-plotting/)

[Bob Goff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-goff/)

> [“Love is more than just feeling something Syn, it's the connecetion of two souls that intertwine and cannot be without the other. It's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelia-hutchins/love-is-more-than-just-feeling-something-syn-it-s-the-connecetion-of/)

[Amelia Hutchins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelia-hutchins/)

> [“Love doesn’t always pay attention to the clock. Sometimes it’s quick, and sometimes it’s slow in coming, arriving in its own due season.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonya-lampley/love-doesn-t-always-pay-attention-to-the-clock-sometimes-it-s-quick/)

[Tonya Lampley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonya-lampley/)

> [By the time you get into other kinds of music - R&amp;B, country, or whatever - it becomes something that's romantic. It becomes something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-kweli/by-the-time-you-get-into-other-kinds-of-music-r-b-country-or-whatever/)

[Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/)

> [True love can break the most powerful curse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/true-love-can-break-the-most-powerful-curse/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [“Oh, darling, that’s what love is. It’s some power greater than you and me, that draws us to one special person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/oh-darling-that-s-what-love-is-it-s-some-power-greater-than-you-and/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [The future has many names: For the weak, it means the unattainable. For the fearful, it means the unknown. For the courageous, it means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/the-future-has-many-names-for-the-weak-it-means-the-unattainable-for/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [Perfectionism is self-destructive simply because there is no such thing as perfect. Perfection is an unattainable goal. Additionally, perfectionism is more about perception -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/perfectionism-is-self-destructive-simply-because-there-is-no-such/)

[Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/)

> [Don't shoot for something unattainable - completely outside of your nature or opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-johnson/don-t-shoot-for-something-unattainable-completely-outside-of-your/)

[Michael Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-johnson/)

> [The chances are that you have already come to believe that happiness is unattainable. But men have attained it. And they have attained it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/the-chances-are-that-you-have-already-come-to-believe-that-happiness/)

[Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/)

> [The maxims tell you to aim at perfection, which is well; but it's unattainable, all the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bayard-taylor/the-maxims-tell-you-to-aim-at-perfection-which-is-well-but-it-s/)

[Bayard Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bayard-taylor/)

## More by Jodi Picoult

> [You get through it, you just never get over it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/you-get-through-it-you-just-never-get-over-it/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [“Let me guess," Eric says, "You never meant for it to happen." "Hell, yes, I did. I've wanted her since you two started dating."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/let-me-guess-eric-says-you-never-meant-for-it-to-happen-hell-yes-i/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [“It’s the difference between dancing along the eggshell crust of acquaintance and diving into the messy center of a relationship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/it-s-the-difference-between-dancing-along-the-eggshell-crust-of/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [Because hate's just the flip side of love. Like heads and tails on a dime. If you don't know what it feels like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/because-hate-s-just-the-flip-side-of-love-like-heads-and-tails-on-a/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [Some women are meant to change the world, while others are meant to hold it together. And then there are those of us who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/some-women-are-meant-to-change-the-world-while-others-are-meant-to/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [I love feeling loved. I don't love knowing that I will always come in second place. I love the fact that at least sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-love-feeling-loved-i-don-t-love-knowing-that-i-will-always-come-in/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [“Music is the language of memory”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/music-is-the-language-of-memory/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [But there is a different between mending someone who's broken and finding someone who makes you complete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/but-there-is-a-different-between-mending-someone-who-s-broken-and/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [“sometimes words are not big enough to contain all the feelings you are trying to pour into them. My”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/sometimes-words-are-not-big-enough-to-contain-all-the-feelings-you/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [“The age wasn't as important as the milestones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-age-wasn-t-as-important-as-the-milestones/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [The night is falling down around us. Meteors rain like fireworks, quick rips in the seam of the dark... Every second, another streak of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-night-is-falling-down-around-us-meteors-rain-like-fireworks-quick/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [“When she had packed all the artifacts that made up their personal history into liquor store boxes, the house became strictly a feminine place.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/when-she-had-packed-all-the-artifacts-that-made-up-their-personal/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [“Maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/maybe-who-we-are-isn-t-so-much-about-what-we-do-but-rather-what-we-re/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [“Here's what I hadn't realized : the mother you haven't seen for almost 36 years isn't your mother. She is a stranger. Sharing DNA…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/here-s-what-i-hadn-t-realized-the-mother-you-haven-t-seen-for-almost/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [My brother believed in all sorts of mythical creatures: pixies, dragons, werewolves, honest men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/my-brother-believed-in-all-sorts-of-mythical-creatures-pixies-dragons/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

[Explore all 2,062 Jodi Picoult quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

## More Love quotes

> [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. It could just as easily have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/whatever-meaning-annie-s-song-had-for-me-on-a-personal-level-there/)

[John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

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

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [I love going to Columbia, Missouri. That is a really underrated campus. It shocked me when I went there because I really didn't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-herbstreit/i-love-going-to-columbia-missouri-that-is-a-really-underrated-campus/)

[Kirk Herbstreit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-herbstreit/)

> [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/)

[Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/)

> [We talk to God--that is prayer; God talks to us--that is inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-emilie-cady/we-talk-to-god-that-is-prayer-god-talks-to-us-that-is-inspiration/)

[H. Emilie Cady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-emilie-cady/)

> [I fell in love with social work, and that was my undoing as a poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rakosi/i-fell-in-love-with-social-work-and-that-was-my-undoing-as-a-poet/)

[Carl Rakosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rakosi/)

> [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/)

[Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/)

> [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/)

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

> [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/)

[Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/)

> [“To be loved by a man, truly loved, made a woman feel as if she could burst. Of course, Lia was strong and could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-anne/to-be-loved-by-a-man-truly-loved-made-a-woman-feel-as-if-she-could/)

[Melody Anne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-anne/)

> [So when you take those tears, don't look to see I'm alright. …\*Seal - Violet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-nickel/so-when-you-take-those-tears-don-t-look-to-see-i-m-alright-seal-violet/)

[Eric Nickel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-nickel/)

> [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/)

[Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/)

> [“That horrible stinging sensation returned, the muscles behind my eyes straining as the first tear began to fall. “I’m scared, too. For eighteen months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-ashley/that-horrible-stinging-sensation-returned-the-muscles-behind-my-eyes/)

[Devon Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-ashley/)

> [I could program a 'fabulous, I love it' kind of hit season right now. I'm more interested in breaking boundaries, telling a story, defying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-wolfe/i-could-program-a-fabulous-i-love-it-kind-of-hit-season-right-now-i-m/)

[George C. Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-wolfe/)

[Browse all 233,035 Love quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "love doesn't follow the rules... nothing is worth having so much as something unattainable.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jodi Picoult"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/love-doesn-t-follow-the-rules-nothing-is-worth-having-so-much-as/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Love"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/love-doesn-t-follow-the-rules-nothing-is-worth-having-so-much-as/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/jodi-picoult-45_love_love-doesn-t-follow-the-rules-nothing-is_675172.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/jodi-picoult-45_love_love-doesn-t-follow-the-rules-nothing-is_675172.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/jodi-picoult-45_love_love-doesn-t-follow-the-rules-nothing-is_675172.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“love doesn't follow the rules... nothing is worth having so much as something unattainable.” — Jodi Picoult",
                "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": "Jodi Picoult",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "love doesn't follow the rules... nothing...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/love-doesn-t-follow-the-rules-nothing-is-worth-having-so-much-as/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/love-doesn-t-follow-the-rules-nothing-is-worth-having-so-much-as/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
