Skip to content

Love Quote by John Cheever

“But I awoke at three, feeling terribly sad, and feeling rebelliously that I didn't want to study sadness, madness, melancholy, and despair. I wanted to study triumphs, the rediscoveries of love, all that I know in the world to be decent, radiant, and clear. Then the word "love", the impulse to…” quote by John Cheever
Download Open image
““But I awoke at three, feeling terribly sad, and feeling rebelliously that I didn't want to study sadness, madness, melancholy, and despair. I wanted to study triumphs, the rediscoveries of love, all that I know in the world to be decent, radiant, and clear. Then the word "love", the impulse to love, welled up in me somewhere above my middle. Love seemed to flow from me in all directions, abundant as water--love for Cora, love for Flora, love for all my friends and neighbors, love for Penumbra. This tremendous flow of vitality could not be contained within its spelling, and I seemed to seize a laundry marker and write "luve" on the wall. I wrote "luve" on the staircase, "luve" on the pantry, "luve" on the oven, the washing machine, and the coffeepot, and when Cora came down in the morning (I would be nowhere around) everywhere she looked she would read "luve", "luve", "luve." Then I saw a green meadow and a sparkling stream. On the ridge there were thatched-roof cottages and a square church tower, so I knew it must be England. I climbed up from the meadow to the streets of the village, looking for the cottage where Cora and Flora would be waiting for me. There seemed to have been some mistake. No one knew their names. I asked at the post office, but the answer here was the same. Then it occurred to me that they would be at the manor house. How stupid I had been! I left the village and walked up a sloping lawn to a Georgian house, where a butler let me in. The squire was entertaining. There were twenty-five or thirty people in the hall, drinking sherry. I took a glass from a tray and looked through the gathering for Flora and my wife, but they were not there. Then I thanked my host and walked down the broad lawn, back to the meadow and the sparkling brook, where I lay on the grass and fell into a sweet sleep.””

John Cheever

About This Quote

Source Short story: “The Swimmer” by John Cheever, 1964

The narrator seeks love and meaning, escaping melancholy by immersing in vivid, idealized visions of affection and pastoral peace.

In simple terms: He tries to replace sadness with love and hopeful daydreams.

Key Takeaway

Seek love, not escape.

Themes

love escape idealism longing memory

Mood

longing hopeful reflective

Type

literary personal philosophical

When to use this quote

  • personal reflection
  • creative writing
  • daydreaming
  • seeking comfort
  • catharsis

Key Concepts

Romanticism psychology nostalgia

Questions to Reflect On

  • What does love mean to you beyond symbols?
  • How do you balance idealism with reality?
A Different Perspective

The fantasy may ignore real responsibilities and emotional processing.

2.1 out of 5 (4 ratings)

More by John Cheever

Explore all 132 John Cheever quotes

More Love quotes

Browse all 233,035 Love quotes