---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I want to pretend there's such a thing as…"
description: "\"I want to pretend there's such a thing as requited love. As the endurance of love.\" — Lorrie Moore"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/lorrie-moore-870_endurance_i-want-to-pretend-there-s-such-a-thing-a_2361823.png"
---

#  I want to pretend there's such a thing as requited love…

![“I want to pretend there's such a thing as requited love. As the endurance of love.” quote by Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/lorrie-moore-870_endurance_i-want-to-pretend-there-s-such-a-thing-a_2361823.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/lorrie-moore-870_endurance_i-want-to-pretend-there-s-such-a-thing-a_2361823.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/lorrie-moore-870_endurance_i-want-to-pretend-there-s-such-a-thing-a_2361823.png)

> “I want to pretend there's such a thing as requited love. As the endurance of love.”

[Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker wishes to imagine love that is reciprocated and enduring, despite reality.

**In simple terms:** Desire for mutual, lasting love.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate realistic expectations in relationships.

Themes

love desire imagination relationships longing

Mood

hopeful reflective melancholic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- dating
- marriage counseling
- personal reflection
- creative writing

Key Concepts

reciprocity emotional resilience

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “requited love” mean to you?
- How can you find fulfillment without it?

A Different Perspective

Idealizing love can lead to disappointment.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Endurance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endurance/) [Endurance Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endurance-love-930944/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Endurance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-endurance-2216946/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [Pretend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretend/) [Relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationship/) [Requited Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/requited-love-827020/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Pretend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-pretend-1542371/)

## Related quotes

> [Comfort is part of love. Endurance is part of love. Love's full of blissful moments. Take those and be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/comfort-is-part-of-love-endurance-is-part-of-love-love-s-full-of/)

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

> [The master who loved most of all, endured the most and proved his love by his endurance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-b-brown/the-master-who-loved-most-of-all-endured-the-most-and-proved-his-love/)

[Hugh B. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-b-brown/)

> [I'm not 'one of the guys.' I don't want to pretend to be one on stage. I'm not going to dress like a guy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-leggero/i-m-not-one-of-the-guys-i-don-t-want-to-pretend-to-be-one-on-stage-i/)

[Natasha Leggero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-leggero/)

> [You just want to pretend what we had was nothing? The first time we said and did all those thing's. Friends you said to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haylee/you-just-want-to-pretend-what-we-had-was-nothing-the-first-time-we/)

[Haylee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haylee/)

> [Never give up on who you are and what others want you to become it is better being yourself then what others want you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-give-up-on-who-you-are-and-what-others-want-you-to-become-it-is/)

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

> [Like I said, I don't want to pretend that I am a robot. When you hear things it's natural to feel some kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-hubbard/like-i-said-i-don-t-want-to-pretend-that-i-am-a-robot-when-you-hear/)

[Laurel Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-hubbard/)

> [Sometimes, when I have to do something I don't want to do, I pretend I'm a character from a book. It's easier to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/sometimes-when-i-have-to-do-something-i-don-t-want-to-do-i-pretend-i/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [If you want your rock stars that are completely 100 percent serious about themselves and you want them to pretend like they're 25, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-deyoung/if-you-want-your-rock-stars-that-are-completely-100-percent-serious/)

[Dennis DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-deyoung/)

> [There is nothing love cannot face; there is no limit to its faith, its hope, its endurance. Love will never come to an end.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/there-is-nothing-love-cannot-face-there-is-no-limit-to-its-faith-its/)

[Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/)

> [I would hope that my readers feel a sense of awe at the quality of human endurance, at the endurance of love in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/i-would-hope-that-my-readers-feel-a-sense-of-awe-at-the-quality-of/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [First and foremost, 'Call Me by Your Name' is a story about love, and first loves, and unrequited, and then, later, requited love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothee-chalamet/first-and-foremost-call-me-by-your-name-is-a-story-about-love-and/)

[Timothee Chalamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothee-chalamet/)

> [“You can give birth to a beautiful, perfect human being, but requited love isn’t guaranteed for her—or for any of us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elin-hilderbrand/you-can-give-birth-to-a-beautiful-perfect-human-being-but-requited/)

[Elin Hilderbrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elin-hilderbrand/)

> [You like someone who can't like you back because unrequited love can be survived in a way that once-requited love cannot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/you-like-someone-who-can-t-like-you-back-because-unrequited-love-can/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“Unrequited love can be survived in a way that once-requited love cannot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/unrequited-love-can-be-survived-in-a-way-that-once-requited-love/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [By the Angel, Bridget’s depressing,” said Henry, setting down his newspaper directly on his plate and causing the edge to soak through with egg…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/by-the-angel-bridget-s-depressing-said-henry-setting-down-his/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

## More by Lorrie Moore

> [But I believed in starting over. There was finally, I knew, only rupture and hurt and falling short between all persons, but, Shirley, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/but-i-believed-in-starting-over-there-was-finally-i-knew-only-rupture/)

[Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/)

> [I'm very interested in what people will do for money. Money: it's timeless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/i-m-very-interested-in-what-people-will-do-for-money-money-it-s/)

[Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/)

> [“One of the problems with people in Chicago, she remembered, was that they were never lonely at the same time. Their sadness occurred in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/one-of-the-problems-with-people-in-chicago-she-remembered-was-that/)

[Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/)

> [“If you had forgotten, it would quickly come back to you. Aloneness was like riding a bike. At gunpoint. With the gun in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/if-you-had-forgotten-it-would-quickly-come-back-to-you-aloneness-was/)

[Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/)

> [Once love had seemed like magic. Now it seemed like tricks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/once-love-had-seemed-like-magic-now-it-seemed-like-tricks/)

[Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/)

> [“Observing others go through them, he used to admire midlife crises, the courage and shamelessness and existential daring of them, but after he'd watched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/observing-others-go-through-them-he-used-to-admire-midlife-crises-the/)

[Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/)

> [Start dating someone who is funny, someone who has what in high school you called a "really great sense of humor" and what now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/start-dating-someone-who-is-funny-someone-who-has-what-in-high-school/)

[Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/)

> [You are unhappy because you believe in such a thing as happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/you-are-unhappy-because-you-believe-in-such-a-thing-as-happy/)

[Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/)

> [“Amber was not shy. If she had been shy, not one of us would be at Perkins right now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/amber-was-not-shy-if-she-had-been-shy-not-one-of-us-would-be-at/)

[Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/)

> [People will do anything, anything, for a really nice laugh,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/people-will-do-anything-anything-for-a-really-nice-laugh/)

[Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/)

> [“Farmers aren't rich. They have land but no money." Actually, my father didn't even have that much land. He had once stood on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/farmers-aren-t-rich-they-have-land-but-no-money-actually-my-father/)

[Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/)

> [“My grandmother, who, when I visited, stared at me with the staggering, arrogant stare of the dying, the wise vapidity of the already gone;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/my-grandmother-who-when-i-visited-stared-at-me-with-the-staggering/)

[Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/)

> [I count too heavily on birthdays, though I know I shouldn't. Inevitably I begin to assess my life by them, figure out how I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/i-count-too-heavily-on-birthdays-though-i-know-i-shouldn-t-inevitably/)

[Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/)

> [“Life is sad. Here is someone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/life-is-sad-here-is-someone/)

[Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/)

> [I had never feared insomnia before--like prison, wouldn't it just give you more time to read?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/i-had-never-feared-insomnia-before-like-prison-wouldn-t-it-just-give/)

[Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/)

[Explore all 340 Lorrie Moore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/)

## More Endurance quotes

> [I am fairly tired--bored beyond endurance--by the world we live in, and its ideals, and am ready to say so, not violently, but kindly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/i-am-fairly-tired-bored-beyond-endurance-by-the-world-we-live-in-and/)

[Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/)

> [We're on the road 300 days a year. There's no recovery time. It's a test of your physical and mental endurance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-phoenix/we-re-on-the-road-300-days-a-year-there-s-no-recovery-time-it-s-a/)

[Beth Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-phoenix/)

> [Grace is the wonderful spirit that imbues every fiber of our being when we practice the fruits of the spirit: kindness, patience, understanding, forgiveness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-cayce/grace-is-the-wonderful-spirit-that-imbues-every-fiber-of-our-being/)

[Edgar Cayce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-cayce/)

> [“I met Suffering on a quiet road, just as the sun was setting behind me. Its presence was heavy, like an old coat I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/i-met-suffering-on-a-quiet-road-just-as-the-sun-was-setting-behind-me/)

[Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/)

> [There must be a technique for meeting pain. There must be a technique of endurance based on the power of the soul to maintain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-stannard-baker/there-must-be-a-technique-for-meeting-pain-there-must-be-a-technique/)

[Ray Stannard Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-stannard-baker/)

> [We may be masters of our every lot By bearing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/we-may-be-masters-of-our-every-lot-by-bearing-it/)

[Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/)

> [Life is not a PG feel-good movie. Real life often ends badly. Literature tries to document this reality, while showing us it is still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/life-is-not-a-pg-feel-good-movie-real-life-often-ends-badly/)

[Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/)

> [Technically, I've learned that having good legs and wind is good for being on stage. You have to be in shape and have endurance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/technically-i-ve-learned-that-having-good-legs-and-wind-is-good-for/)

[Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/)

> [“Human endurance fascinates me, probably too much because more often than not, I think of life in terms of enduring instead of living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/human-endurance-fascinates-me-probably-too-much-because-more-often/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [There is nothing which so certifies the genuineness of a man's faith as his patience and his patient endurance, his keeping on steadily in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-nothing-which-so-certifies-the-genuineness-of-a-man-s-faith/)

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

> [The main thing about an endurance challenge is that you have to endure. Not so much physically, but mentally. Your mind gives up first.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milind-soman/the-main-thing-about-an-endurance-challenge-is-that-you-have-to/)

[Milind Soman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milind-soman/)

> [Nothing befalls any man which he is not fitted to endure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/nothing-befalls-any-man-which-he-is-not-fitted-to-endure/)

[Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/)

> [“The only fight worthwhile is the fight of faith.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-only-fight-worthwhile-is-the-fight-of-faith/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [Obstacles are necessary for success because in selling, as in all careers of importance, victory comes only after many struggles and countless defeats. Yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/obstacles-are-necessary-for-success-because-in-selling-as-in-all/)

[Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/)

> [There were different kinds of strength. I knew that now. It didn't always come from a knife or a willingness to fight. Sometimes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/there-were-different-kinds-of-strength-i-knew-that-now-it-didn-t/)

[Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/)

[Browse all 1,001 Endurance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endurance/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I want to pretend there's such a thing as requited love. As the endurance of love.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lorrie Moore"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/i-want-to-pretend-there-s-such-a-thing-as-requited-love-as-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Endurance"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/i-want-to-pretend-there-s-such-a-thing-as-requited-love-as-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/lorrie-moore-870_endurance_i-want-to-pretend-there-s-such-a-thing-a_2361823.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/lorrie-moore-870_endurance_i-want-to-pretend-there-s-such-a-thing-a_2361823.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e1/lorrie-moore-870_endurance_i-want-to-pretend-there-s-such-a-thing-a_2361823.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I want to pretend there's such a thing as requited love. As the endurance of love.” — Lorrie Moore",
                "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": "Lorrie Moore",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I want to pretend there's such...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/i-want-to-pretend-there-s-such-a-thing-as-requited-love-as-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/i-want-to-pretend-there-s-such-a-thing-as-requited-love-as-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
