--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The thing to remember about love…" description: "\"The thing to remember about love affairs,\" says Simone, \"is that they are all like having raccoons in your chimney.\" ... We have raccoons sometimes in ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d3/lorrie-moore-870_affair_the-thing-to-remember-about-love-affairs_3071481.png" --- # The thing to remember about love affairs," says Simone… ![“The thing to remember about love affairs," says Simone, "is that they are all like having raccoons in your chimney." ... We have raccoons sometimes in our chimney," explains Simone. And once we tried to smoke them out. We lit a fire, knowing they were there, but we hoped the smoke would cause them…” quote by Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d3/lorrie-moore-870_affair_the-thing-to-remember-about-love-affairs_3071481.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d3/lorrie-moore-870_affair_the-thing-to-remember-about-love-affairs_3071481.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d3/lorrie-moore-870_affair_the-thing-to-remember-about-love-affairs_3071481.png) > “The thing to remember about love affairs," says Simone, "is that they are all like having raccoons in your chimney." ... We have raccoons sometimes in our chimney," explains Simone. And once we tried to smoke them out. We lit a fire, knowing they were there, but we hoped the smoke would cause them to scurry out the top and never come back. Instead, they caught on fire and came crashing down into our living room, all charred and in flames and running madly around until they dropped dead." Simone swallows some wine. "Love affairs are like that," she says. "They are all like that.” [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. Love affairs are chaotic, unpredictable, and can become destructive if mishandled. **In simple terms:** Romantic relationships can become messy and dangerous. Key Takeaway Treat love with care and realistic expectations. Themes love relationships chaos Mood reflective melancholic Type literary satirical When to use this quote - dating - conflict resolution - personal boundaries Key Concepts human behavior emotional volatility Questions to Reflect On - What signs indicate a relationship is becoming harmful? - How can we maintain healthy boundaries? A Different Perspective Romantic idealization can blind people to warning signs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/) [Crashing down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crashing-down/) [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Living room](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-room/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love affair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-affair/) [Love affairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-affairs/) [Raccoons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/raccoons/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [Affairs, ... , like everything else, ask too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/affairs-like-everything-else-ask-too-much/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“Affairs are like a seventh day. They are a break from all duties and obligations and responsibilities. I'm not saying this is right and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-plump/affairs-are-like-a-seventh-day-they-are-a-break-from-all-duties-and/) [Wendy Plump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-plump/) > [Human affairs are like a chess game. Only those who do not take it seriously can be called good players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zicheng-hong/human-affairs-are-like-a-chess-game-only-those-who-do-not-take-it/) [Zicheng Hong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zicheng-hong/) > [It takes a million compliments to build you up and one insult to send it all crashing down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/it-takes-a-million-compliments-to-build-you-up-and-one-insult-to-send/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [Шn Hollywood actresses say they can't go above a size 6. I think everybody is operating in this huge bubble of fear. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hathaway/n-hollywood-actresses-say-they-can-t-go-above-a-size-6-i-think/) [Anne Hathaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hathaway/) > [Your novels show only the tiniest fraction of detective work, the brilliant crime, the tantalizing clues, the dramatic chase, the final battle atop a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-petrucha/your-novels-show-only-the-tiniest-fraction-of-detective-work-the/) [Stefan Petrucha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-petrucha/) > [I waited for dawn, but only because I had forgotten how hard mornings were. For a second I'd be normal. Then came the dim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/i-waited-for-dawn-but-only-because-i-had-forgotten-how-hard-mornings/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [You only have to kick in the door and the whole rotten structure will come crashing down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/you-only-have-to-kick-in-the-door-and-the-whole-rotten-structure-will/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [Attitude determines your altitude, if you have a bad attitude, even if you are way up there, you will come crashing down, and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/strive-masiyiwa/attitude-determines-your-altitude-if-you-have-a-bad-attitude-even-if/) [Strive Masiyiwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/strive-masiyiwa/) > [I want to tell you about the God that actually showed up and healed my heart. Not the God I grew up, because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-p-young/i-want-to-tell-you-about-the-god-that-actually-showed-up-and-healed/) [William P. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-p-young/) > [What we are trying to do at Virgin is not to have one enormous company in one sector under one banner, but to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/what-we-are-trying-to-do-at-virgin-is-not-to-have-one-enormous/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [What was I afraid of, exactly? What other people would think? I guess, a little. But that wasn't what was stopping me from acting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-anne-peters/what-was-i-afraid-of-exactly-what-other-people-would-think-i-guess-a/) [Julie Anne Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-anne-peters/) > [The only thing that looks good is the stock market, but if you raise interest rates even a little bit, that's going to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/the-only-thing-that-looks-good-is-the-stock-market-but-if-you-raise/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [There are times when I'm caught up in everything and I have to say to myself, "Please feel good; please feel better; everything's okay;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/there-are-times-when-i-m-caught-up-in-everything-and-i-have-to-say-to/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [There are no minor decisions in movie making. Each decision will either contribute to a good piece of work or bring the whole movie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-lumet/there-are-no-minor-decisions-in-movie-making-each-decision-will/) [Sidney Lumet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-lumet/) ## 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 Affair quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [Our guiding principle was that design is neither an intellectual nor a material affair, but simply an integral part of the stuff of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-gropius/our-guiding-principle-was-that-design-is-neither-an-intellectual-nor/) [Walter Gropius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-gropius/) > [I wonder if it's possible to have a love affair that lasts forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-wonder-if-it-s-possible-to-have-a-love-affair-that-lasts-forever/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [For a young man to start his career with a love affair with an older woman was quite de rigueur ... Of course, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/for-a-young-man-to-start-his-career-with-a-love-affair-with-an-older/) [Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/) > [As long as the state permits itself to interfere in the affairs of literature, literature has the right to interfere with the affairs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/as-long-as-the-state-permits-itself-to-interfere-in-the-affairs-of/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [Love is mainly an affair of short spasms. If these spasms disappoint us, love dies. It is very seldom that it weathers the experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/love-is-mainly-an-affair-of-short-spasms-if-these-spasms-disappoint/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [The Fundamental Principle that governs - or ought to govern -human affairs if we wish to avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, or pointless utopias, is negotiation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-fundamental-principle-that-governs-or-ought-to-govern-human/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [My hope does not rest in the affairs of this world. It rests in Christ who is coming again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/my-hope-does-not-rest-in-the-affairs-of-this-world-it-rests-in-christ/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [In 1953, the United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh. The Eisenhower administration believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-1953-the-united-states-played-a-significant-role-in-orchestrating/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [Not everyone likes the stable, gradual rise of our country. There are some who are using the democratic ideology to interfere in our internal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/not-everyone-likes-the-stable-gradual-rise-of-our-country-there-are/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [The archives recall not one single incriminating incident, not one drunken escapade, not one reported affair, not one spat with a team-mate or reporter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-atherton/the-archives-recall-not-one-single-incriminating-incident-not-one/) Michael Atherton > [“I ripped the sketch from the wall. "Liar." Edward looked more ravaged than usual. "That is a terrible word, coming from you." "Yup." "And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jensen/i-ripped-the-sketch-from-the-wall-liar-edward-looked-more-ravaged/) [Melissa Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jensen/) > [For some people, a one-night stand doesn't make any difference in a seven-year love affair. I don't believe the degree of betrayal is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-some-people-a-one-night-stand-doesn-t-make-any-difference-in-a/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [And what is literature, Rabo," he said, "but an insider's newsletter about affairs relating to molecules, of no importance to anything in the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-what-is-literature-rabo-he-said-but-an-insider-s-newsletter-about/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Browse all 2,218 Affair quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The thing to remember about love affairs,\" says Simone, \"is that they are all like having raccoons in your chimney.\" ... We have raccoons sometimes in our chimney,\" explains Simone. And once we tried to smoke them out. We lit a fire, knowing they were there, but we hoped the smoke would cause them to scurry out the top and never come back. Instead, they caught on fire and came crashing down into our living room, all charred and in flames and running madly around until they dropped dead.\" Simone swallows some wine. \"Love affairs are like that,\" she says. \"They are all like that.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lorrie Moore" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/the-thing-to-remember-about-love-affairs-says-simone-is-that-they-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Affair" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/the-thing-to-remember-about-love-affairs-says-simone-is-that-they-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d3/lorrie-moore-870_affair_the-thing-to-remember-about-love-affairs_3071481.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d3/lorrie-moore-870_affair_the-thing-to-remember-about-love-affairs_3071481.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d3/lorrie-moore-870_affair_the-thing-to-remember-about-love-affairs_3071481.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The thing to remember about love affairs,\" says Simone, \"is that they are all like having raccoons in your…” — 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": "The thing to remember about love...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/the-thing-to-remember-about-love-affairs-says-simone-is-that-they-are/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/the-thing-to-remember-about-love-affairs-says-simone-is-that-they-are/#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 } } ] } ```