---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: the way love feels is always only…"
description: "\"“the way love feels is always only approximate. Partway”\" — Margaret Atwood"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb5/margaret-atwood-40_love_the-way-love-feels-is-always-only-approx_2019674.jpg"
---

#  the way love feels is always only approximate. Partway

![“the way love feels is always only approximate. Partway” quote by Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb5/margaret-atwood-40_love_the-way-love-feels-is-always-only-approx_2019674.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb5/margaret-atwood-40_love_the-way-love-feels-is-always-only-approx_2019674.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb5/margaret-atwood-40_love_the-way-love-feels-is-always-only-approx_2019674.jpg)

> ““the way love feels is always only approximate. Partway””

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

## About This Quote

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

Love is imperfect and only partially understood, often feeling like an approximation rather than a certainty.

**In simple terms:** Love is never exact.

Key Takeaway

Embrace love’s uncertainty.

Themes

relationships emotion imperfection

Mood

introspective melancholic

Type

literary emotional

When to use this quote

- romantic partnerships
- friendships
- family bonds

Key Concepts

subjective experience incomplete knowledge

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you navigate love’s uncertainties?
- What does “approximate” love feel like?

A Different Perspective

Expecting certainty can cause disappointment; love thrives on mystery.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Approximate Partway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approximate-partway-3650742/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Feels Approximate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels-approximate-3650743/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-does/) [Love Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-feels/) [Way Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-love/)

## Related quotes

> [All I can hope for is a reconstruction: the way love feels is always only approximate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/all-i-can-hope-for-is-a-reconstruction-the-way-love-feels-is-always/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [The way love feels is always only approximate. I would like to be without shame. I would like to be shameless. I would like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-way-love-feels-is-always-only-approximate-i-would-like-to-be/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“She has never been in the presence, before, of two people who are in love with each other. She feels like a stray child,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/she-has-never-been-in-the-presence-before-of-two-people-who-are-in/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“I look at you and see a life we’ve yet to build, a love that feels inevitable, waiting to unfold. I look at your face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-bekoe/i-look-at-you-and-see-a-life-we-ve-yet-to-build-a-love-that-feels/)

[Marion Bekoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-bekoe/)

> [“I know you love me, Jocelyn, because there’s no fucking way I can be this much in love with you, and not have you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-young/i-know-you-love-me-jocelyn-because-there-s-no-fucking-way-i-can-be/)

[Samantha Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-young/)

> [“Love The Way Love, Loves You”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syed-sharukh/love-the-way-love-loves-you/)

[Syed Sharukh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syed-sharukh/)

> [\* She said, why don't we both just sleep on it tonight And I believe, in the morning you'll begin to see the light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/she-said-why-don-t-we-both-just-sleep-on-it-tonight-and-i-believe-in/)

[Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/)

> [Ten way to love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessababycake/ten-way-to-love/)

[Vanessababycake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessababycake/)

> [I love you. I love you just the way you are. I love you so much!" ~Kyo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsuki-takaya/i-love-you-i-love-you-just-the-way-you-are-i-love-you-so-much-kyo/)

[Natsuki Takaya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsuki-takaya/)

> [Its funny but all I wanna do is find the way back into love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-jerry-wings/its-funny-but-all-i-wanna-do-is-find-the-way-back-into-love/)

[Louis Jerry Wings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-jerry-wings/)

> [Being a nerd is not about what you love; it's about the way you love it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wil-wheaton/being-a-nerd-is-not-about-what-you-love-it-s-about-the-way-you-love-it/)

[Wil Wheaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wil-wheaton/)

> [You, ignorant of the way of Love, set Me free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/you-ignorant-of-the-way-of-love-set-me-free/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

> [Love the way you look, look the way you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azgraybebly-joslan/love-the-way-you-look-look-the-way-you-love/)

[Azgraybebly Joslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azgraybebly-joslan/)

> [The way I see it, I love to eat more than anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-chestnut/the-way-i-see-it-i-love-to-eat-more-than-anybody/)

[Joey Chestnut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-chestnut/)

> [Grace is upside-down, to-do-list wrecking, scandalous and way-too free. It's one-way love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tullian-tchividjian/grace-is-upside-down-to-do-list-wrecking-scandalous-and-way-too-free/)

[Tullian Tchividjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tullian-tchividjian/)

## More by Margaret Atwood

> [“I'm fine," said Pilar, "for the moment. And the moment is the only time we can be fine in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-m-fine-said-pilar-for-the-moment-and-the-moment-is-the-only-time-we/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [And yet it disturbs me to learn I have hurt someone unintentionally. I want all my hurts to be intentional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/and-yet-it-disturbs-me-to-learn-i-have-hurt-someone-unintentionally-i/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Mary: Some call this "Eve's curse," but I think that is stupid because the real curse of Eve was having to put up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/mary-some-call-this-eve-s-curse-but-i-think-that-is-stupid-because/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“The birds were singing around me, but I reflected that the very birds were strangers to me, for I did not even know their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-birds-were-singing-around-me-but-i-reflected-that-the-very-birds/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Strange how we decorate pain. These ribbons, for instance, and the small hard teardrops of blood. Who are they for? Do we think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/strange-how-we-decorate-pain-these-ribbons-for-instance-and-the-small/)

[margaret atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [I wanted to forget the past, but it refused to forget me; it waited for sleep, then cornered me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-wanted-to-forget-the-past-but-it-refused-to-forget-me-it-waited-for/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Back at home they drew the curtains and read, with disapproval, with relish, with avidity and glee - even the ones who'd never thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/back-at-home-they-drew-the-curtains-and-read-with-disapproval-with/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“It's my fault. I am forgetting too much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/it-s-my-fault-i-am-forgetting-too-much/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [All fiction is about people, unless it's about rabbits pretending to be people. It's all essentially characters in action, which means characters moving through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/all-fiction-is-about-people-unless-it-s-about-rabbits-pretending-to/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Simon walks back to the house alone. The night is clear and warm, with a moon, almost full, enclosed in a nimbus of mist;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/simon-walks-back-to-the-house-alone-the-night-is-clear-and-warm-with/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“There is indeed something delightful about being able to combine obedience and disobedience in the same act.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/there-is-indeed-something-delightful-about-being-able-to-combine/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Every time the women appear, Snowman is astonished all over again. They're every known colour from the deepest black to whitest white, they're various…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/every-time-the-women-appear-snowman-is-astonished-all-over-again-they/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [Once you publish a book, it is out of your control. You cannot dictate how people read it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/once-you-publish-a-book-it-is-out-of-your-control-you-cannot-dictate/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“The more difficult it was to love the particular man beside us, the more we believed in Love, abstract and total. We were waiting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-more-difficult-it-was-to-love-the-particular-man-beside-us-the/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“She knows she's deceiving herself about that, but she prefers to deceive herself. She desperately needs to believe such pure joy is still possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/she-knows-she-s-deceiving-herself-about-that-but-she-prefers-to/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

[Explore all 2,072 Margaret Atwood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

## More Feels quotes

> [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/)

[Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/)

> [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/)

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

> [We all know what it feels like to love someone and care about them and want to protect them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiana-madeira/we-all-know-what-it-feels-like-to-love-someone-and-care-about-them/)

[Kiana Madeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiana-madeira/)

> [Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they're wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/pain-is-meant-to-wake-us-up-people-try-to-hide-their-pain-but-they-re/)

[Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [Most days, I go home and I feel rejuvenated. I feel ebullient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/most-days-i-go-home-and-i-feel-rejuvenated-i-feel-ebullient/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

> [Do you think that God would separate me from my husband if I killed myself? I feel as though I am going out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-you-think-that-god-would-separate-me-from-my-husband-if-i-killed/)

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

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [Personal Style comes from within. It's when the woman, her individuality and spirit come through. She uses clothes to express who she is and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-karan/personal-style-comes-from-within-it-s-when-the-woman-her/)

[Donna Karan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-karan/)

> [(knitting while on a motorcycle) "For several years she knitted in secret (my father would not approve; she was to concentrate on motorcycling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-zimmermann/knitting-while-on-a-motorcycle-for-several-years-she-knitted-in/)

[Elizabeth Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-zimmermann/)

> [Then come to realize that you're making mountains out of molehills. Realize how petty you've become. Sure, it may feel like you can't get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-asher/then-come-to-realize-that-you-re-making-mountains-out-of-molehills/)

[Jay Asher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-asher/)

> [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/)

[Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/)

> [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/)

[Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [I feel like I could eat the world raw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/i-feel-like-i-could-eat-the-world-raw/)

[Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/)

[Browse all 38,933 Feels quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“the way love feels is always only approximate. Partway”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Margaret Atwood"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-way-love-feels-is-always-only-approximate-partway/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Feels"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-way-love-feels-is-always-only-approximate-partway/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb5/margaret-atwood-40_love_the-way-love-feels-is-always-only-approx_2019674.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb5/margaret-atwood-40_love_the-way-love-feels-is-always-only-approx_2019674.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb5/margaret-atwood-40_love_the-way-love-feels-is-always-only-approx_2019674.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“the way love feels is always only approximate. Partway” — Margaret Atwood",
                "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": "Margaret Atwood",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“the way love feels is always...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-way-love-feels-is-always-only-approximate-partway/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-way-love-feels-is-always-only-approximate-partway/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
