--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Susan was a tough-minded romantic. She…" description: "\"“Susan was a tough-minded romantic. She wanted to fall in love with a book. She always had reasons for her devotions, as an astute reader would, but sh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d0/michael-cunningham-1120_books_susan-was-a-tough-minded-romantic-she-wa_2471731.jpg" --- # Susan was a tough-minded romantic. She wanted to fall in… ![“Susan was a tough-minded romantic. She wanted to fall in love with a book. She always had reasons for her devotions, as an astute reader would, but she was, to her credit, probably the most emotional one among us. Susan could fall in love with a book in more or less the way one falls in love with…” quote by Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d0/michael-cunningham-1120_books_susan-was-a-tough-minded-romantic-she-wa_2471731.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d0/michael-cunningham-1120_books_susan-was-a-tough-minded-romantic-she-wa_2471731.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d0/michael-cunningham-1120_books_susan-was-a-tough-minded-romantic-she-wa_2471731.jpg) > ““Susan was a tough-minded romantic. She wanted to fall in love with a book. She always had reasons for her devotions, as an astute reader would, but she was, to her credit, probably the most emotional one among us. Susan could fall in love with a book in more or less the way one falls in love with a person. Yes, you can provide, if asked, a list of your loved one’s lovable qualities: he’s kind and funny and smart and generous and he knows the names of trees. But he’s also more than amalgamation of qualities. You love him, the entirety of him, which can’t be wholly explained by even the most exhaustive explication of his virtues. And you love him no less for his failings. O.K., he’s bad with money, he can be moody sometimes, and he snores. His marvels so outshine the little complaints as to render them ridiculous.”” [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage describes Susan’s deep, romantic love for books, equating it to love for a person, emphasizing emotional richness beyond rational analysis. **In simple terms:** Loves books as one loves a person. Key Takeaway Embrace emotional connection with literature. Themes love romanticism literature Mood nostalgic introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - reading - book clubs - creative writing Key Concepts emotional depth intellectual appreciation Questions to Reflect On - How does this love shape your worldview? - Can you balance literary love with human connections? A Different Perspective Focusing solely on books may isolate from human relationships. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Fall in love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall-in-love/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [New yorker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-yorker/) [Readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/readers/) ## Related quotes > [“Gnawing at the forefront of Victoria's thoughts was the question that Rob had asked--was she dismissing Ted because he was white? She'd always thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trice-hickman/gnawing-at-the-forefront-of-victoria-s-thoughts-was-the-question-that/) [Trice Hickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trice-hickman/) > [You can look for good qualities in the one you love but you can't keep looking for love in a person who has good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-look-for-good-qualities-in-the-one-you-love-but-you-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We don't love qualities; we love a person; sometimes by reason of their defects as well as their qualities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-maritain/we-don-t-love-qualities-we-love-a-person-sometimes-by-reason-of-their/) [Jacques Maritain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-maritain/) > [We dont succeed in our first love,because we lack certain qualities.but after achieving those qualities we never love again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ur-my-destiny/we-dont-succeed-in-our-first-love-because-we-lack-certain-qualities/) Ur My Destiny > [If you have any of these qualities... love, kindness, compassion, sincerity and truth in your heart… you will always find your way home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-zahara/if-you-have-any-of-these-qualities-love-kindness-compassion-sincerity/) [Rita Zahara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-zahara/) > [Genuine happiness consists in those spiritual qualities of love, compassion, patience, tolerance and forgiveness and so on. For it is these which provide both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/genuine-happiness-consists-in-those-spiritual-qualities-of-love/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [I'm not full of virtues and noble qualities. I love, but I love strongly, exclusive, stedfasty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sand/i-m-not-full-of-virtues-and-noble-qualities-i-love-but-i-love/) [George Sand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sand/) > [We Don't Succeed In Our 1st Love! Because We Lack Certain Qualities. But After Achieving Those Qualities, We Never Love Again!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azgraybebly-josland/we-don-t-succeed-in-our-1st-love-because-we-lack-certain-qualities/) Azgraybebly Josland > [“His sexological research, combined with personal concern for his patients, would alone have been a considerable achievement. But he was one of the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-wolff-m-d/his-sexological-research-combined-with-personal-concern-for-his/) [Charlotte Wolff, M.D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-wolff-m-d/) > [We don't succeed in our first love. Because we lack certain qualities. But after achieving those qualities, we never love again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldyna-threesya/we-don-t-succeed-in-our-first-love-because-we-lack-certain-qualities/) [Aldyna Threesya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldyna-threesya/) > [I know of no redeeming qualities in myself but a sincere love for some things, and when I am reproved I fall back on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-know-of-no-redeeming-qualities-in-myself-but-a-sincere-love-for/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [When you're in love you never really know whether your elation comes from the qualities of the one you love, or if it attributes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-clifford-barney/when-you-re-in-love-you-never-really-know-whether-your-elation-comes/) [Natalie Clifford Barney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-clifford-barney/) > [Every time we watch over one another, godlike qualities of love, patience, kindness, generosity, and spiritual commitment fill the souls of those we visit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-d-parkin/every-time-we-watch-over-one-another-godlike-qualities-of-love/) [Bonnie D. Parkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-d-parkin/) > [ \[Words\] cling to the very core of our memories and lie there in silence until a new desire reawakens them and recharges them with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-esquivel/words-cling-to-the-very-core-of-our-memories-and-lie-there-in-silence/) [Laura Esquivel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-esquivel/) > [We don't love qualities, we love persons; sometimes by reason of their defects as well as of their qualities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/we-don-t-love-qualities-we-love-persons-sometimes-by-reason-of-their/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) ## More by Michael Cunningham > [“Mizzy has wandered into the garden. Carole looks contemplatively at him, says, "Lovely boy." "My wife's insanely younger brother. He's one of those kids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/mizzy-has-wandered-into-the-garden-carole-looks-contemplatively-at/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“Zoe loved Trancas's mother. She respected her exhausted and ironic hope for rebirth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/zoe-loved-trancas-s-mother-she-respected-her-exhausted-and-ironic/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [The lives great artists live and the books they write are two very different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/the-lives-great-artists-live-and-the-books-they-write-are-two-very/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“How often since then has she wondered what might have happened if she'd tried to remain with him; if she’d returned Richard's kiss on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/how-often-since-then-has-she-wondered-what-might-have-happened-if-she/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“...a full week of their mother's quiet fury over the fun they don't seem to be having and their father's dogged attempts to provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/a-full-week-of-their-mother-s-quiet-fury-over-the-fun-they-don-t-seem/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [Oh, all you immigrants and visionaries, what do you hope to find here, who do you hope to become?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/oh-all-you-immigrants-and-visionaries-what-do-you-hope-to-find-here/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“She wants to have baked a cake that banishes sorrow, even if only for a little while.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/she-wants-to-have-baked-a-cake-that-banishes-sorrow-even-if-only-for/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“And yet, it gives Peter nothing. Not now. Not today. Not when he needs... more. More than this well-executed idea. More than the shark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/and-yet-it-gives-peter-nothing-not-now-not-today-not-when-he-needs/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [He insists on a version of you that is funnier, stranger, more eccentric and prfound thatn you suspect yourself to be--capable of doing more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/he-insists-on-a-version-of-you-that-is-funnier-stranger-more/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [The worst are full of passionate intensity while the best lack all conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/the-worst-are-full-of-passionate-intensity-while-the-best-lack-all/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“And here he is, letting the massive steel street door click shut behind him, standing at the top of the three iron steps that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/and-here-he-is-letting-the-massive-steel-street-door-click-shut/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [It's the world, you live in it, even if some boy has made a fool of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/it-s-the-world-you-live-in-it-even-if-some-boy-has-made-a-fool-of-you/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“She's had a long life. Now she's going to the Lord." "Frankly it creeps me out a little when you say things like that,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/she-s-had-a-long-life-now-she-s-going-to-the-lord-frankly-it-creeps/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [Any other vexations to report?" he asks. "I love the word 'vexations.'" "It's the 'x.' Nice to jump off a 'v' and bite into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/any-other-vexations-to-report-he-asks-i-love-the-word-vexations-it-s/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [Dead, we are revealed in our true dimensions, and they are surprisingly modest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/dead-we-are-revealed-in-our-true-dimensions-and-they-are-surprisingly/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) [Explore all 277 Michael Cunningham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Susan was a tough-minded romantic. She wanted to fall in love with a book. She always had reasons for her devotions, as an astute reader would, but she was, to her credit, probably the most emotional one among us. Susan could fall in love with a book in more or less the way one falls in love with a person. Yes, you can provide, if asked, a list of your loved one’s lovable qualities: he’s kind and funny and smart and generous and he knows the names of trees. But he’s also more than amalgamation of qualities. You love him, the entirety of him, which can’t be wholly explained by even the most exhaustive explication of his virtues. And you love him no less for his failings. O.K., he’s bad with money, he can be moody sometimes, and he snores. His marvels so outshine the little complaints as to render them ridiculous.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Cunningham" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/susan-was-a-tough-minded-romantic-she-wanted-to-fall-in-love-with-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/susan-was-a-tough-minded-romantic-she-wanted-to-fall-in-love-with-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d0/michael-cunningham-1120_books_susan-was-a-tough-minded-romantic-she-wa_2471731.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d0/michael-cunningham-1120_books_susan-was-a-tough-minded-romantic-she-wa_2471731.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d0/michael-cunningham-1120_books_susan-was-a-tough-minded-romantic-she-wa_2471731.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Susan was a tough-minded romantic. She wanted to fall in love with a book. She always had reasons for her…” — Michael Cunningham", "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": "Michael Cunningham", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Susan was a tough-minded romantic. She...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/susan-was-a-tough-minded-romantic-she-wanted-to-fall-in-love-with-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/susan-was-a-tough-minded-romantic-she-wanted-to-fall-in-love-with-a/#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 } } ] } ```