--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Love does not make itself felt in the…" description: "\"“Love does not make itself felt in the desire for copulation (a desire that extends to an infinite number of women) but in the desire for shared sleep ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c1/milan-kundera-120_desire_love-does-not-make-itself-felt-in-the-de_1430487.jpg" --- # Love does not make itself felt in the desire for… ![“Love does not make itself felt in the desire for copulation (a desire that extends to an infinite number of women) but in the desire for shared sleep (a desire limited to one woman).” quote by Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c1/milan-kundera-120_desire_love-does-not-make-itself-felt-in-the-de_1430487.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c1/milan-kundera-120_desire_love-does-not-make-itself-felt-in-the-de_1430487.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c1/milan-kundera-120_desire_love-does-not-make-itself-felt-in-the-de_1430487.jpg) > ““Love does not make itself felt in the desire for copulation (a desire that extends to an infinite number of women) but in the desire for shared sleep (a desire limited to one woman).”” [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True intimacy is found in shared, simple moments rather than endless sexual desire. **In simple terms:** Love is about closeness, not endless pursuit. Key Takeaway Value deep connection over quantity. Themes intimacy desire relationships Mood reflective philosophical Type literary romantic When to use this quote - marriage - long‑term partnership - friendship Key Concepts existentialism human connection Questions to Reflect On - What does “shared sleep” symbolize for you? - How do you balance desire and intimacy? A Different Perspective Focusing solely on physical desire can overlook emotional needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Copulation Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copulation-desire-430471/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Desire Copulation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire-copulation-430472/) [Desire Shared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire-shared-2516709/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Women Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-desire-430470/) ## Related quotes > [“Tomas came to this conclusion: Making love with a woman and sleeping with a woman are two separate passions, not merely different but opposite.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/tomas-came-to-this-conclusion-making-love-with-a-woman-and-sleeping/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Making love with a woman and sleeping with a woman are two separate passions, not merely different but opposite. Love does not make itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/making-love-with-a-woman-and-sleeping-with-a-woman-are-two-separate/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Once, when he had just lulled her to sleep but she had gone no farther than dream's antechamber and was therefore still responsive to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/once-when-he-had-just-lulled-her-to-sleep-but-she-had-gone-no-farther/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Eat as much as you'd like. My philosophy has always been that all women desire to be as fat as myself but just have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roseanne-barr/eat-as-much-as-you-d-like-my-philosophy-has-always-been-that-all/) [Roseanne Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roseanne-barr/) > [In general, women desire to rule over their husbands and lovers, to be the authority above them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-chaucer/in-general-women-desire-to-rule-over-their-husbands-and-lovers-to-be/) [Geoffrey Chaucer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-chaucer/) > [The great fault in women is to desire to be like men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/the-great-fault-in-women-is-to-desire-to-be-like-men/) [Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/) > [“We compete for everything: power, fame, women — everything we desire, and it is our nature . . . to win.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-parks/we-compete-for-everything-power-fame-women-everything-we-desire-and/) [Jenny Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-parks/) > [To sit and contemplate - to remember the faces of women without desire, to be pleased by the great deeds of men without envy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/to-sit-and-contemplate-to-remember-the-faces-of-women-without-desire/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Womwn get tired of hearing about what you can do and will do. women value action, a man of action is what real women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/womwn-get-tired-of-hearing-about-what-you-can-do-and-will-do-women/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Everyone wants rather to be pleasing to women and that desire is not altogether, though it is very largely, a manifestation of vanity. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-robert-oppenheimer/everyone-wants-rather-to-be-pleasing-to-women-and-that-desire-is-not/) [J. Robert Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-robert-oppenheimer/) > [“I’ve noticed that women often have a desire to change men, even the ones they love.” “I’ve noticed that, too.” Dougal frowned. “Which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-ve-noticed-that-women-often-have-a-desire-to-change-men-even-the/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [Is it not clear that to give to such women as desire it and can devote themselves to literary and scientific pursuits all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-moore-grimke/is-it-not-clear-that-to-give-to-such-women-as-desire-it-and-can/) [Sarah Moore Grimke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-moore-grimke/) > [“In general, my liege lady,’ he began, ‘Women desire to have dominion Over their husbands, and their lovers too; They want to have mastery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-chaucer/in-general-my-liege-lady-he-began-women-desire-to-have-dominion-over/) [Geoffrey Chaucer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-chaucer/) > [I believe in women. I desire . . . to do those things that would advance women in moral and spiritual, as well as educational work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-b-wells/i-believe-in-women-i-desire-to-do-those-things-that-would-advance/) [Emmeline B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-b-wells/) > [Women desire six things: They want their husbands to be brave, wise, rich, generous, obedient to wife, and lively in bed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-chaucer/women-desire-six-things-they-want-their-husbands-to-be-brave-wise/) [Geoffrey Chaucer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-chaucer/) ## More by Milan Kundera > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“From that time on they both looked forward to sleeping together. I might even say that the goal of their lovemaking was not so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/from-that-time-on-they-both-looked-forward-to-sleeping-together-i/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Beauty in the European sense has always had a premeditated quality to it. We've always had an aesthetic intention and a long-range plan. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/beauty-in-the-european-sense-has-always-had-a-premeditated-quality-to/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [The beauty of New York is unintentional; it arose independent of human design, like a stalagmite cavern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-beauty-of-new-york-is-unintentional-it-arose-independent-of-human/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Children, Never look Back!" and this meant that we must never allow the future to be weighed down by memory . for children have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/children-never-look-back-and-this-meant-that-we-must-never-allow-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Our lives may be separate, but they run in the same direction, like parallel lines.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/our-lives-may-be-separate-but-they-run-in-the-same-direction-like/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Having a child is to show an absolute accord with mankind. If I have a child, it's as though I'm saying: I was born…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/having-a-child-is-to-show-an-absolute-accord-with-mankind-if-i-have-a/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Love is a battle," said Marie-Claude, still smiling. "And I plan to go on fighting. To the end." Love is a battle?" said Franz.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/love-is-a-battle-said-marie-claude-still-smiling-and-i-plan-to-go-on/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“He remained annoyed with himself until he realized that not knowing what he wanted was actually quite natural. We can never know what to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/he-remained-annoyed-with-himself-until-he-realized-that-not-knowing/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Whenever I think about ancient cultures nostalgia seizes me. Perhaps this is nothing but envy of the sweet slowness of the history of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/whenever-i-think-about-ancient-cultures-nostalgia-seizes-me-perhaps/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [When we ignore the body, we are more easily victimized by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/when-we-ignore-the-body-we-are-more-easily-victimized-by-it/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Do stories, apart from happening, being, have something to say? For all my skepticism, some trace of irrational superstition did survive in me, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/do-stories-apart-from-happening-being-have-something-to-say-for-all/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Os extremos delimitam a fronteira para além da qual a vida termina, e a paixão pelo extremismo, tanto em arte como em política, é…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/os-extremos-delimitam-a-fronteira-para-al-m-da-qual-a-vida-termina-e/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [The characters in my novels are my own unrealized possibilities. That is why I am equally fond of them all and equally horrified by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-characters-in-my-novels-are-my-own-unrealized-possibilities-that/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Anyone whose goal is 'something higher' must expect someday to suffer vertigo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/anyone-whose-goal-is-something-higher-must-expect-someday-to-suffer/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) [Explore all 952 Milan Kundera quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) ## More Desire quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) [Ted Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/) > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) > [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/) [John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/) > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [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/) > [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/) [Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/) > [On the brink of being satiated, desire still appears infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/on-the-brink-of-being-satiated-desire-still-appears-infinite/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. 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