---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: George Earnshawe regarded his wife with…"
description: "\"“George Earnshawe regarded his wife with fond affection, and would have found her hatred of him astonishing. He thought of her in the same way, and wit..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/neil-gaiman-29_love_george-earnshawe-regarded-his-wife-with_74456.jpg"
---

#  George Earnshawe regarded his wife with fond affection…

![“George Earnshawe regarded his wife with fond affection, and would have found her hatred of him astonishing. He thought of her in the same way, and with the same emotions,that he thought of anything that had been in the house for ten years and still worked well. The television, for example. Or the…” quote by Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/neil-gaiman-29_love_george-earnshawe-regarded-his-wife-with_74456.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/neil-gaiman-29_love_george-earnshawe-regarded-his-wife-with_74456.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/neil-gaiman-29_love_george-earnshawe-regarded-his-wife-with_74456.jpg)

> ““George Earnshawe regarded his wife with fond affection, and would have found her hatred of him astonishing. He thought of her in the same way, and with the same emotions,that he thought of anything that had been in the house for ten years and still worked well. The television, for example. Or the lawnmower. He thought it was love.””

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

## 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 equates love for a spouse with affection for reliable, long‑standing objects, suggesting love can be a familiar, functional attachment rather than passionate romance.

**In simple terms:** Love as familiar utility

Key Takeaway

Love can feel like a trusted tool

Themes

affection familiarity functionality humor relationship dynamics

Mood

wry reflective affectionate

Type

aphor humorous anecdote

When to use this quote

- married life
- long‑term partnership
- daily routine
- household maintenance

Key Concepts

personification domestic objects emotional projection

Practical Applications

- relationship counseling
- creative writing

Questions to Reflect On

- What does it mean to love someone like a tool?
- Can familiarity replace passion?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/)

## Related quotes

> [“I thought for sure we'd spend forever together. I thought our love was one of a kind. I would almost be okay if he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-mclaughlin/i-thought-for-sure-we-d-spend-forever-together-i-thought-our-love-was/)

[Heidi McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-mclaughlin/)

> [When I first meet you we were suppose to be friends Who would of thought that I would love you in the end? We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaszii/when-i-first-meet-you-we-were-suppose-to-be-friends-who-would-of/)

Yaszii

> [Can we start again? We thought love was everlasting. Can we start again? What we had just can't be wasted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/killswitch-engage/can-we-start-again-we-thought-love-was-everlasting-can-we-start-again/)

[Killswitch Engage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/killswitch-engage/)

> [“Whole world is simply sleeping when the world inside you is still awake with a thought of love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jitendra-bhardwaj/whole-world-is-simply-sleeping-when-the-world-inside-you-is-still/)

[jitendra bhardwaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jitendra-bhardwaj/)

> [I thought LOVE can melt the PAIN no matter how painful it is, but I was wrong because Now I know, PAIN can melt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-thought-love-can-melt-the-pain-no-matter-how-painful-it-is-but-i/)

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

> [Nothing's picture perfect, looks can be deceiving. What I thought was love was something I could not believe in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-s-picture-perfect-looks-can-be-deceiving-what-i-thought-was/)

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

> [I THOUGHT YOU LOVE ME BUT ITS NOT TRUE ALL YOU DID WAS TEAR MY HEART INTO A MILLION PIECES AND BREAK ME](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author-name/i-thought-you-love-me-but-its-not-true-all-you-did-was-tear-my-heart/)

Author Name

> [I thought my love for you was gone. I tricked my heart in to believing that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-thought-my-love-for-you-was-gone-i-tricked-my-heart-in-to-believing/)

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

> [Some times…When I'm all alone. I close my eyes and think of you... and the thought of your love worms me inside and make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-times-when-i-m-all-alone-i-close-my-eyes-and-think-of-you-and/)

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

> [“Who can resist the thought that love is the ideological bone thrown to women to distract their attention from the powerlessness of their lives?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-rose/who-can-resist-the-thought-that-love-is-the-ideological-bone-thrown/)

[Phyllis Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-rose/)

> [It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea, That a maiden there lived whom you may know By…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/it-was-many-and-many-a-year-ago-in-a-kingdom-by-the-sea-that-a-maiden/)

[Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/)

> [“My love for you is a prayer, she thought. Love is the only prayer I know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-zimmer-bradley/my-love-for-you-is-a-prayer-she-thought-love-is-the-only-prayer-i-know/)

[Marion Zimmer Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-zimmer-bradley/)

> [“I thought it was love. I thought I’d die from how much I loved you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eden-butler/i-thought-it-was-love-i-thought-i-d-die-from-how-much-i-loved-you/)

[Eden Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eden-butler/)

> [Put love first. Entertain thoughts that give life. And when a thought or resentment, or hurt, or fear comes your way, have another thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-manin-morrissey/put-love-first-entertain-thoughts-that-give-life-and-when-a-thought/)

[Mary Manin Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-manin-morrissey/)

> [I thought it was love...I really did...until his personality..turned out to be like a kid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baracudagirl/i-thought-it-was-love-i-really-did-until-his-personality-turned-out/)

Baracudagirl

## More by Neil Gaiman

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“Like all sentient beings, Fat Charlie had a weirdness quotient. For some days the needle had been over in the red, occasionally banging jerkily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/like-all-sentient-beings-fat-charlie-had-a-weirdness-quotient-for/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“Shadow crawled across the floor to the yellow foam-rubber pad and climbed onto it, pulling the thin blanket over himself, and closed his eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-crawled-across-the-floor-to-the-yellow-foam-rubber-pad-and/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [ “\[T\]hey could not help being amused every time another little human believed itself the center of its world, as each of us does.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/t-hey-could-not-help-being-amused-every-time-another-little-human/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [So many things to see, people to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/so-many-things-to-see-people-to-do/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.’ – Ben Franklin,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/three-may-keep-a-secret-if-two-of-them-are-dead-ben-franklin/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [You need more than a beginning if you're going to start a book. If all you have is a beginning, then once you've written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-need-more-than-a-beginning-if-you-re-going-to-start-a-book-if-all/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [You can tell the date of an old science fiction novel by every word on the page. Nothing dates harder and faster and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-can-tell-the-date-of-an-old-science-fiction-novel-by-every-word/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“The quickest way is sometimes the longest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-quickest-way-is-sometimes-the-longest/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“They were spells, spelled with words to make worlds, waiting for me, in the pages of books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/they-were-spells-spelled-with-words-to-make-worlds-waiting-for-me-in/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [Finish what you're writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/finish-what-you-re-writing-whatever-you-have-to-do-to-finish-it/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [What do stars do? They shine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-do-stars-do-they-shine/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“What," asked Mr Croup, "do you want?" "What," asked the Marquis de Carabas, a little more rhetorically, "does anyone want?" "Dead things," suggested Mr…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-asked-mr-croup-do-you-want-what-asked-the-marquis-de-carabas-a/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [You get on with your own life. Lettie gave it to you. You just have to grow up and try and be worth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-get-on-with-your-own-life-lettie-gave-it-to-you-you-just-have-to/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“Eyes will not see you. Minds will not hold you. Where you are is nothing and nobody”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/eyes-will-not-see-you-minds-will-not-hold-you-where-you-are-is/)

[neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

[Explore all 2,526 Neil Gaiman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

## More Love quotes

> [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. It could just as easily have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/whatever-meaning-annie-s-song-had-for-me-on-a-personal-level-there/)

[John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

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

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [I love going to Columbia, Missouri. That is a really underrated campus. It shocked me when I went there because I really didn't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-herbstreit/i-love-going-to-columbia-missouri-that-is-a-really-underrated-campus/)

[Kirk Herbstreit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-herbstreit/)

> [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/)

[Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/)

> [We talk to God--that is prayer; God talks to us--that is inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-emilie-cady/we-talk-to-god-that-is-prayer-god-talks-to-us-that-is-inspiration/)

[H. Emilie Cady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-emilie-cady/)

> [I fell in love with social work, and that was my undoing as a poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rakosi/i-fell-in-love-with-social-work-and-that-was-my-undoing-as-a-poet/)

[Carl Rakosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rakosi/)

> [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/)

[Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/)

> [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/)

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

> [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/)

[Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/)

> [“To be loved by a man, truly loved, made a woman feel as if she could burst. Of course, Lia was strong and could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-anne/to-be-loved-by-a-man-truly-loved-made-a-woman-feel-as-if-she-could/)

[Melody Anne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-anne/)

> [So when you take those tears, don't look to see I'm alright. …\*Seal - Violet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-nickel/so-when-you-take-those-tears-don-t-look-to-see-i-m-alright-seal-violet/)

[Eric Nickel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-nickel/)

> [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/)

[Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/)

> [“That horrible stinging sensation returned, the muscles behind my eyes straining as the first tear began to fall. “I’m scared, too. For eighteen months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-ashley/that-horrible-stinging-sensation-returned-the-muscles-behind-my-eyes/)

[Devon Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-ashley/)

> [I could program a 'fabulous, I love it' kind of hit season right now. I'm more interested in breaking boundaries, telling a story, defying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-wolfe/i-could-program-a-fabulous-i-love-it-kind-of-hit-season-right-now-i-m/)

[George C. Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-wolfe/)

[Browse all 233,035 Love quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“George Earnshawe regarded his wife with fond affection, and would have found her hatred of him astonishing. He thought of her in the same way, and with the same emotions,that he thought of anything that had been in the house for ten years and still worked well. The television, for example. Or the lawnmower. He thought it was love.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Neil Gaiman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/george-earnshawe-regarded-his-wife-with-fond-affection-and-would-have/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Love"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/george-earnshawe-regarded-his-wife-with-fond-affection-and-would-have/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/neil-gaiman-29_love_george-earnshawe-regarded-his-wife-with_74456.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/neil-gaiman-29_love_george-earnshawe-regarded-his-wife-with_74456.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b68/neil-gaiman-29_love_george-earnshawe-regarded-his-wife-with_74456.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“George Earnshawe regarded his wife with fond affection, and would have found her hatred of him astonishing…” — Neil Gaiman",
                "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": "Neil Gaiman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“George Earnshawe regarded his wife with...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/george-earnshawe-regarded-his-wife-with-fond-affection-and-would-have/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/george-earnshawe-regarded-his-wife-with-fond-affection-and-would-have/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
