--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The problem with secret crushes: in the…" description: "\"The problem with secret crushes: in the absence of requital the love turns bitter.\" — Paul Monette" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/paul-monette-21644_crushes_the-problem-with-secret-crushes-in-the-a_136887.jpg" --- # The problem with secret crushes: in the absence of… ![“The problem with secret crushes: in the absence of requital the love turns bitter.” quote by Paul Monette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/paul-monette-21644_crushes_the-problem-with-secret-crushes-in-the-a_136887.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/paul-monette-21644_crushes_the-problem-with-secret-crushes-in-the-a_136887.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/paul-monette-21644_crushes_the-problem-with-secret-crushes-in-the-a_136887.jpg) > “The problem with secret crushes: in the absence of requital the love turns bitter.” [Paul Monette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-monette/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unreciprocated secret love turns sour when desire lacks response. **In simple terms:** Love without reply becomes bitter. Key Takeaway Seek honest communication. Themes love unrequited feelings emotional honesty Mood melancholy reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - confessing feelings - relationship counseling - self‑reflection Key Concepts psychology attachment theory Questions to Reflect On - Do you share your feelings openly? - How do you handle unreturned affection? A Different Perspective If the object of affection never knows, the love may fester. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crushes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crushes/) [Crushes Absence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crushes-absence-1558044/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Problem Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem-secret-1558045/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Secret Crushes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret-crushes-1558043/) ## Related quotes > [“The problem is that a secret takes on a life of its own over time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-barton/the-problem-is-that-a-secret-takes-on-a-life-of-its-own-over-time/) [Fiona Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-barton/) > [I had a few celebrity crushes when I was growing up, including Eddie Kendricks from the Temptations. And I loved Marvin Gaye - I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianne-reeves/i-had-a-few-celebrity-crushes-when-i-was-growing-up-including-eddie/) [Dianne Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianne-reeves/) > [In the end, the Wheel crushes us all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-stohl/in-the-end-the-wheel-crushes-us-all/) [Margaret Stohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-stohl/) > [Crushes are better then relationships. No tention, no responsibilities just look at your crush and smile like an idiot. ;-)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/crushes-are-better-then-relationships-no-tention-no-responsibilities/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Hema Malini and Nutan were my childhood crushes! I met Hemaji once when dad took me to the set of a film. Both these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohit-shetty/hema-malini-and-nutan-were-my-childhood-crushes-i-met-hemaji-once/) [Rohit Shetty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohit-shetty/) > [“Her heart fluttered. It had only been a few hours, but it felt like a lifetime since she saw him last. She seriously felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-crane/her-heart-fluttered-it-had-only-been-a-few-hours-but-it-felt-like-a/) [Julia Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-crane/) > [I have crushes, but they're all too old. Like Beyonce -she has a husband, I might get shot. 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Maybe, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/if-you-have-feelings-for-someone-let-them-know-it-doesn-t-matter-if/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“My mom believed that you make your own luck. Over the stove she had hung these old, maroon painted letters that spell out, “MANIFEST.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmy-laybourne/my-mom-believed-that-you-make-your-own-luck-over-the-stove-she-had/) [Emmy Laybourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmy-laybourne/) ## More by Paul Monette > [“The first thing you see, directly in front of you, is a dim-lit tunnel receding deep under the island. The tunnel is paved with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-monette/the-first-thing-you-see-directly-in-front-of-you-is-a-dim-lit-tunnel/) [Paul Monette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-monette/) > [Go without hate, but not without rage. Heal the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-monette/go-without-hate-but-not-without-rage-heal-the-world/) [Paul Monette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-monette/) > [“How far was that? On March 1 he told us the chest x-ray looked clear, except for a shadow that was probably the pulmonary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-monette/how-far-was-that-on-march-1-he-told-us-the-chest-x-ray-looked-clear/) [Paul Monette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-monette/) > [“Summer has always been good to me, even the bittersweet end, with the slanted yellow light.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-monette/summer-has-always-been-good-to-me-even-the-bittersweet-end-with-the/) [Paul Monette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-monette/) > [Don't let anyone tell you that the truth can't disappear. 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In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-monette/organized-religion-is-the-school-of-hate-and-never-more-exultant-in/) [Paul Monette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-monette/) > [Self pity becomes your oxygen. But you learned to breathe it without a gasp. So, nobody even notices you're hurting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-monette/self-pity-becomes-your-oxygen-but-you-learned-to-breathe-it-without-a/) [Paul Monette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-monette/) > [“You need only to have glimpsed it once to know there's a window out of all this black and sleepless night. Then you must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-monette/you-need-only-to-have-glimpsed-it-once-to-know-there-s-a-window-out/) [Paul Monette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-monette/) > [As an artist, you reach for the pen that's full of blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-monette/as-an-artist-you-reach-for-the-pen-that-s-full-of-blood/) [Paul Monette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-monette/) > [“Summer has always been good to me, even the bittersweet end, with the slant of yellow light.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-monette/summer-has-always-been-good-to-me-even-the-bittersweet-end-with-the-2/) [Paul Monette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-monette/) > [“Grief is a sword, or it is nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-monette/grief-is-a-sword-or-it-is-nothing/) [Paul Monette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-monette/) > [The Bible is still the only dirty book I've ever read, at least in its current incarnation as a weapon of the homophobes. Bible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-monette/the-bible-is-still-the-only-dirty-book-i-ve-ever-read-at-least-in-its/) [Paul Monette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-monette/) > [But the fevers are on me now, the virus mad to ravage my last fifty T cells. It's hard to keep the memory at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-monette/but-the-fevers-are-on-me-now-the-virus-mad-to-ravage-my-last-fifty-t/) [Paul Monette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-monette/) [Explore all 28 Paul Monette quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-monette/) ## More Crushes quotes > [“My mom believed that you make your own luck. Over the stove she had hung these old, maroon painted letters that spell out, “MANIFEST.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmy-laybourne/my-mom-believed-that-you-make-your-own-luck-over-the-stove-she-had/) [Emmy Laybourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmy-laybourne/) > [“If you have feelings for someone, let them know. It doesn’t matter if they can be in your life or not. Maybe, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/if-you-have-feelings-for-someone-let-them-know-it-doesn-t-matter-if/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Guys never looked at me. I always had crushes on older seniors who never looked at me. So, when I tell directors that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-kaif/guys-never-looked-at-me-i-always-had-crushes-on-older-seniors-who/) [Katrina Kaif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-kaif/) > [“Crushes are supposed to be fun, aren't they? They definitely aren't supposed to be so torturous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lacour/crushes-are-supposed-to-be-fun-aren-t-they-they-definitely-aren-t/) [Nina LaCour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-lacour/) > [You get crushes on people. You have to see them every day in that week. They're a fantastic person, and it could be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-saunders/you-get-crushes-on-people-you-have-to-see-them-every-day-in-that-week/) [Jennifer Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-saunders/) > [“Crush is only an illusion of love, u creates in your mind..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bharat-sharma/crush-is-only-an-illusion-of-love-u-creates-in-your-mind/) [BHARAT SHARMA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bharat-sharma/) > [The visceral nature of hard rock music, the fact that you can have this sledge hammering sound - and that you can hook a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/the-visceral-nature-of-hard-rock-music-the-fact-that-you-can-have/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [“For years, he’s been listening to her complain about being ignored by Justin and assuring it her it was simply a matter of time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-strohmeyer/for-years-he-s-been-listening-to-her-complain-about-being-ignored-by/) [Sarah Strohmeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-strohmeyer/) > [I have crushes, but they're all too old. Like Beyonce -she has a husband, I might get shot. I went up to give Beyonce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-bieber/i-have-crushes-but-they-re-all-too-old-like-beyonce-she-has-a-husband/) [Justin Bieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-bieber/) > [“Her heart fluttered. It had only been a few hours, but it felt like a lifetime since she saw him last. She seriously felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-crane/her-heart-fluttered-it-had-only-been-a-few-hours-but-it-felt-like-a/) [Julia Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-crane/) > [Hema Malini and Nutan were my childhood crushes! I met Hemaji once when dad took me to the set of a film. Both these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohit-shetty/hema-malini-and-nutan-were-my-childhood-crushes-i-met-hemaji-once/) [Rohit Shetty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohit-shetty/) > [Crushes are better then relationships. No tention, no responsibilities just look at your crush and smile like an idiot. ;-)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/crushes-are-better-then-relationships-no-tention-no-responsibilities/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In the end, the Wheel crushes us all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-stohl/in-the-end-the-wheel-crushes-us-all/) [Margaret Stohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-stohl/) > [I had a few celebrity crushes when I was growing up, including Eddie Kendricks from the Temptations. And I loved Marvin Gaye - I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianne-reeves/i-had-a-few-celebrity-crushes-when-i-was-growing-up-including-eddie/) [Dianne Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianne-reeves/) > [“If he is a half-decent human being, he will find himself the object of crushes. If he is a cocky bastard, even more so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/if-he-is-a-half-decent-human-being-he-will-find-himself-the-object-of/) [Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) [Browse all 158 Crushes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crushes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The problem with secret crushes: in the absence of requital the love turns bitter.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Monette" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-monette/the-problem-with-secret-crushes-in-the-absence-of-requital-the-love/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Crushes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-monette/the-problem-with-secret-crushes-in-the-absence-of-requital-the-love/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/paul-monette-21644_crushes_the-problem-with-secret-crushes-in-the-a_136887.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/paul-monette-21644_crushes_the-problem-with-secret-crushes-in-the-a_136887.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a1/paul-monette-21644_crushes_the-problem-with-secret-crushes-in-the-a_136887.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The problem with secret crushes: in the absence of requital the love turns bitter.” — Paul Monette", "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": "Paul Monette", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-monette/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The problem with secret crushes: in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-monette/the-problem-with-secret-crushes-in-the-absence-of-requital-the-love/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-monette/the-problem-with-secret-crushes-in-the-absence-of-requital-the-love/#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 } } ] } ```