--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Wait. This was the first lesson I had…" description: "\"Wait. This was the first lesson I had learned about love. The day drags along, you make thousands of plans, you imagine every possible conversation, yo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f74/paulo-coelho-10_affection_wait-this-was-the-first-lesson-i-had-lea_3012246.jpg" --- # Wait. This was the first lesson I had learned about love… ![“Wait. This was the first lesson I had learned about love. The day drags along, you make thousands of plans, you imagine every possible conversation, you promise to change your behavior in certain ways -- and you feel more and more anxious until your loved one arrives. But by then, you don't know…” quote by Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f74/paulo-coelho-10_affection_wait-this-was-the-first-lesson-i-had-lea_3012246.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f74/paulo-coelho-10_affection_wait-this-was-the-first-lesson-i-had-lea_3012246.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f74/paulo-coelho-10_affection_wait-this-was-the-first-lesson-i-had-lea_3012246.jpg) > “Wait. This was the first lesson I had learned about love. The day drags along, you make thousands of plans, you imagine every possible conversation, you promise to change your behavior in certain ways -- and you feel more and more anxious until your loved one arrives. But by then, you don't know what to say. The hours of waiting have been transformed into tension, the tension has become fear, and the fear makes you embarrassed about showing affection.” [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Love often turns anticipation into anxiety, leaving us unprepared when the moment arrives. **In simple terms:** Anticipation can cause nervousness and awkwardness. Key Takeaway Embrace the present rather than over‑planning. Themes love anxiety expectation communication Mood nervous hopeful reflective Type advice reflective When to use this quote - dating - first meetings - long‑distance relationships - pre‑wedding jitters Key Concepts psychology relationship dynamics mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - How can you stay present when waiting for someone you care about? - What simple actions reduce pre‑meeting tension? A Different Perspective Over‑planning can heighten fear and reduce authenticity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection/) [Anxious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxious/) [Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Embarrassed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embarrassed/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Lessons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lessons/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Loved ones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loved-ones/) [Promise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promise/) [Tension](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tension/) ## Related quotes > [“The day drags along, you make thousands of plans, you imagine every possible conversation, you promise to change your behavior in certain ways–and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-day-drags-along-you-make-thousands-of-plans-you-imagine-every-2/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The day drags along, you make thousands of plans, you imagine every possible conversation, you promise to change your behavior in certain waysand you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-day-drags-along-you-make-thousands-of-plans-you-imagine-every/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Trees were so rare in that country, and they had to make such a hard fight to grow, that we used to feel anxious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/trees-were-so-rare-in-that-country-and-they-had-to-make-such-a-hard/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“A lady should never feel anxious about her behavior. The status is bred in the bone. To show anxiety is to lower oneself. Anxiety…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eloisa-james/a-lady-should-never-feel-anxious-about-her-behavior-the-status-is/) [Eloisa James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eloisa-james/) > [Practically everybody knows what it's like to feel anxious, worried, nervous, afraid, uptight, or panicky. Often, anxiety is just a nuisance, but sometimes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/practically-everybody-knows-what-it-s-like-to-feel-anxious-worried/) [David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/) > [Anxiety is the experience of growth itself. In any endeavor, how do you feel when you go from one stage to the next? The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-koestenbaum/anxiety-is-the-experience-of-growth-itself-in-any-endeavor-how-do-you/) [Peter Koestenbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-koestenbaum/) > [I almost feel more anxious lately about, 'Here's your opportunity, now you've got to make something of it.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hemsworth/i-almost-feel-more-anxious-lately-about-here-s-your-opportunity-now/) [Chris Hemsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hemsworth/) > [ “I try to picture where in my body I feel the most anxious. \[...\] At first it makes me feel even worse and I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-sugg-aka-zoella/i-try-to-picture-where-in-my-body-i-feel-the-most-anxious-at-first-it/) Zoe Sugg (aka Zoella > [I suppose what makes me feel anxious in life is fear of the unknown - in live TV, there is always a little bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-newman/i-suppose-what-makes-me-feel-anxious-in-life-is-fear-of-the-unknown/) [Cathy Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-newman/) > [When we start to feel anxious or depressed, instead of asking, "What do I need to get to be happy?" The question becomes, "What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/when-we-start-to-feel-anxious-or-depressed-instead-of-asking-what-do/) [D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/) > [“And sometimes I do freak out. Sometimes I get offended. I feel anxious, but it’s okay, because it usually goes away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boniface-sagini/and-sometimes-i-do-freak-out-sometimes-i-get-offended-i-feel-anxious/) [Boniface Sagini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boniface-sagini/) > [“The world's only lessons are tension and fear — relax into yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-world-s-only-lessons-are-tension-and-fear-relax-into-yourself/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [The greatest contributor to the feeling of tension and fear of war arose from the power of the bombing aeroplane. If all nations would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/the-greatest-contributor-to-the-feeling-of-tension-and-fear-of-war/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [The hours of waiting have been transformed into tension, the tension has become fear, and the fear makes you embarrassed about showing affection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-hours-of-waiting-have-been-transformed-into-tension-the-tension/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I didn't drink, I told him, with that embarrassed feeling I got whenever I was reminded that I had a body, that I looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-risk-hallberg/i-didn-t-drink-i-told-him-with-that-embarrassed-feeling-i-got/) [Garth Risk Hallberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-risk-hallberg/) ## More by Paulo Coelho > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Love will never separate a man from his personal legend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/love-will-never-separate-a-man-from-his-personal-legend/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-a-soul-and-whoever-understands-that-soul-can-also/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [To love is to be in communion with the other and to discover in that other the spark of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/to-love-is-to-be-in-communion-with-the-other-and-to-discover-in-that/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [It is not enough to dream of the Impossible Love - it is necessary to conquer it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-is-not-enough-to-dream-of-the-impossible-love-it-is-necessary-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Eat when it is time to eat. And walk when it is time to walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/eat-when-it-is-time-to-eat-and-walk-when-it-is-time-to-walk/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [People are reading more and writing more because of the internet. So the virtual world is a way for me to listen to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-are-reading-more-and-writing-more-because-of-the-internet-so/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Joy is like sex – it begins and ends. I want pleasure. I want to be contended, but happiness? I no longer fall into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/joy-is-like-sex-it-begins-and-ends-i-want-pleasure-i-want-to-be/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Trudi se da zivis, sjecanja su za starije ljude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/trudi-se-da-zivis-sjecanja-su-za-starije-ljude/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I've always been a very restless person. I work hard, spend too much time looking after my son, I dance like a mad thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-ve-always-been-a-very-restless-person-i-work-hard-spend-too-much/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [When someone leaves, it's because someone else is about to arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-someone-leaves-it-s-because-someone-else-is-about-to-arrive/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [She didn't need to understand the meaning of life; it was enough to find someone who did, and then fall asleep in his arms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/she-didn-t-need-to-understand-the-meaning-of-life-it-was-enough-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“The simpler the pose, the better; the more sober, the more beautiful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-simpler-the-pose-the-better-the-more-sober-the-more-beautiful/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) [Explore all 3,665 Paulo Coelho quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## More Affection quotes > [My team and I have reunited two elements that coexist with diffiulty: respect and affection, because when they love you they don't respect you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakira/my-team-and-i-have-reunited-two-elements-that-coexist-with-diffiulty/) [Shakira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakira/) > [Needs cause motivation. Deep-rooted desires for esteem, affection, belonging, achievement, self-actualization, power, and control motivate us to push for what we want and need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorii-myers/needs-cause-motivation-deep-rooted-desires-for-esteem-affection/) [Lorii Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorii-myers/) > [“It is to build a house with affection, even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/it-is-to-build-a-house-with-affection-even-as-if-your-beloved-were-to/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [I, measuring his affections by my own, Which then most sought where most might not be found, Being one too many by my weary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-measuring-his-affections-by-my-own-which-then-most-sought-where/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [There are a number of qualities which are important for mental peace, but from the little experience I have, I believe that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/there-are-a-number-of-qualities-which-are-important-for-mental-peace/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [A lost love. Deny it who will, ridicule it, treat it as mere imagination and sentiment, the thing is and will be; and women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/a-lost-love-deny-it-who-will-ridicule-it-treat-it-as-mere-imagination/) [Dinah Maria Murlock Craik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/) > [Affection! Affection is false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-i/affection-affection-is-false/) [Elizabeth I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-i/) > [We are a spectacular, splendid manifestation of life. We have language. . . . We have affection. We have genes for usefulness, and usefulness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/we-are-a-spectacular-splendid-manifestation-of-life-we-have-language/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [Listen, I have a great affection and respect for Joe Biden. I think he's been a great vice president. He's taken on a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-axelrod/listen-i-have-a-great-affection-and-respect-for-joe-biden-i-think-he/) [David Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-axelrod/) > [The still affection of the heart Became an outward breathing type, That into stillness past again, And left a want unknown before; Although the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/the-still-affection-of-the-heart-became-an-outward-breathing-type/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [I am persuaded that there is no affection of the human heart more exquisitely pure, than that which is felt by a grateful son…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/i-am-persuaded-that-there-is-no-affection-of-the-human-heart-more/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [If you live in a material universe where acquiring things is very important to you, then family is an absolute deterrent to maintaining that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/if-you-live-in-a-material-universe-where-acquiring-things-is-very/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [Our sweetest experiences of affection are meant to be suggestions of that realm which is the home of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/our-sweetest-experiences-of-affection-are-meant-to-be-suggestions-of/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [“Georgia O’Keeffe moved to rural New Mexico, from which she would sign her letters to the people she loved, “from the faraway nearby.” It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/georgia-o-keeffe-moved-to-rural-new-mexico-from-which-she-would-sign/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) [Browse all 2,465 Affection quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Wait. This was the first lesson I had learned about love. The day drags along, you make thousands of plans, you imagine every possible conversation, you promise to change your behavior in certain ways -- and you feel more and more anxious until your loved one arrives. But by then, you don't know what to say. The hours of waiting have been transformed into tension, the tension has become fear, and the fear makes you embarrassed about showing affection.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paulo Coelho" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/wait-this-was-the-first-lesson-i-had-learned-about-love-the-day-drags/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Affection" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/wait-this-was-the-first-lesson-i-had-learned-about-love-the-day-drags/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f74/paulo-coelho-10_affection_wait-this-was-the-first-lesson-i-had-lea_3012246.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f74/paulo-coelho-10_affection_wait-this-was-the-first-lesson-i-had-lea_3012246.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f74/paulo-coelho-10_affection_wait-this-was-the-first-lesson-i-had-lea_3012246.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Wait. This was the first lesson I had learned about love. The day drags along, you make thousands of plans…” — Paulo Coelho", "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": "Paulo Coelho", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Wait. This was the first lesson...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/wait-this-was-the-first-lesson-i-had-learned-about-love-the-day-drags/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/wait-this-was-the-first-lesson-i-had-learned-about-love-the-day-drags/#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 } } ] } ```