--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What a test of love it is, when the…" description: "\"“What a test of love it is, when the beloved is less than perfect.”\" — Philippa Gregory" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c9/philippa-gregory-674_beloved_what-a-test-of-love-it-is-when-the-belov_1345087.png" --- # What a test of love it is, when the beloved is less than… ![“What a test of love it is, when the beloved is less than perfect.” quote by Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c9/philippa-gregory-674_beloved_what-a-test-of-love-it-is-when-the-belov_1345087.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c9/philippa-gregory-674_beloved_what-a-test-of-love-it-is-when-the-belov_1345087.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c9/philippa-gregory-674_beloved_what-a-test-of-love-it-is-when-the-belov_1345087.png) > ““What a test of love it is, when the beloved is less than perfect.”” [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Love tests us when the beloved is imperfect, revealing true commitment. **In simple terms:** Love is tested by imperfection. Key Takeaway Accept flaws in loved ones. Themes love imperfection commitment Mood thoughtful hopeful Type philosophical emotional When to use this quote - marriage - friendship - family Key Concepts relationship dynamics personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What makes love resilient? - How do you handle a partner’s flaws? A Different Perspective Some imperfections may be deal‑breakers, not all are acceptable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beloved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beloved/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [The person who is "in-love" has the ilusion that his beloved is perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-chapman/the-person-who-is-in-love-has-the-ilusion-that-his-beloved-is-perfect/) [Gary Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-chapman/) > [Love may, indeed, love the beloved when her beauty is lost: but not because it is lost. Love may forgive all infirmities and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-may-indeed-love-the-beloved-when-her-beauty-is-lost-but-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you wish to find Love, don't look for the object of love but rather for the source of love. There you will find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mooji/if-you-wish-to-find-love-don-t-look-for-the-object-of-love-but-rather/) [Mooji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mooji/) > [“I think nobody in the whole world knows what it is to be in love, to be so beloved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/i-think-nobody-in-the-whole-world-knows-what-it-is-to-be-in-love-to/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“A true test of someone’s love is how they act when they’re stressed and not how much they love you when everything’s goin’ good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-r-graves/a-true-test-of-someone-s-love-is-how-they-act-when-they-re-stressed/) [T.R. Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-r-graves/) > [“A man always wants his friends to be a little in love with his beloved too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlene-bauer/a-man-always-wants-his-friends-to-be-a-little-in-love-with-his/) [Carlene Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlene-bauer/) > [Then happy I that love and am beloved, where I may not remove nor be removed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/then-happy-i-that-love-and-am-beloved-where-i-may-not-remove-nor-be/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [You don't love the beloved without loving what the beloved loves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anas/you-don-t-love-the-beloved-without-loving-what-the-beloved-loves/) [Anas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anas/) > [Many love me, but by none am I enough beloved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-oliphant/many-love-me-but-by-none-am-i-enough-beloved/) [Margaret Oliphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-oliphant/) > [I love myself for I am a beloved child of the universe and the universe lovingly takes care of me now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-hay/i-love-myself-for-i-am-a-beloved-child-of-the-universe-and-the/) [Louise Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-hay/) > [Love is not love if there is no beloved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville-goddard/love-is-not-love-if-there-is-no-beloved/) [Neville Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville-goddard/) > [“To love as my beloved does, I must love all those whom he loves. In heaven, there are neither nobles nor peasants. Only children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-berry/to-love-as-my-beloved-does-i-must-love-all-those-whom-he-loves-in/) [Julie Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-berry/) > [Let him love none and be by none beloved!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/let-him-love-none-and-be-by-none-beloved/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [“Would a DNA test for love take a sample from the heart or the mind?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/would-a-dna-test-for-love-take-a-sample-from-the-heart-or-the-mind/) [Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Philippa Gregory > [“Mother, before God," I say, my voice shaking with tears, "I swear that I have to believe that there is more for me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/mother-before-god-i-say-my-voice-shaking-with-tears-i-swear-that-i/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“Say yes,’ he whispers. ‘Marry me.’ I hesitate. I open my eyes. ‘You will get my fortune,’ I remark. ‘When I marry you, everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/say-yes-he-whispers-marry-me-i-hesitate-i-open-my-eyes-you-will-get/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“But I warn you that a woman who seeks great power and wealth has to pay a great price, Perhaps you will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/but-i-warn-you-that-a-woman-who-seeks-great-power-and-wealth-has-to/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“I raised my hand to wave in case he looked back; but he did not. He rode straight backed, looking forward. He rode like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/i-raised-my-hand-to-wave-in-case-he-looked-back-but-he-did-not-he/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“When you are still and thoughtful you are as lovely as the statues they are carving in Italy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/when-you-are-still-and-thoughtful-you-are-as-lovely-as-the-statues/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [Edward lives as if there is no tomorrow, Richard as if he wants no tomorrow, and George as though someone should give it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/edward-lives-as-if-there-is-no-tomorrow-richard-as-if-he-wants-no/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [You can smile when your heart is breaking because you're a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/you-can-smile-when-your-heart-is-breaking-because-you-re-a-woman/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [En Ma Fin Est Ma Commencement - In my end is my beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/en-ma-fin-est-ma-commencement-in-my-end-is-my-beginning/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“We fell asleep wrapped in each other as if we could not bear to part, even in sleep we could not bear to let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/we-fell-asleep-wrapped-in-each-other-as-if-we-could-not-bear-to-part/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“One little boy, and he a bastard,' Anne said thoughtfully. 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Even if you are a broken heart”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/you-are-my-heart-even-if-you-are-a-broken-heart/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“I have overturned the order. Nothing will ever be the same for any woman in this country again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/i-have-overturned-the-order-nothing-will-ever-be-the-same-for-any/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“I will make my own future, not predict it. I don’t need a charm to tell me what I hope will happen. I throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/i-will-make-my-own-future-not-predict-it-i-don-t-need-a-charm-to-tell/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) [Explore all 408 Philippa Gregory quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) ## More Beloved quotes > [My Chosen Daughter, No one can define you without your permission. I want you to be so secure in who you are in Me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/god/my-chosen-daughter-no-one-can-define-you-without-your-permission-i/) God > [Why should the Marquis de Cussy wage war on soup? I cannot understand a dinner without it. I hold soup to be the well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-antoine-careme/why-should-the-marquis-de-cussy-wage-war-on-soup-i-cannot-understand/) [Marie-Antoine Careme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-antoine-careme/) > [Beloved, let your eyes half close, and your heart beat Over my heart, and your hair fall over my breast, Drowning love's lonely hour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/beloved-let-your-eyes-half-close-and-your-heart-beat-over-my-heart/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [I made you, dear, and all I make is perfect. Please come close, for I desire you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-of-vila/i-made-you-dear-and-all-i-make-is-perfect-please-come-close-for-i/) [Teresa of Avila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-of-vila/) > [A lover asked his beloved, Do you love yourself more than you love me? Beloved replied, I have died to myself and I live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-lover-asked-his-beloved-do-you-love-yourself-more-than-you-love-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [He who believes in God is not careful for the morrow, but labors joyfully and with a great heart. "For He giveth His beloved,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/he-who-believes-in-god-is-not-careful-for-the-morrow-but-labors/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [My beloved like a jewel on my crown, In my vast and blue sky you are like a full-moon. I wish to stay entrapped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ranjan-dey/my-beloved-like-a-jewel-on-my-crown-in-my-vast-and-blue-sky-you-are/) [Ranjan Dey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ranjan-dey/) > [Love is doing what will enthrall the beloved with the greatest and longest joy. What will enthrall the beloved this way is the glory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/love-is-doing-what-will-enthrall-the-beloved-with-the-greatest-and/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [Rest you well, beloved Jesus, Caesar’s Lord and Israel’s King, In the brooding of the Spirit, in the darkness of the spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/rest-you-well-beloved-jesus-caesar-s-lord-and-israel-s-king-in-the/) [N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/) > [My beloved friend - one of the most unique and charming personalities of our time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/my-beloved-friend-one-of-the-most-unique-and-charming-personalities/) [Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/) > [A lover goes toward his beloved as enthusiastically as a schoolboy leaving his books, but when he leaves his girlfriend, he feels as miserable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-lover-goes-toward-his-beloved-as-enthusiastically-as-a-schoolboy/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I lost my dad when I was younger, and I know what its like to lose a beloved parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-elkeles/i-lost-my-dad-when-i-was-younger-and-i-know-what-its-like-to-lose-a/) [Simone Elkeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-elkeles/) > [My beloved dog defied treatment from the best and most expensive veterinarians, holistic practitioners, trainers, and animal communicators. He was simply beyond my ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-katz/my-beloved-dog-defied-treatment-from-the-best-and-most-expensive/) [Jon Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-katz/) > [Perhaps if only once you did enjoy The thousandth part of all the happiness A heart beloved enjoys, returning love, Repentant, you would surely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torquato-tasso/perhaps-if-only-once-you-did-enjoy-the-thousandth-part-of-all-the/) [Torquato Tasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torquato-tasso/) > [Wicked sons do not have the Holy Ghost in the same way as do beloved sons, and yet they do have Baptism. So, too,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/wicked-sons-do-not-have-the-holy-ghost-in-the-same-way-as-do-beloved/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) [Browse all 1,440 Beloved quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beloved/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What a test of love it is, when the beloved is less than perfect.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Philippa Gregory" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/what-a-test-of-love-it-is-when-the-beloved-is-less-than-perfect/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beloved" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/what-a-test-of-love-it-is-when-the-beloved-is-less-than-perfect/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c9/philippa-gregory-674_beloved_what-a-test-of-love-it-is-when-the-belov_1345087.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c9/philippa-gregory-674_beloved_what-a-test-of-love-it-is-when-the-belov_1345087.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c9/philippa-gregory-674_beloved_what-a-test-of-love-it-is-when-the-belov_1345087.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What a test of love it is, when the beloved is less than perfect.” — Philippa Gregory", "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": "Philippa Gregory", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“What a test of love it...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/what-a-test-of-love-it-is-when-the-beloved-is-less-than-perfect/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/what-a-test-of-love-it-is-when-the-beloved-is-less-than-perfect/#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 } } ] } ```