--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was only vanity and discouragement…" description: "\"“It was only vanity and discouragement that sometimes made me feel alone with my endless love, but now that I was taking one of the risks my heart had ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/718/scott-spencer-14581_different-ways_it-was-only-vanity-and-discouragement-th_888321.png" --- # It was only vanity and discouragement that sometimes made… ![“It was only vanity and discouragement that sometimes made me feel alone with my endless love, but now that I was taking one of the risks my heart had urged upon me I could also feel I was not alone. If endless love was a dream, then it was a dream we all shared, even more than we all shared the…” quote by Scott Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/718/scott-spencer-14581_different-ways_it-was-only-vanity-and-discouragement-th_888321.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/718/scott-spencer-14581_different-ways_it-was-only-vanity-and-discouragement-th_888321.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/718/scott-spencer-14581_different-ways_it-was-only-vanity-and-discouragement-th_888321.png) > ““It was only vanity and discouragement that sometimes made me feel alone with my endless love, but now that I was taking one of the risks my heart had urged upon me I could also feel I was not alone. If endless love was a dream, then it was a dream we all shared, even more than we all shared the dream of never dying or of traveling through time, and if anything set me apart it was not my impulses but my stubbornness, my willingness to take the dream past what had been agreed upon as the reasonable limits, to declare that this dream was not a feverish trick of the mind but was an actuality at least as real as that other, thinner, more unhappy illusion we call normal life. After all, the intimations of endless love were the same now as they were thousands of years before, while normal life had changed a thousand times and in a thousand different ways. Which then, was more real?”” [Scott Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-spencer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Endless love feels both a shared dream and a personal rebellion against ordinary limits. **In simple terms:** Love is a shared, daring dream. Key Takeaway Embrace love’s boundless possibilities. Themes love existence dreams Mood hopeful introspective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - relationship counseling - creative writing - personal growth workshops - spiritual exploration Key Concepts philosophy romanticism Questions to Reflect On - What limits do we accept in love? - How can we balance dream‑like love with reality? A Different Perspective Love may clash with societal norms. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Different ways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-ways/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dream Shared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream-shared-1121495/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Endless love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endless-love/) [Feel Endless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-endless-1121494/) [Insanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insanity/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Intimations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-intimations-1121496/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Normal life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/normal-life/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Sand Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sand-time/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Urged Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/urged-feel-1121493/) ## Related quotes > [“If endless love was a dream, then it was a dream we all shared, even more that we all shared the dream of never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-spencer/if-endless-love-was-a-dream-then-it-was-a-dream-we-all-shared-even/) [Scott Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-spencer/) > [“If endless love was a dream, then it was a dream we all shared...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-spencer/if-endless-love-was-a-dream-then-it-was-a-dream-we-all-shared/) [Scott Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-spencer/) > [I feel endless need to LEARN, to IMPROVE, to EVOLVE, not only to please the coach and the fans, but also to feel SATISFIED…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristiano-ronaldo/i-feel-endless-need-to-learn-to-improve-to-evolve-not-only-to-please/) [Cristiano Ronaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristiano-ronaldo/) > [I am not a perfectionist, but I like to feel that things are done well. More important than that, I feel an endless need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristiano-ronaldo/i-am-not-a-perfectionist-but-i-like-to-feel-that-things-are-done-well/) [Cristiano Ronaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristiano-ronaldo/) > [“How short life would be if certain unpleasant moments didn't make it feel endless!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silvina-ocampo/how-short-life-would-be-if-certain-unpleasant-moments-didn-t-make-it/) [Silvina Ocampo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silvina-ocampo/) > [“A good story is a dream shared by the author and the reader. Anything that wakes the reader from the dream is a mortal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-j-banis/a-good-story-is-a-dream-shared-by-the-author-and-the-reader-anything/) [Victor J. Banis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-j-banis/) > [“Maybe this was the line between love and in love. When everything that gave you joy felt like a dream until you shared it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kit-rocha/maybe-this-was-the-line-between-love-and-in-love-when-everything-that/) [Kit Rocha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kit-rocha/) > [And here I arrive at my point. The point is that everyone has a different dream. The point is that it is a grave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/and-here-i-arrive-at-my-point-the-point-is-that-everyone-has-a/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [In grad school, I took a workshop with Scott Spencer, whose excellent novel 'Endless Love' had just been turned into a film. We students…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/in-grad-school-i-took-a-workshop-with-scott-spencer-whose-excellent/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [In your eyes a thousand stars glow tonight, in your heart a thousand heartbeats. But in me one endless love just because I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-your-eyes-a-thousand-stars-glow-tonight-in-your-heart-a-thousand/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Our obedience to God’s commandments comes as a natural outgrowth of our endless love and gratitude for the goodness of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/our-obedience-to-god-s-commandments-comes-as-a-natural-outgrowth-of/) [Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/) > [Trump is many things. He is pampered. He is an immature man. He is a teenager craving unconditional, endless love from everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/trump-is-many-things-he-is-pampered-he-is-an-immature-man-he-is-a/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [Some people feel love in their hearts, Julie. Some of us feel it all way into our souls. We're the ones who can't forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/some-people-feel-love-in-their-hearts-julie-some-of-us-feel-it-all/) [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) > [A better name for nirvana might be endless love. Love not even in the sense that we see it if we're watching the romantic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-better-name-for-nirvana-might-be-endless-love-love-not-even-in-the/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“Vel once told me that the heart isn't like a cup of water. You can't drain it. It's more like an endless well, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/vel-once-told-me-that-the-heart-isn-t-like-a-cup-of-water-you-can-t/) [Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) ## More by Scott Spencer > [You're all I care about," I said. "No. And me. The person I am when I'm with you, the way I see myself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-spencer/you-re-all-i-care-about-i-said-no-and-me-the-person-i-am-when-i-m/) [Scott Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-spencer/) > [Writers are stewards of the culture. Publishers, librarians, bookstore owners. We're all in this together. To write books that are gripping, important, that people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-spencer/writers-are-stewards-of-the-culture-publishers-librarians-bookstore/) [Scott Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-spencer/) > [“Daniel's mind is a scorpion stinging itself to death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-spencer/daniel-s-mind-is-a-scorpion-stinging-itself-to-death/) [Scott Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-spencer/) > [The trouble with excuses, however, is that they become inevitably difficult to believe after they’ve been used a couple of times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-spencer/the-trouble-with-excuses-however-is-that-they-become-inevitably/) [Scott Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-spencer/) > [“I never think of the life I'll miss after I'm dead, or all that I missed before I was born. It's the time I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-spencer/i-never-think-of-the-life-i-ll-miss-after-i-m-dead-or-all-that-i/) [Scott Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-spencer/) > [All I wanted was what I'd already had. That exultation, that love. It was my one real home; I was a visitor everywhere else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-spencer/all-i-wanted-was-what-i-d-already-had-that-exultation-that-love-it/) [Scott Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-spencer/) > [“It was the first time I had heard the truth of what happened that afternoon said in a voice that was not my own.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-spencer/it-was-the-first-time-i-had-heard-the-truth-of-what-happened-that/) [Scott Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-spencer/) > [A novelist is someone who sits around the house all day in his underwear, trying not to smoke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-spencer/a-novelist-is-someone-who-sits-around-the-house-all-day-in-his/) [Scott Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-spencer/) > [“On a ship that's made of paper, I would sail the seven seas. (Just to be with you.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-spencer/on-a-ship-that-s-made-of-paper-i-would-sail-the-seven-seas-just-to-be/) [Scott Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-spencer/) > [Contempt is a dangerous emotion, luring us into believing that we understand more than we do. Contempt causes us to jeer rather than speak,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-spencer/contempt-is-a-dangerous-emotion-luring-us-into-believing-that-we/) [Scott Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-spencer/) > [“If endless love was a dream, then it was a dream we all shared, even more that we all shared the dream of never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-spencer/if-endless-love-was-a-dream-then-it-was-a-dream-we-all-shared-even/) [Scott Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-spencer/) > [“Love gives us a heightened consciousness through which to apprehend the world, but anger gives us a precise, detached perception of its own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-spencer/love-gives-us-a-heightened-consciousness-through-which-to-apprehend/) [Scott Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-spencer/) > [“I don’t want to say it, I truly don’t, but if you’ve gone this far I suppose it’s obvious that what was ignited when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-spencer/i-don-t-want-to-say-it-i-truly-don-t-but-if-you-ve-gone-this-far-i/) [Scott Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-spencer/) > [“He welcomes the chance to do fatherly things with the little girl, and those ten morning minutes with dear little four-year-old Ruby, with her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-spencer/he-welcomes-the-chance-to-do-fatherly-things-with-the-little-girl-and/) [Scott Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-spencer/) > [If a book isn't teaching me something, pulling something out of me, then it will be dull for me and the reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-spencer/if-a-book-isn-t-teaching-me-something-pulling-something-out-of-me/) [Scott Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-spencer/) [Explore all 46 Scott Spencer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-spencer/) ## More Different ways quotes > [“Picking locks was not a skill he had ever cultivated, but he persisted day after day, turning the tip of his talon into different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/picking-locks-was-not-a-skill-he-had-ever-cultivated-but-he-persisted/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [Some shows just go away - and that's fine. They serve their purpose and their entertainment value, but there are shows that touch people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cudlitz/some-shows-just-go-away-and-that-s-fine-they-serve-their-purpose-and/) [Michael Cudlitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cudlitz/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [There are many different ways the public can respond to actors - they can see you on TV and feel they know you and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/there-are-many-different-ways-the-public-can-respond-to-actors-they/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [“The first phase of modernism, which so far as the English language goes we associate with Pound and Yeats, Wyndham Lewis and Eliot and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-kermode/the-first-phase-of-modernism-which-so-far-as-the-english-language/) [Frank Kermode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-kermode/) > [When we fall utterly, something gathers us up. But our falling must be without reservation, without expectation, without hope, though not hopeless. You cant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-we-fall-utterly-something-gathers-us-up-but-our-falling-must-be/) [Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/) > [It is great to see Bollywood celebrities contributing to so many different trends in so many different ways. I think this is one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-dutta/it-is-great-to-see-bollywood-celebrities-contributing-to-so-many/) [Lara Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-dutta/) > [I do remember what I said. The promise. To protect her. If I'd done that ... even if I didn't make it, you wouldn't've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/i-do-remember-what-i-said-the-promise-to-protect-her-if-i-d-done-that/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) > [Skating is a sport that I found a lot of interest in from a very, very young age. Ultimately, I think that being on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-chen/skating-is-a-sport-that-i-found-a-lot-of-interest-in-from-a-very-very/) [Nathan Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-chen/) > [I was going to say 'my friend Stuart', but I suppose he's not a friend any more. I seem to have lost a number…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-coe/i-was-going-to-say-my-friend-stuart-but-i-suppose-he-s-not-a-friend/) [Jonathan Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-coe/) > [I'll reshoot a corridor 13 different ways, and you'll never recognise them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ridley-scott/i-ll-reshoot-a-corridor-13-different-ways-and-you-ll-never-recognise/) [Ridley Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ridley-scott/) > [She waited for you in a thousand different ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/she-waited-for-you-in-a-thousand-different-ways/) [Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/) > [“5 Tips for Mirroring Others 1. Body language. When they smile, you smile. When they lean back in their chair, you lean back in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/5-tips-for-mirroring-others-1-body-language-when-they-smile-you-smile/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [Movies have been doing so much of the same thing - in slightly different ways - for so long that few of the possibilities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/movies-have-been-doing-so-much-of-the-same-thing-in-slightly/) [Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/) > [With acting, it's like you form chemistry with different people in different ways, so it's really added even more fun to work, you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-blackburn/with-acting-it-s-like-you-form-chemistry-with-different-people-in/) [Tyler Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-blackburn/) [Browse all 2,175 Different ways quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-ways/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It was only vanity and discouragement that sometimes made me feel alone with my endless love, but now that I was taking one of the risks my heart had urged upon me I could also feel I was not alone. 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