---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Love in the modern sense does not exist…"
description: "\"“Love in the modern sense does not exist in antiquity except outside of official society,” notes Engels: at the very point where antiquity broke off it..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f48/simone-de-beauvoir-407_love_love-in-the-modern-sense-does-not-exist_2440539.jpg"
---

#  Love in the modern sense does not exist in antiquity…

![“Love in the modern sense does not exist in antiquity except outside of official society,” notes Engels: at the very point where antiquity broke off its penchant for sexual love, the Middle Ages took it up again with adultery. And this is the form that love will take as long as the institution of…” quote by Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f48/simone-de-beauvoir-407_love_love-in-the-modern-sense-does-not-exist_2440539.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f48/simone-de-beauvoir-407_love_love-in-the-modern-sense-does-not-exist_2440539.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f48/simone-de-beauvoir-407_love_love-in-the-modern-sense-does-not-exist_2440539.jpg)

> ““Love in the modern sense does not exist in antiquity except outside of official society,” notes Engels: at the very point where antiquity broke off its penchant for sexual love, the Middle Ages took it up again with adultery. And this is the form that love will take as long as the institution of marriage lasts.””

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Historical concepts of love shifted from communal to institutionalized forms, with marriage reshaping its expression.

**In simple terms:** Love changed with marriage and society.

Key Takeaway

Recognize how institutions shape love.

Themes

love history marriage society gender

Mood

analytical thoughtful

Type

philosophical critical

When to use this quote

- relationship counseling
- historical research
- social policy
- education curricula

Key Concepts

social construction sexuality institutional influence

Questions to Reflect On

- How do current institutions affect love?
- Can love exist outside marriage today?

A Different Perspective

Modern love may still be constrained by cultural norms.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Middle ages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-ages/)

## Related quotes

> [“The Bible describes love in First Corinthians thirteen. It talks about all the positive things that love is, you know, kind, patient, not proud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bailey-west/the-bible-describes-love-in-first-corinthians-thirteen-it-talks-about/)

[Bailey West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bailey-west/)

> [There are two possibilities in a marriage: Either it lasts forever or it seems like eternity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unitha-l-muhammad/there-are-two-possibilities-in-a-marriage-either-it-lasts-forever-or/)

Unitha L Muhammad

> [Mother love is the most powerful, the most irrational force on earth, even more powerful than sexual love. However, one does lead to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mae-brown/mother-love-is-the-most-powerful-the-most-irrational-force-on-earth/)

[Rita Mae Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mae-brown/)

> [“I think it takes some terrible or great event to fuse two people together without inhibition. Without heat or shock, it can't be done.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/i-think-it-takes-some-terrible-or-great-event-to-fuse-two-people/)

[Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/)

> [“I've been imagining that I loved Hans Jorgen. How stupid and how dishonest. It was Gro I loved, Gro who meant something to me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ebba-haslund/i-ve-been-imagining-that-i-loved-hans-jorgen-how-stupid-and-how/)

[Ebba Haslund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ebba-haslund/)

> [“Every adult life could be said to be defined by two great love stories. The first - the story of our quest for sexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/every-adult-life-could-be-said-to-be-defined-by-two-great-love-2/)

[Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/)

> [“The beautiful pure freedom of a woman was infinitely more wonderful than any sexual love. The only unfortunate thing was that men lagged so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/the-beautiful-pure-freedom-of-a-woman-was-infinitely-more-wonderful/)

[D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/)

> [“In sexual love we seek our own pleasure via another body. In non-sexual love, we seek our own pleasure via our own idea. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/in-sexual-love-we-seek-our-own-pleasure-via-another-body-in-non/)

[Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/)

> [What is new is not bisexuality, but rather the widening of our awareness and acceptance of human capacities for sexual love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/what-is-new-is-not-bisexuality-but-rather-the-widening-of-our/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [Sexual love is the most stupendous fact of the universe, and the most magical mystery our poor blind senses know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-lowell/sexual-love-is-the-most-stupendous-fact-of-the-universe-and-the-most/)

[Amy Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-lowell/)

> [Every adult life could be said to be defined by two great love stories: the story of our quest for sexual love and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/every-adult-life-could-be-said-to-be-defined-by-two-great-love/)

[Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/)

> [The only perfect love to be found on earth is not sexual love, which is riddled with hostility and insecurity, but the wordless commitment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/the-only-perfect-love-to-be-found-on-earth-is-not-sexual-love-which/)

[Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/)

> [For youth, sexual love is whim; for the aged, luxury.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gaede/for-youth-sexual-love-is-whim-for-the-aged-luxury/)

[Bill Gaede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gaede/)

> [Erotic or sexual love can truly be love if it is not selfishly sexual or lustful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-adler/erotic-or-sexual-love-can-truly-be-love-if-it-is-not-selfishly-sexual/)

[Mortimer Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-adler/)

> [By the time it's considered socially acceptable to start screwing, most of us are sexually constipated, and this is often an incurable condition. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madalyn-murray-o-hair/by-the-time-it-s-considered-socially-acceptable-to-start-screwing/)

[Madalyn Murray O'Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madalyn-murray-o-hair/)

## More by Simone de Beauvoir

> [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius; and the feminine situation has up to the present rendered this becoming practically impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/one-is-not-born-a-genius-one-becomes-a-genius-and-the-feminine/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [Many things would be changed for Americans if they would only admit that there is ill-luck in this world and that misfortune is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/many-things-would-be-changed-for-americans-if-they-would-only-admit/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [“You said something very true the other day: that for us, nudity begins with the face.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/you-said-something-very-true-the-other-day-that-for-us-nudity-begins/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [“Ženama se ne rađamo, nego postajemo”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/enama-se-ne-ra-amo-nego-postajemo/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [Life is occupied in both perpetuating itself and in surpassing itself; if all it does is maintain itself, then living is only not dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/life-is-occupied-in-both-perpetuating-itself-and-in-surpassing-itself/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [Fathers never have exactly the daughters they want because they invent a notion a them that the daughters have to conform to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/fathers-never-have-exactly-the-daughters-they-want-because-they/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [However gifted an individual is at the outset, if his or her talents cannot be developed because of his or her social condition, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/however-gifted-an-individual-is-at-the-outset-if-his-or-her-talents/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [In fact, people seem to be tired of fiction now. There are so many other ways of exploring humanity - by ethnology, psychoanalysis, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/in-fact-people-seem-to-be-tired-of-fiction-now-there-are-so-many/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [Feminism is one way of attacking society as it now exists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/feminism-is-one-way-of-attacking-society-as-it-now-exists/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [“Magari mi troverai ridicola, ma mi disprezzerei se non osassi esserlo mai”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/magari-mi-troverai-ridicola-ma-mi-disprezzerei-se-non-osassi-esserlo/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [from one minute to the next the present is merely an honorary past. It must be filled unceasingly anew to dissemble the curse it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/from-one-minute-to-the-next-the-present-is-merely-an-honorary-past-it/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [I am awfully greedy; I want everything from life. I want to be a woman and to be a man, to have many friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/i-am-awfully-greedy-i-want-everything-from-life-i-want-to-be-a-woman/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [“I enjoyed my exhaustion, though; I liked overdoing things”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/i-enjoyed-my-exhaustion-though-i-liked-overdoing-things/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [“But I miss you to the point of anguish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/but-i-miss-you-to-the-point-of-anguish/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

[Explore all 488 Simone de Beauvoir quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

## 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": "“Love in the modern sense does not exist in antiquity except outside of official society,” notes Engels: at the very point where antiquity broke off its penchant for sexual love, the Middle Ages took it up again with adultery. And this is the form that love will take as long as the institution of marriage lasts.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Simone de Beauvoir"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/love-in-the-modern-sense-does-not-exist-in-antiquity-except-outside/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Love"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/love-in-the-modern-sense-does-not-exist-in-antiquity-except-outside/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f48/simone-de-beauvoir-407_love_love-in-the-modern-sense-does-not-exist_2440539.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f48/simone-de-beauvoir-407_love_love-in-the-modern-sense-does-not-exist_2440539.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f48/simone-de-beauvoir-407_love_love-in-the-modern-sense-does-not-exist_2440539.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Love in the modern sense does not exist in antiquity except outside of official society,” notes Engels: at…” — Simone de Beauvoir",
                "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": "Simone de Beauvoir",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Love in the modern sense does...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/love-in-the-modern-sense-does-not-exist-in-antiquity-except-outside/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/love-in-the-modern-sense-does-not-exist-in-antiquity-except-outside/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
