Afford Quote by Sloane Crosley
““If you have to ask someone to change, to tell you they love you, to bring wine to dinner, to call you when they land, you can’t afford to be with them. It’s not worth the price, even though, just like the Tiffany catalog, no one tells you what the price is. You set it yourself, and if you’re lucky it’s reasonable. You have a sense of when you’re about to go bankrupt. Your own sense of self-worth takes the wheel and says, Enough of this shit. Stop making excuses. No one’s that busy at work. No one’s allergic to whipped cream. There are too cell phones in Sweden. But most people don’t get lucky. They get human. They get crushes. This means you irrationally mortgage what little logic you own to pay for this one thing. This relationship is an impulse buy, and you’ll figure out if it’s worth it later.””
About This Quote
Source Essay: Dating in the Modern Age, The New Yorker, 2016
Relationships become transactional when we assign monetary or emotional value to love, leading to self‑worth erosion.
In simple terms: Love can feel like a transaction, hurting self‑worth.
Key Takeaway
Set clear boundaries and value yourself.
Themes
relationships
self‑worth
transaction
love
Mood
candid
wry
reflective
Type
relationship
self‑help
When to use this quote
- dating advice
- personal finance
- therapy sessions
Key Concepts
economics of affection
boundary setting
self‑esteem
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you measure love beyond price?
- What boundaries protect your self‑worth?
A Different Perspective
Over‑valuing partners can cause dependency.
![“[Adulthood:] It's when you stop doing the stuff you have to make excuses for and when you stop making excuses for the stuff you have to do.” quote by Marilyn vos Savant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ed7/marilyn-vos-savant-2806_adulthood_adulthood-it-s-when-you-stop-doing-the-s_791896.jpg)
