---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To love in absence is to float on ever…"
description: "\"“To love in absence is to float on ever still waters. No sudden currents. No treacherous tides. No possibility of drowning. You and I, Onrack, have flo..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/331/steven-erikson-588_long-distance-relati_to-love-in-absence-is-to-float-on-ever-s_1619597.jpg"
---

#  To love in absence is to float on ever still waters. No…

![“To love in absence is to float on ever still waters. No sudden currents. No treacherous tides. No possibility of drowning. You and I, Onrack, have floated so for a very long time. ~ Kilava” quote by Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/331/steven-erikson-588_long-distance-relati_to-love-in-absence-is-to-float-on-ever-s_1619597.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/331/steven-erikson-588_long-distance-relati_to-love-in-absence-is-to-float-on-ever-s_1619597.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/331/steven-erikson-588_long-distance-relati_to-love-in-absence-is-to-float-on-ever-s_1619597.jpg)

> ““To love in absence is to float on ever still waters. No sudden currents. No treacherous tides. No possibility of drowning. You and I, Onrack, have floated so for a very long time. ~ Kilava””

[Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/)

## About This Quote

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

Love without presence is calm and safe, lacking turbulence but also lacking depth and risk.

**In simple terms:** Absence makes love safe but shallow.

Key Takeaway

Seek connection, not just comfort.

Themes

love absence risk

Mood

introspective melancholic

Type

literary reflective

When to use this quote

- long‑distance relationships
- online dating
- personal growth

Key Concepts

emotional intimacy loneliness relationship dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you prefer safety over passion?
- How does distance shape love?

A Different Perspective

Safety can become stagnation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Absence Float](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence-float-252657/) [Float Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/float-waters-252659/) [Floated Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/floated-long-252660/) [Long distance relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-distance-relationships/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Absence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-absence-252658/) [Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind/)

## Related quotes

> [“It is time to float on the waters of the night. Time to wrap my arms around this book and press it to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/it-is-time-to-float-on-the-waters-of-the-night-time-to-wrap-my-arms/)

[Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/)

> [It's time to float on the waters of the night. Time to wrap my arms around this book and press it to my chest,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/it-s-time-to-float-on-the-waters-of-the-night-time-to-wrap-my-arms/)

[Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/)

> [“Nor did I grasp the capacity of love's absence to destroy, that my lack of love for myself made my own life unbearable. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-fontaine/nor-did-i-grasp-the-capacity-of-love-s-absence-to-destroy-that-my/)

[Mia Fontaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-fontaine/)

> [Love is the absence of judgement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/love-is-the-absence-of-judgement/)

[Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/)

> [“Distance is but a myth, a sign of love's absence - Be drunk in love, and lo, all distance disappears.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/distance-is-but-a-myth-a-sign-of-love-s-absence-be-drunk-in-love-and/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [“Let him miss you. He should love to love your absence as well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saleem-sharma/let-him-miss-you-he-should-love-to-love-your-absence-as-well/)

[Saleem Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saleem-sharma/)

> [Love is the absence of Anxiety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/love-is-the-absence-of-anxiety/)

[Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/)

> [Love is the absence of judgment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-the-absence-of-judgment/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“This is, perhaps, the greatest challenge of our time – to love in the absence of any immediate rewards for our love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vironika-tugaleva/this-is-perhaps-the-greatest-challenge-of-our-time-to-love-in-the/)

[Vironika Tugaleva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vironika-tugaleva/)

> [“Never fear Love's absence in your life, because it already exists within you, in great abundance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleesha/never-fear-love-s-absence-in-your-life-because-it-already-exists/)

[Eleesha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleesha/)

> [Love's absence ailed me. I could not imagine loving my husband. He was a superior and I did not know how to love and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tehmina-durrani/love-s-absence-ailed-me-i-could-not-imagine-loving-my-husband-he-was/)

[Tehmina Durrani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tehmina-durrani/)

> [Separation is the absence of Love, and Love is the absence of separation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramesh-s-balsekar/separation-is-the-absence-of-love-and-love-is-the-absence-of/)

[Ramesh S Balsekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramesh-s-balsekar/)

> [“Love is the absence of control and the presence of faith. And you won’t truly be happy until you surrender to it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-fine/love-is-the-absence-of-control-and-the-presence-of-faith-and-you-won/)

[Chelsea Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-fine/)

> [Indeed, among the lesser auxiliaries to success in love, an absence, the declining of an invitation to dinner, an unintentional, unconscious harshness are of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/indeed-among-the-lesser-auxiliaries-to-success-in-love-an-absence-the/)

[Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/)

> [“Violence is there because you have not grown your potential for love; it is the absence of love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/violence-is-there-because-you-have-not-grown-your-potential-for-love/)

[Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/)

## More by Steven Erikson

> [“No matter, they weren’t going anywhere. Never again. Two skeletons buried beneath a dead city. No more fitting a barrow for a warrior of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/no-matter-they-weren-t-going-anywhere-never-again-two-skeletons/)

[Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/)

> [“I was reminded ... the way that wood crumbles into dissolution.’ ‘The release of energy. Perhaps a better way of seeing it.’ ‘Such release…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/i-was-reminded-the-way-that-wood-crumbles-into-dissolution-the/)

[Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/)

> [“I am here to arrest your manservant. The one named Bugg.’ ‘Oh, now really, his cooking isn’t that bad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/i-am-here-to-arrest-your-manservant-the-one-named-bugg-oh-now-really/)

[Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/)

> [The more civilized a nation, the more conformed its population, until that civilization's last age arrives, when multiplicity wages war with conformity. The former…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/the-more-civilized-a-nation-the-more-conformed-its-population-until/)

[Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/)

> [“People in great need were quick to find blame in themselves, quick to assume the burden of guilt for things they in truth had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/people-in-great-need-were-quick-to-find-blame-in-themselves-quick-to/)

[Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/)

> [“Envy shrugged. 'Can no value be found in good intentions?' 'What, precisely, are you trying to justify? And to me, or yourself?' She glared,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/envy-shrugged-can-no-value-be-found-in-good-intentions-what-precisely/)

[Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/)

> [Any reasonable ruler would have the expectation and the demand the other way round.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/any-reasonable-ruler-would-have-the-expectation-and-the-demand-the/)

[Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/)

> [“The existance of many gods conveys true complexity of mortal life. Conversely, the assertion of but one god leads to a denial of complexity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/the-existance-of-many-gods-conveys-true-complexity-of-mortal-life/)

[Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/)

> [“All right, shadow-priest, you've been spying — on what? What state secrets have you learned watching me groom these horses?' 'Only that they hate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/all-right-shadow-priest-you-ve-been-spying-on-what-what-state-secrets/)

[Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/)

> [“There is nothing wrong with where we are, how we are. You spit on satisfaction, leaving you always unsettled and miserable. I am a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/there-is-nothing-wrong-with-where-we-are-how-we-are-you-spit-on/)

[Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/)

> [“Why do I hate spiders? Gods, who doesn't? What a stupid question.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/why-do-i-hate-spiders-gods-who-doesn-t-what-a-stupid-question/)

[Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/)

> [It is an extraordinary act of courage,' said Tulas Shorn, 'to come to know a stranger's pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/it-is-an-extraordinary-act-of-courage-said-tulas-shorn-to-come-to/)

[Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/)

> [“I admit,’ said Spite, ‘to a certain melancholy when visiting vibrant cities, as is this Darujhistan. A long life teaches one just how ephemeral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/i-admit-said-spite-to-a-certain-melancholy-when-visiting-vibrant/)

[Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/)

> [All art is an intensely vulnerable gesture, and it is made with no small amounts of risk, and fear. So, I have plenty of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/all-art-is-an-intensely-vulnerable-gesture-and-it-is-made-with-no/)

[Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/)

> [“People who make up their minds about something never listen to advice - especially when it's to the contrary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/people-who-make-up-their-minds-about-something-never-listen-to-advice/)

[Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/)

[Explore all 452 Steven Erikson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/)

## More Long distance relationships quotes

> [You can love a rose..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-love-a-rose/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“My only enemy is the miles of distance that's there between us, my favorite place is the road that leads me to you -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jyoti-patel/my-only-enemy-is-the-miles-of-distance-that-s-there-between-us-my/)

[Jyoti Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jyoti-patel/)

> [I stopped loving you today, But OMG..., Seeing your Body takes my breath away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becka-miller/i-stopped-loving-you-today-but-omg-seeing-your-body-takes-my-breath/)

[Becka Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becka-miller/)

> [“Time is valuable. For all the time we've lost by not being together, it has made you the most valuable thing to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-peppernell/time-is-valuable-for-all-the-time-we-ve-lost-by-not-being-together-it/)

[Courtney Peppernell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-peppernell/)

> [“If you found that one person who is really worth the sacrifices, pain, and hardships then your efforts will not go to waste.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-agoncillo/if-you-found-that-one-person-who-is-really-worth-the-sacrifices-pain/)

[Anna Agoncillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-agoncillo/)

> [Long Distance Relationships will work out when it comes from both persons...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casper/long-distance-relationships-will-work-out-when-it-comes-from-both/)

[Casper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casper/)

> [“Seasons of the heart. To get through what I must I'm often encased in ice and for months he chips away until he can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-lynn-hope/seasons-of-the-heart-to-get-through-what-i-must-i-m-often-encased-in/)

[Donna Lynn Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-lynn-hope/)

> [“It will be a welcome change for her to feel his hands on her hips and his breath in her hair; She's been forlorn,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-lynn-hope/it-will-be-a-welcome-change-for-her-to-feel-his-hands-on-her-hips-and/)

[Donna Lynn Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-lynn-hope/)

> [There are a thousand miles of emptiness that separates us, but that doesn't make our love any less real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-johnson/there-are-a-thousand-miles-of-emptiness-that-separates-us-but-that/)

[Alex Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-johnson/)

> [8 Best Things About Long Distance Relationships ¦ 1. Amazing Communication 2. You Know The Relationship Is Special 3. Freedom Of Being Single 4.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/8-best-things-about-long-distance-relationships-1-amazing/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“I reached down and picked up a baseball bat at my feet and I flung it as hard as it could. It circled and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-anderson-kurk/i-reached-down-and-picked-up-a-baseball-bat-at-my-feet-and-i-flung-it/)

[Laura Anderson Kurk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-anderson-kurk/)

> [Long distance relationships would never work out for me. Been there done that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/long-distance-relationships-would-never-work-out-for-me-been-there/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Long distance relationships through mobile communication generally becomes poor because of the weak signals and ends up due to jammed networks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-abraham/long-distance-relationships-through-mobile-communication-generally/)

[Amit Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-abraham/)

> [“She is the one in my heart and I'm zero without her when the world tries to divide her from me that's where our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nanruth-nanda/she-is-the-one-in-my-heart-and-i-m-zero-without-her-when-the-world/)

[Nanruth Nanda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nanruth-nanda/)

> [“Thank God for men who manage to hold from afar, wipe tears away with tender words and dish out the life force that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-lynn-hope/thank-god-for-men-who-manage-to-hold-from-afar-wipe-tears-away-with/)

[Donna Lynn Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-lynn-hope/)

[Browse all 108 Long distance relationships quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-distance-relationships/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“To love in absence is to float on ever still waters. No sudden currents. No treacherous tides. No possibility of drowning. You and I, Onrack, have floated so for a very long time. ~ Kilava”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Steven Erikson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/to-love-in-absence-is-to-float-on-ever-still-waters-no-sudden/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Long distance relationships"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/to-love-in-absence-is-to-float-on-ever-still-waters-no-sudden/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/331/steven-erikson-588_long-distance-relati_to-love-in-absence-is-to-float-on-ever-s_1619597.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/331/steven-erikson-588_long-distance-relati_to-love-in-absence-is-to-float-on-ever-s_1619597.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/331/steven-erikson-588_long-distance-relati_to-love-in-absence-is-to-float-on-ever-s_1619597.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“To love in absence is to float on ever still waters. No sudden currents. No treacherous tides. No…” — Steven Erikson",
                "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": "Steven Erikson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“To love in absence is to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/to-love-in-absence-is-to-float-on-ever-still-waters-no-sudden/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/to-love-in-absence-is-to-float-on-ever-still-waters-no-sudden/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
