--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: when a man falls in love with orchids…" description: "\"“when a man falls in love with orchids, he’ll do anything to possess the one he wants. It’s like chasing a green-eyed woman or taking cocaine.… it’s a ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/080/susan-orlean-2207_love_when-a-man-falls-in-love-with-orchids-he_2466651.png" --- # when a man falls in love with orchids, he’ll do anything… ![“when a man falls in love with orchids, he’ll do anything to possess the one he wants. It’s like chasing a green-eyed woman or taking cocaine.… it’s a sort of madness.…” quote by Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/080/susan-orlean-2207_love_when-a-man-falls-in-love-with-orchids-he_2466651.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/080/susan-orlean-2207_love_when-a-man-falls-in-love-with-orchids-he_2466651.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/080/susan-orlean-2207_love_when-a-man-falls-in-love-with-orchids-he_2466651.png) > ““when a man falls in love with orchids, he’ll do anything to possess the one he wants. It’s like chasing a green-eyed woman or taking cocaine.… it’s a sort of madness.…”” [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Obsession drives people to irrational actions, especially when desire is intense and unattainable. **In simple terms:** Desire can make us act irrationally. Key Takeaway Recognize and temper obsessive impulses. Themes obsession desire irrationality Mood intense conflicted Type cautionary reflective When to use this quote - relationships - collecting - career ambitions - personal goals Key Concepts psychology addiction passion Questions to Reflect On - What desire is leading you to irrational behavior? - How can you channel passion constructively? A Different Perspective Obsession may blind judgment and cause harmful choices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Falls Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falls-love/) [Like Chasing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-chasing-269138/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Orchids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-orchids-715963/) [Orchids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orchids/) [Orchids Ll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orchids-ll-715964/) ## Related quotes > [The old orchid hunter lay back on his pillow, his body limp... 'You'll curse the insects,' he said at least, 'and you'll curse the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/the-old-orchid-hunter-lay-back-on-his-pillow-his-body-limp-you-ll/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [“To desire orchids is to have a desire that will never be, can never be, fully requited. A collector who wants one of every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/to-desire-orchids-is-to-have-a-desire-that-will-never-be-can-never-be/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [“If all of this makes orchids seem smart—well, they do seem smart. There is something clever and un-plantlike about their determination to survive and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/if-all-of-this-makes-orchids-seem-smart-well-they-do-seem-smart-there/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [“Victorian women were forbidden from owning orchids because the shapes of the flowers were considered too sexually suggestive for their shy constitutions, and anyway…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/victorian-women-were-forbidden-from-owning-orchids-because-the-shapes/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [When we stopped to rest and Tony tried to figure out what was wrong with his compass, I asked him what he thought it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/when-we-stopped-to-rest-and-tony-tried-to-figure-out-what-was-wrong/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [Orchid hunting is a mortal occupation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/orchid-hunting-is-a-mortal-occupation/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [“Orchid hunting is a mortal occupation. That has always been part of its charm, Laroche loved orchids, but I came to believe he loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/orchid-hunting-is-a-mortal-occupation-that-has-always-been-part-of/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [“Orchids are one of the few things in the world that can live forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/orchids-are-one-of-the-few-things-in-the-world-that-can-live-forever/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I still miss you and maybe even still like you, but I'm done chasing you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anmol-andore/i-still-miss-you-and-maybe-even-still-like-you-but-i-m-done-chasing/) [Anmol Andore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anmol-andore/) > [No one is ever going to get me like you do and that's why I keep chasing after you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-one-is-ever-going-to-get-me-like-you-do-and-that-s-why-i-keep/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I feel like I'm chasing after you for nothing...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-feel-like-i-m-chasing-after-you-for-nothing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Women like to be chased as much as men like chasing them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/women-like-to-be-chased-as-much-as-men-like-chasing-them/) [Senoraroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senoraroy/) > [“Chasing dreams is like chasing butterflies on an open field — the beauty is in the running, not the catching”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charmaine-j-forde/chasing-dreams-is-like-chasing-butterflies-on-an-open-field-the/) [Charmaine J Forde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charmaine-j-forde/) > [I was kind of like chasing my tail and trying to do the right thing, and was a little bit stupid. Or irresponsible, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-downey-jr/i-was-kind-of-like-chasing-my-tail-and-trying-to-do-the-right-thing/) [Robert Downey, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-downey-jr/) > [Creativity is like chasing chickens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-niemann/creativity-is-like-chasing-chickens/) [Christoph Niemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-niemann/) ## More by Susan Orlean > [I've used Twitter now and again to try to figure something out; it's an amazing resource. But I think you have to use it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-ve-used-twitter-now-and-again-to-try-to-figure-something-out-it-s/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [Who on earth is going to use 'utilize' in a text message, a whopping seven characters including the always-hard-to-type 'z,' when you can say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/who-on-earth-is-going-to-use-utilize-in-a-text-message-a-whopping/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [When my son was born, and after a day of lying-in I was told that I could leave the hospital and take him home,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/when-my-son-was-born-and-after-a-day-of-lying-in-i-was-told-that-i/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I'm happy to be reminded that an ordinary day full of nothing but nothingness can make you feel like you've won the lottery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-m-happy-to-be-reminded-that-an-ordinary-day-full-of-nothing-but/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I once had a boyfriend who couldn't write unless he was wearing a necktie and a dress shirt, which I thought was really weird,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-once-had-a-boyfriend-who-couldn-t-write-unless-he-was-wearing-a/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [“I, too, had set out to be remembered. I had wanted to create something permanent in my life- some proof that everything in its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-too-had-set-out-to-be-remembered-i-had-wanted-to-create-something/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I think of myself as something of a connoisseur of procrastination, creative and dogged in my approach to not getting things done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-think-of-myself-as-something-of-a-connoisseur-of-procrastination/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I'm very excited about my new Spotify account, which gives me access to twenty gazillion songs any time, all the time. The day I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-m-very-excited-about-my-new-spotify-account-which-gives-me-access/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I approach stories as a private educational enterprise: I want to learn about something. I teach myself through research, reporting, and thinking, and then,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-approach-stories-as-a-private-educational-enterprise-i-want-to/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [We're fascinated by animals because it's almost like having Martians living among us. We can see some familiarity in them, but they're entirely different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/we-re-fascinated-by-animals-because-it-s-almost-like-having-martians/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [My inspiration is really very simple: I'm struck by things that I want to know more about. I really do react just as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/my-inspiration-is-really-very-simple-i-m-struck-by-things-that-i-want/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I am dismayed to realize that much of the advice I used to parcel out to aspiring writers has passed its sell-by date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-am-dismayed-to-realize-that-much-of-the-advice-i-used-to-parcel-out/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I wish I had coined the phrase 'tyranny of choice,' but someone beat me to it. The counterintuitive truth is that have an abundance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-wish-i-had-coined-the-phrase-tyranny-of-choice-but-someone-beat-me/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [My ace in the hole as a human being used to be my capacity for remembering birthdays. I worked at it. Whenever I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/my-ace-in-the-hole-as-a-human-being-used-to-be-my-capacity-for/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [Sometimes I think I've figured out some order in the universe, but then I find myself in Florida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/sometimes-i-think-i-ve-figured-out-some-order-in-the-universe-but/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) [Explore all 179 Susan Orlean quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) ## 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": "“when a man falls in love with orchids, he’ll do anything to possess the one he wants. It’s like chasing a green-eyed woman or taking cocaine.… it’s a sort of madness.…”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Susan Orlean" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/when-a-man-falls-in-love-with-orchids-he-ll-do-anything-to-possess/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Love" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/when-a-man-falls-in-love-with-orchids-he-ll-do-anything-to-possess/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/080/susan-orlean-2207_love_when-a-man-falls-in-love-with-orchids-he_2466651.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/080/susan-orlean-2207_love_when-a-man-falls-in-love-with-orchids-he_2466651.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/080/susan-orlean-2207_love_when-a-man-falls-in-love-with-orchids-he_2466651.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“when a man falls in love with orchids, he’ll do anything to possess the one he wants. It’s like chasing a…” — Susan Orlean", "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": "Susan Orlean", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“when a man falls in love...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/when-a-man-falls-in-love-with-orchids-he-ll-do-anything-to-possess/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/when-a-man-falls-in-love-with-orchids-he-ll-do-anything-to-possess/#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 } } ] } ```