---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I shall do one thing in this life - one…"
description: "\"“I shall do one thing in this life - one thing certain - that is, love you, and long for you, and keep wanting you till I die.”\" — Thomas Hardy"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fd/thomas-hardy-410_life_i-shall-do-one-thing-in-this-life-one-th_1726467.jpg"
---

#  I shall do one thing in this life - one thing certain…

![“I shall do one thing in this life - one thing certain - that is, love you, and long for you, and keep wanting you till I die.” quote by Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fd/thomas-hardy-410_life_i-shall-do-one-thing-in-this-life-one-th_1726467.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fd/thomas-hardy-410_life_i-shall-do-one-thing-in-this-life-one-th_1726467.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fd/thomas-hardy-410_life_i-shall-do-one-thing-in-this-life-one-th_1726467.jpg)

> ““I shall do one thing in this life - one thing certain - that is, love you, and long for you, and keep wanting you till I die.””

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

## About This Quote

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

A declaration of lifelong, unwavering love as the central purpose of existence.

**In simple terms:** Love is the one constant purpose.

Key Takeaway

Cherish and pursue love forever.

Themes

love devotion purpose

Mood

passionate hopeful

Type

romantic inspirational

When to use this quote

- marriage
- long‑distance relationships
- personal vows
- artistic inspiration

Key Concepts

romanticism existential purpose

Questions to Reflect On

- What does love mean to you?
- How can you sustain love over a lifetime?

A Different Perspective

Love may not be reciprocated, causing pain.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/)

## Related quotes

> [I shall do one thing in this life-one thing certain-this is, love you, and long of you, and keep wanting you till I die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/i-shall-do-one-thing-in-this-life-one-thing-certain-this-is-love-you/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [“I had never guessed that wanting one thing for so long, wanting it at the cost of everything else, I never would’ve guessed that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-habash/i-had-never-guessed-that-wanting-one-thing-for-so-long-wanting-it-at/)

[Gabe Habash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-habash/)

> [I know for certain the one you love. I'm through with flirtin', it's just you I'm thinkin' of](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fats-waller/i-know-for-certain-the-one-you-love-i-m-through-with-flirtin-it-s/)

[Fats Waller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fats-waller/)

> [Love is certain, love is kind, love is yours and love is mine. But it isn't something that we find, its something that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-black/love-is-certain-love-is-kind-love-is-yours-and-love-is-mine-but-it/)

[Clint Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-black/)

> [“Saeed was certain he was in love. Nadia was not certain what exactly she was feeling, but she was certain it had force.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/saeed-was-certain-he-was-in-love-nadia-was-not-certain-what-exactly/)

[Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/)

> [“It's certain that love can't be expressed in words. I just can't decide whether that's the best or worst part about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connor-chalfant/it-s-certain-that-love-can-t-be-expressed-in-words-i-just-can-t/)

[Connor Chalfant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connor-chalfant/)

> [“Love is the degree to which you are willing to sacrifice your own interests for those of another. It doesn’t matter what sex you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-sullivan/love-is-the-degree-to-which-you-are-willing-to-sacrifice-your-own/)

[Michael J. Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-sullivan/)

> [“But love takes many forms, and it is not the same for any man and woman. What people find then is a certain love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/but-love-takes-many-forms-and-it-is-not-the-same-for-any-man-and/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [I do feel a certain love from the British public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-stewart/i-do-feel-a-certain-love-from-the-british-public/)

[Rod Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-stewart/)

> [“You--cannot ever be certain of those you love--that they will not hurt you, even loving you. But to make me certain to love you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-a-mckillip/you-cannot-ever-be-certain-of-those-you-love-that-they-will-not-hurt/)

[Patricia A. McKillip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-a-mckillip/)

> [This earth, burnished by hearing the name, is so certain of love, that the sky bends unceasingly down, to greet its own light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mirza-asadullah-khan-ghalib/this-earth-burnished-by-hearing-the-name-is-so-certain-of-love-that/)

[Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mirza-asadullah-khan-ghalib/)

> [“I am sure one of those things we are here for is to make certain that those whom we love fall asleep each night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-mcneal/i-am-sure-one-of-those-things-we-are-here-for-is-to-make-certain-that/)

[Tom McNeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-mcneal/)

> [How could I leave Prim, who is the only person in the world I’m certain I love?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/how-could-i-leave-prim-who-is-the-only-person-in-the-world-i-m/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [All gloves are not always entirely certain of love remains incomplete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dhaval/all-gloves-are-not-always-entirely-certain-of-love-remains-incomplete/)

[Dhaval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dhaval/)

> [“People say they "find" love, as if it were an object hidden by a rock. But love takes many forms and it is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/people-say-they-find-love-as-if-it-were-an-object-hidden-by-a-rock-2/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

## More by Thomas Hardy

> [“He grew away from old associations, and saw something new in life and humanity. Secondarily, he made close acquaintance with phenomena which he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/he-grew-away-from-old-associations-and-saw-something-new-in-life-and/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [“She was in a sound sleep, Jude, dying of anxiety lest she should have caught a chill which might permanently injure her, was glad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/she-was-in-a-sound-sleep-jude-dying-of-anxiety-lest-she-should-have/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [Meanwhile, the trees were just as green as before; the birds sang and the sun shone as clearly now as ever. The familiar surroundings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/meanwhile-the-trees-were-just-as-green-as-before-the-birds-sang-and/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [You ride well, but you don't kiss nicely at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/you-ride-well-but-you-don-t-kiss-nicely-at-all/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [You could sometimes see her twelfth year in her cheeks, or her ninth sparkling from her eyes; and even her fifth would flit over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/you-could-sometimes-see-her-twelfth-year-in-her-cheeks-or-her-ninth/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [“It was mid-May time, bringing with it weather not, perhaps, quite so blooming as that assumed to be natural to the month by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/it-was-mid-may-time-bringing-with-it-weather-not-perhaps-quite-so/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [If Galileo had said in verse that the world moved, the inquisition might have let him alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/if-galileo-had-said-in-verse-that-the-world-moved-the-inquisition/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [Some folk want their luck buttered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/some-folk-want-their-luck-buttered/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [Measurement of life should be proportioned rather to the intensity of the experience than to its actual length.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/measurement-of-life-should-be-proportioned-rather-to-the-intensity-of/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [“I was court-martialed in my absence, and sentenced to death in my absence, so I said they could shoot me in my absence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/i-was-court-martialed-in-my-absence-and-sentenced-to-death-in-my/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [“It being the first time in his life that he had touched female fingers under water, Dick duly registered the sensation as rather a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/it-being-the-first-time-in-his-life-that-he-had-touched-female/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [“As soon as she could discern the outline of the house, it had all its old effect upon Tess's imagination. Part of her body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/as-soon-as-she-could-discern-the-outline-of-the-house-it-had-all-its/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [ The perfect woman, you see \[is\] a working-woman; not an idler; not a fine lady; but one who \[uses\] her hands and her head… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/the-perfect-woman-you-see-is-a-working-woman-not-an-idler-not-a-fine/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [“The Sinister Spirit sneered: 'It had to be!' And again the Spirit of Pity whispered, 'Why?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/the-sinister-spirit-sneered-it-had-to-be-and-again-the-spirit-of-pity/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [“Justice” was done, and the President of the Immortals (in Aeschylean phrase) had ended his sport with Tess.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/justice-was-done-and-the-president-of-the-immortals-in-aeschylean/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

[Explore all 561 Thomas Hardy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

## More Life quotes

> [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/)

[Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/)

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/)

[Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/)

> [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/)

[Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/)

> [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/)

Deanna L. Lawlis

> [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/)

[Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/)

> [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/)

[Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/)

> [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

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

> [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [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/)

> [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

[Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I shall do one thing in this life - one thing certain - that is, love you, and long for you, and keep wanting you till I die.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Hardy"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/i-shall-do-one-thing-in-this-life-one-thing-certain-that-is-love-you/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Life"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/i-shall-do-one-thing-in-this-life-one-thing-certain-that-is-love-you/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fd/thomas-hardy-410_life_i-shall-do-one-thing-in-this-life-one-th_1726467.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fd/thomas-hardy-410_life_i-shall-do-one-thing-in-this-life-one-th_1726467.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fd/thomas-hardy-410_life_i-shall-do-one-thing-in-this-life-one-th_1726467.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I shall do one thing in this life - one thing certain - that is, love you, and long for you, and keep…” — Thomas Hardy",
                "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": "Thomas Hardy",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I shall do one thing in...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/i-shall-do-one-thing-in-this-life-one-thing-certain-that-is-love-you/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/i-shall-do-one-thing-in-this-life-one-thing-certain-that-is-love-you/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
