--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You see, at that juncture in my life I…" description: "\"“You see, at that juncture in my life I wasn’t evolved enough to understand the fluid nature of romantic love (its indifference to human cravings for p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88b/tom-robbins-169_desire_you-see-at-that-juncture-in-my-life-i-wa_1080495.jpg" --- # You see, at that juncture in my life I wasn’t evolved… ![“You see, at that juncture in my life I wasn’t evolved enough to understand the fluid nature of romantic love (its indifference to human cravings for permanence and certainty); its uncivilized, undomesticated nature (less like a pretty melody than a foxish barking at the moon), or, more importantly…” quote by Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88b/tom-robbins-169_desire_you-see-at-that-juncture-in-my-life-i-wa_1080495.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88b/tom-robbins-169_desire_you-see-at-that-juncture-in-my-life-i-wa_1080495.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88b/tom-robbins-169_desire_you-see-at-that-juncture-in-my-life-i-wa_1080495.jpg) > ““You see, at that juncture in my life I wasn’t evolved enough to understand the fluid nature of romantic love (its indifference to human cravings for permanence and certainty); its uncivilized, undomesticated nature (less like a pretty melody than a foxish barking at the moon), or, more importantly perhaps, that it’s a privilege to love someone, to truly love them; and while it’s paradisiacal if she or he loves you back, it’s unfair to demand or expect reciprocity. We should consider ourselves lucky, honored, blessed that we possess the capacity to feel tenderness of such magnitude and be grateful even when that love is not returned. Love is the only game in which we win even when we lose.”” [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Romantic love is fleeting and indifferent, yet possessing the capacity to love is a privilege; love wins even when unreciprocated. **In simple terms:** Love is a privilege, even without return. Key Takeaway Value love’s presence, not its outcome. Themes love impermanence gratitude expectation paradox Mood reflective hopeful philosophical Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - relationships - personal growth - spiritual reflection - writing inspiration Key Concepts unrequited love privilege of feeling philosophy of affection Questions to Reflect On - How do you honor love without expectation? - What does “winning when we lose” mean to you? A Different Perspective Love’s value persists despite loss. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Grateful love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grateful-love/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Paradisiacal Loves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradisiacal-loves-2739869/) [Privilege Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privilege-love-769602/) [Romantic love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romantic-love/) [Truly love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truly-love/) ## Related quotes > [“But it was sure a privilege to love him, huh? Gives you an idea how I feel about you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/but-it-was-sure-a-privilege-to-love-him-huh-gives-you-an-idea-how-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Do everything you need to do to keep the passion alive and never forget that it is a privilege to do what you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-brodeur/do-everything-you-need-to-do-to-keep-the-passion-alive-and-never/) [Martin Brodeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-brodeur/) > [“It's my privilege to love you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-shirvington/it-s-my-privilege-to-love-you/) [Jessica Shirvington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-shirvington/) > [“All live and die believing that they have known love, thinking it is a common thing, because they confuse it with animal satisfaction; but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicente-blasco-ib-ez/all-live-and-die-believing-that-they-have-known-love-thinking-it-is-a/) [Vicente Blasco Ibáñez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicente-blasco-ib-ez/) > [“This is, of course, the privilege of love, to bear witness to a strong man’s grief over…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-rivers/this-is-of-course-the-privilege-of-love-to-bear-witness-to-a-strong-2/) [Mary Ann Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-rivers/) > [But it was sure a privilege to love him, huh?" I nodded into his shirt. "Gives you an idea how I feel about you,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/but-it-was-sure-a-privilege-to-love-him-huh-i-nodded-into-his-shirt/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [No, we don't own our children. Our parental privilege is to love them, to lead them, and to let them go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-m-nelson/no-we-don-t-own-our-children-our-parental-privilege-is-to-love-them/) [Russell M. Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-m-nelson/) > [“It was sure a privilege to love him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/it-was-sure-a-privilege-to-love-him/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Love is a consistent passion to give, not a meek persistent hope to receive. The only demand of life is the privilege to love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinmayananda-saraswati/love-is-a-consistent-passion-to-give-not-a-meek-persistent-hope-to/) [Chinmayananda Saraswati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinmayananda-saraswati/) > [“...it is a glory and a privilege to love what Death doesn't touch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/it-is-a-glory-and-a-privilege-to-love-what-death-doesn-t-touch/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [Every day, I love what I do and I think it's a gift and privilege to love your job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-burton/every-day-i-love-what-i-do-and-i-think-it-s-a-gift-and-privilege-to/) [Sarah Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-burton/) > [“This is, of course, the privilege of love, to bear witness to a strong man’s grief over the little sister he could never save,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-rivers/this-is-of-course-the-privilege-of-love-to-bear-witness-to-a-strong/) [Mary Ann Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-rivers/) > [LIVE SIMPLY. DREAMS BIG BE GRATEFUL. GIVE LOVE. LAUGH LOTS.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mumbaibizarre/live-simply-dreams-big-be-grateful-give-love-laugh-lots/) [Mumbaibizarre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mumbaibizarre/) > [I feel really fortunate and grateful that not only do I get to do what I love, but I get to do it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-cruz/i-feel-really-fortunate-and-grateful-that-not-only-do-i-get-to-do/) [Wilson Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-cruz/) > [Be grateful for the love you have to share-share it, and it will return to you ten times over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-van-praagh/be-grateful-for-the-love-you-have-to-share-share-it-and-it-will/) [James Van Praagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-van-praagh/) ## More by Tom Robbins > [There are times when we can feel destiny close around us like a fist around a doorknob. Sure, we can resist. But a knob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-times-when-we-can-feel-destiny-close-around-us-like-a-fist/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/love-is-the-ultimate-outlaw-it-just-won-t-adhere-to-any-rules-the/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Anyone who maintains absolute standards of good and evil is dangerous. As dangerous as a maniac with a loaded revolver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/anyone-who-maintains-absolute-standards-of-good-and-evil-is-dangerous/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“I believe in everything; nothing is sacred. I believe in nothing; everything is sacred. Ha Ha Ho Ho Hee Hee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/i-believe-in-everything-nothing-is-sacred-i-believe-in-nothing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [A sense of humor...is superior to any religion so far devised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/a-sense-of-humor-is-superior-to-any-religion-so-far-devised/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/love-is-the-ultimate-outlaw-it-just-won-t-adhere-to-any-rules-the-2/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“The glue that holds the natural world together appears to be a harmonious balance of opposites: day and night, light and dark, winter and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-glue-that-holds-the-natural-world-together-appears-to-be-a/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Zippers are primal and modern at the very same time. On the one hand, your zipper is primitive and reptilian, on the other, mechanical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/zippers-are-primal-and-modern-at-the-very-same-time-on-the-one-hand/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“religion is a paramount contributor to human misery. It is not merely the opium of the masses, it is the cyanide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/religion-is-a-paramount-contributor-to-human-misery-it-is-not-merely/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [She continued weeping until the heat of her tear water, the sheer velocity of its flow, finally obscured the already vague circumstances of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/she-continued-weeping-until-the-heat-of-her-tear-water-the-sheer/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [The bottom line is that (a) people are never perfect, but love can be, (b) that is the one and only way that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-bottom-line-is-that-a-people-are-never-perfect-but-love-can-be-b/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Virtually every advancement made by our species since civilization first peeked out of its nest of stone has been initiated by lone individuals, mavericks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/virtually-every-advancement-made-by-our-species-since-civilization/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [When we accept small wonders, we qualify ourselves to imagine great wonders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/when-we-accept-small-wonders-we-qualify-ourselves-to-imagine-great/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) [Explore all 994 Tom Robbins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) ## More Desire quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) [Ted Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/) > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) > [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/) [John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/) > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/) [Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/) > [On the brink of being satiated, desire still appears infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/on-the-brink-of-being-satiated-desire-still-appears-infinite/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW : She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lee/from-the-devil-you-know-she-wanted-him-too-he-could-see-it-in-the/) [Emery Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lee/) [Browse all 15,155 Desire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You see, at that juncture in my life I wasn’t evolved enough to understand the fluid nature of romantic love (its indifference to human cravings for permanence and certainty); its uncivilized, undomesticated nature (less like a pretty melody than a foxish barking at the moon), or, more importantly perhaps, that it’s a privilege to love someone, to truly love them; and while it’s paradisiacal if she or he loves you back, it’s unfair to demand or expect reciprocity. We should consider ourselves lucky, honored, blessed that we possess the capacity to feel tenderness of such magnitude and be grateful even when that love is not returned. 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