--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've never been in love before, but this…" description: "\"“I've never been in love before, but this moment is bittersweet and tender and terrible and perfect. Surely this must be it.”\" — Trish Doller" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2f/trish-doller-22138_love_i-ve-never-been-in-love-before-but-this_1609702.jpg" --- # I've never been in love before, but this moment is… ![“I've never been in love before, but this moment is bittersweet and tender and terrible and perfect. Surely this must be it.” quote by Trish Doller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2f/trish-doller-22138_love_i-ve-never-been-in-love-before-but-this_1609702.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2f/trish-doller-22138_love_i-ve-never-been-in-love-before-but-this_1609702.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2f/trish-doller-22138_love_i-ve-never-been-in-love-before-but-this_1609702.jpg) > ““I've never been in love before, but this moment is bittersweet and tender and terrible and perfect. Surely this must be it.”” [Trish Doller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trish-doller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker experiences a complex mix of emotions—love, tenderness, pain, and perfection—recognizing it as a pivotal moment. **In simple terms:** Love feels both wonderful and painful, yet perfect. Key Takeaway Embrace the intensity of new love. Themes love emotion growth contradiction Mood bittersweet intense reflective Type poetic emotional philosophical When to use this quote - first love - breakup recovery - intimate moments - self-discovery Key Concepts romantic idealism emotional complexity Questions to Reflect On - What does “perfect” mean in a painful moment? - Can love be both terrible and beautiful? A Different Perspective The feeling may be fleeting and idealized, not lasting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bittersweet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bittersweet/) [Bittersweet Tender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bittersweet-tender-6136180/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-moment/) [Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moment/) [Moment Bittersweet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moment-bittersweet-6136179/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Love is a moment that lasts forever. - Unknown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-a-moment-that-lasts-forever-unknown/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can say that I love you every moment of my life but it doesn't mean I love you every second of my life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/just-me/i-can-say-that-i-love-you-every-moment-of-my-life-but-it-doesn-t-mean/) [Just Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/just-me/) > [You do have great love within you at this very moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doreen-virtue/you-do-have-great-love-within-you-at-this-very-moment/) [Doreen Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doreen-virtue/) > [I can’t remember that I was ever looking for anything. I was waiting for something to touch me. It’s like, I’ll be open to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-gere/i-can-t-remember-that-i-was-ever-looking-for-anything-i-was-waiting/) [Richard Gere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-gere/) > [I feel in love with you, the moment I set my eyes on you. I have never seen such a beautiful smile on anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine/i-feel-in-love-with-you-the-moment-i-set-my-eyes-on-you-i-have-never/) [Josephine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine/) > [“I do know that I fell in love with the moment of falling in love and I wanted to keep that moment alive forever,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-clevenger/i-do-know-that-i-fell-in-love-with-the-moment-of-falling-in-love-and/) [Craig Clevenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-clevenger/) > [“Love is not dependent on someone or something outside of you. One chooses to be Love in each moment as the moment unfolds, regardless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cardwell-c-nuckols/love-is-not-dependent-on-someone-or-something-outside-of-you-one/) [Cardwell C. Nuckols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cardwell-c-nuckols/) > [I love that moment when I feel a connection to another person, however brief or insignificant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tohoru-masamune/i-love-that-moment-when-i-feel-a-connection-to-another-person-however/) [Tohoru Masamune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tohoru-masamune/) > [I fell in love the moment I sall you smile at me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/un-known/i-fell-in-love-the-moment-i-sall-you-smile-at-me/) [Un Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/un-known/) > [“I fell in love with you the moment I met you and…I’ve never stopped.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riann-c-miller/i-fell-in-love-with-you-the-moment-i-met-you-and-i-ve-never-stopped/) [Riann C. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riann-c-miller/) > [“A love between them that would last until the moment their true love came true. A love that was so straightforward and so terribly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-love-between-them-that-would-last-until-the-moment-their-true-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What she had realised was that love was that moment when your heart was about to burst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steig-larsson/what-she-had-realised-was-that-love-was-that-moment-when-your-heart/) [Steig Larsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steig-larsson/) > [Love is a moment, but friends are forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-a-moment-but-friends-are-forever/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In life and in love, there is only that moment, the NOW. The only reality we know is what we experience this very second.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-buscaglia/in-life-and-in-love-there-is-only-that-moment-the-now-the-only/) [Leo Buscaglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-buscaglia/) > [Love is a flower that blooms so tender, each kiss a dew drop of sweet surrender. Love is a moment of life enchanting, let's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-martin/love-is-a-flower-that-blooms-so-tender-each-kiss-a-dew-drop-of-sweet/) [Dean Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-martin/) ## More by Trish Doller > [“Here's the thing: the strings are already attached.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trish-doller/here-s-the-thing-the-strings-are-already-attached/) [Trish Doller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trish-doller/) > [“The whole world's pretty messed up, isn't it?" "Perhaps. But there is also kindness everywhere.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trish-doller/the-whole-world-s-pretty-messed-up-isn-t-it-perhaps-but-there-is-also/) [Trish Doller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trish-doller/) > [“Her green eyes meet mine in the Guinness mirror behind the bar and it feels like all the air has been sucked out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trish-doller/her-green-eyes-meet-mine-in-the-guinness-mirror-behind-the-bar-and-it/) [Trish Doller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trish-doller/) > [“Hey back,' I say, my voice low beside her ear. She shivers. I love that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trish-doller/hey-back-i-say-my-voice-low-beside-her-ear-she-shivers-i-love-that/) [Trish Doller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trish-doller/) > [“I thought I was having a fucking stroke," I say as they free me from my coated elastic prison, making them laugh even harder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trish-doller/i-thought-i-was-having-a-fucking-stroke-i-say-as-they-free-me-from-my/) [Trish Doller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trish-doller/) > [“Yeah, well, I don't really want to kick you when you're down, but mostly for some crazy reason"- her face tilts up and she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trish-doller/yeah-well-i-don-t-really-want-to-kick-you-when-you-re-down-but-mostly/) [Trish Doller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trish-doller/) > [“Kindness isn't a debt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trish-doller/kindness-isn-t-a-debt/) [Trish Doller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trish-doller/) > [“When it's your business, I'll let you know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trish-doller/when-it-s-your-business-i-ll-let-you-know/) [Trish Doller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trish-doller/) > [“How do I know you're not the devil?" I whisper to Noah, my lips touching his. I can feel his smile against my mouth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trish-doller/how-do-i-know-you-re-not-the-devil-i-whisper-to-noah-my-lips-touching/) [Trish Doller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trish-doller/) > [“Does this public display of affection with my daughter on my front porch mean I'm stuck with you now?" he asks, opening the screen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trish-doller/does-this-public-display-of-affection-with-my-daughter-on-my-front/) [Trish Doller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trish-doller/) > [“Something I'm not ready to name works itself under the grip of Charlies death and loosens it, and keeps the nightmare at bay when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trish-doller/something-i-m-not-ready-to-name-works-itself-under-the-grip-of/) [Trish Doller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trish-doller/) > [“He was the person all of us should be, but most of us aren't. And if I could have taken his place to buy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trish-doller/he-was-the-person-all-of-us-should-be-but-most-of-us-aren-t-and-if-i/) [Trish Doller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trish-doller/) > [“I wish I could protect him from the people who refuse to see beyond his skin, who will never know the goodness of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trish-doller/i-wish-i-could-protect-him-from-the-people-who-refuse-to-see-beyond/) [Trish Doller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trish-doller/) > [“His philosophy is that somethings the only way to get over feeling like shit is to feel like shit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trish-doller/his-philosophy-is-that-somethings-the-only-way-to-get-over-feeling/) [Trish Doller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trish-doller/) > [“That pretty much sums up our relationship: I have it. He wants it. He gets it. He ruins it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trish-doller/that-pretty-much-sums-up-our-relationship-i-have-it-he-wants-it-he/) [Trish Doller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trish-doller/) [Explore all 28 Trish Doller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trish-doller/) ## More Bittersweet quotes > [And the flavor of Pippa's kiss--bittersweet and strange--stayed with me all the way back uptown, swaying and sleepy as I sailed home on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/and-the-flavor-of-pippa-s-kiss-bittersweet-and-strange-stayed-with-me/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“The bittersweet side of appreciating life's most precious moments is the unbearable awareness that those moments are passing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-parent/the-bittersweet-side-of-appreciating-life-s-most-precious-moments-is/) [Marc Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-parent/) > [Having more exposure is kind of a bittersweet thing for me, honestly, because it's nice to have a little more job security in life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/having-more-exposure-is-kind-of-a-bittersweet-thing-for-me-honestly/) [Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) > [There is cruelty in divorce. There is cruelty in forced or unfortunate marriage. We will continue to cry at weddings because we know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-roiphe/there-is-cruelty-in-divorce-there-is-cruelty-in-forced-or-unfortunate/) [Anne Roiphe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-roiphe/) > [Throw in the intensity of emotions that come with that bittersweet summer sandwiched between high school graduation and the rest of your life...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/throw-in-the-intensity-of-emotions-that-come-with-that-bittersweet/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [“And the pomegranates,/ like memories, are bittersweet/ as we huddle together,/ remembering just how good/ life used to be”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guadalupe-garcia-mccall/and-the-pomegranates-like-memories-are-bittersweet-as-we-huddle/) [Guadalupe Garcia McCall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guadalupe-garcia-mccall/) > [ \[I\]f the gentleness of your spirit needs a dash of vinegar, borrow a little from Our Lord's spirit. O Mademoiselle, how well He knew… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-de-paul/i-f-the-gentleness-of-your-spirit-needs-a-dash-of-vinegar-borrow-a/) [Vincent de Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-de-paul/) > [Falling in love is rather bittersweet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghib-clitso/falling-in-love-is-rather-bittersweet/) [Raghib Clitso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghib-clitso/) > [The bird Gamayun was related to Alkonost and Sirin in some vague fashion-even the most casual observer would've noticed that all three of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ekaterina-sedia/the-bird-gamayun-was-related-to-alkonost-and-sirin-in-some-vague/) [Ekaterina Sedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ekaterina-sedia/) > [“I ain’t scared to lend a hand I ain’t scared to clench it either”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mie-hansson/i-ain-t-scared-to-lend-a-hand-i-ain-t-scared-to-clench-it-either/) [Mie Hansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mie-hansson/) > [“We share a bittersweet past and a roller-coaster present, but I have a good feeling that the future is going to be a smoother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/codi-gary/we-share-a-bittersweet-past-and-a-roller-coaster-present-but-i-have-a/) [Codi Gary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/codi-gary/) > [As a child, I remember my dad would sometimes drive me into town with him to play pinball machines together. It's a bittersweet memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-azalea/as-a-child-i-remember-my-dad-would-sometimes-drive-me-into-town-with/) [Iggy Azalea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-azalea/) > [“Reaching the summit of K2 was an incredible experience, but I would trade it in a heartbeat to have Dan back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-oakey-baker/reaching-the-summit-of-k2-was-an-incredible-experience-but-i-would/) [Susan Oakey-Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-oakey-baker/) > [“But my loyalties were elsewhere. And the flavor of Pippa’s kiss—bittersweet and strange—stayed with me all the way back uptown, swaying and sleepy as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/but-my-loyalties-were-elsewhere-and-the-flavor-of-pippa-s-kiss/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“You'ld think I'ld be used to saying good bye to you by now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/you-ld-think-i-ld-be-used-to-saying-good-bye-to-you-by-now/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) [Browse all 224 Bittersweet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bittersweet/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I've never been in love before, but this moment is bittersweet and tender and terrible and perfect. 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