--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You know, when one's in love,' I said…" description: "\"You know, when one's in love,' I said, 'and things go all wrong, one's terribly unhappy and one thinks one won't ever get over it. But you'll be astoun..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/w-somerset-maugham-237_get-over_you-know-when-one-s-in-love-i-said-and-t_3066507.jpg" --- # You know, when one's in love,' I said, 'and things go all… ![“You know, when one's in love,' I said, 'and things go all wrong, one's terribly unhappy and one thinks one won't ever get over it. But you'll be astounded to learn what the sea will do.' What do you mean?' she smiled. Well, love isn't a good sailor and it languishes on a sea voyage. You'll be…” quote by W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/w-somerset-maugham-237_get-over_you-know-when-one-s-in-love-i-said-and-t_3066507.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/w-somerset-maugham-237_get-over_you-know-when-one-s-in-love-i-said-and-t_3066507.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/w-somerset-maugham-237_get-over_you-know-when-one-s-in-love-i-said-and-t_3066507.jpg) > “You know, when one's in love,' I said, 'and things go all wrong, one's terribly unhappy and one thinks one won't ever get over it. But you'll be astounded to learn what the sea will do.' What do you mean?' she smiled. Well, love isn't a good sailor and it languishes on a sea voyage. You'll be surprised when you have the Atlantic between you and Larry to find how slight the pang is that before you sailed seemed intolerable.” [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Love is compared to a difficult sea voyage, suggesting that pain feels overwhelming until distance provides perspective, revealing the fleeting nature of emotional distress. **In simple terms:** Distance makes love pain seem less severe. Key Takeaway Gain perspective on heartbreak. Themes love heartbreak perspective Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - relationship counseling - personal reflection - travel experiences - writing therapy Key Concepts metaphor emotional resilience Questions to Reflect On - How does distance change emotional pain? - Can metaphor help heal heartbreak? A Different Perspective Perspective may not always be attainable for everyone. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Sailor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sailor/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Sea voyage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea-voyage/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travel/) [Unhappy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unhappy/) [Voyages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voyages/) ## Related quotes > [We have found that morals are not, like bacon, to be cured by hanging; nor, like wine, to be improved by sea voyages; nor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-have-found-that-morals-are-not-like-bacon-to-be-cured-by-hanging/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“But a wide sea voyage severs us at once. It makes us conscious of being cast loose from the secure anchorage of settled life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/but-a-wide-sea-voyage-severs-us-at-once-it-makes-us-conscious-of/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [“Why did the poor poet of Tennessee, upon suddenly receiving two handfuls of silver, deliberate whether to buy him a coat, which he sadly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/why-did-the-poor-poet-of-tennessee-upon-suddenly-receiving-two/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [There is a time in the affairs of men, Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/there-is-a-time-in-the-affairs-of-men-which-taken-at-the-flood-leads/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“The Mayflower sped across the white-tipped waves once the voyage was under way, and the passengers were quickly afflicted with seasickness. The crew took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-williams/the-mayflower-sped-across-the-white-tipped-waves-once-the-voyage-was/) [Tony Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-williams/) > [“John Donne's 'A Valediction: forbidding mourning' concerns a sea voyage, and uses the image of a circle as an antidote to the abyss of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-holmes/john-donne-s-a-valediction-forbidding-mourning-concerns-a-sea-voyage/) [Jeremy Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-holmes/) > [To young men contemplating a voyage I would say go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-slocum/to-young-men-contemplating-a-voyage-i-would-say-go/) [Joshua Slocum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-slocum/) > [“Why is almost every robust healthy boy with a robust healthy soul in him, at some time or other crazy to go to sea?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/why-is-almost-every-robust-healthy-boy-with-a-robust-healthy-soul-in/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“When, on a sea voyage, the ship is brought to anchor, you go out to fetch water and gather a few roots and shells…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/when-on-a-sea-voyage-the-ship-is-brought-to-anchor-you-go-out-to/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [I must down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life, To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-masefield/i-must-down-to-the-seas-again-to-the-vagrant-gypsy-life-to-the-gull-s/) [John Masefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-masefield/) > [There is a tide in the affairs of men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/there-is-a-tide-in-the-affairs-of-men/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I suppose we shall soon travel by air-vessels; make air instead of sea voyages; and at length find our way to the moon, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/i-suppose-we-shall-soon-travel-by-air-vessels-make-air-instead-of-sea/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [“Sometimes, on days when the weather was beyond redemption, mere residence in the house, situated in the midst of a steady and continuous rain,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/sometimes-on-days-when-the-weather-was-beyond-redemption-mere/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“There is a splendid story that, during the long sea voyage, Cowdrey was observed by Frank Tyson being addressed with some passion by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-wilson/there-is-a-splendid-story-that-during-the-long-sea-voyage-cowdrey-was/) Dave Wilson > [In the shortest sea voyage there is no sense of time. You have been down in the cabin for hours or days or years.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/in-the-shortest-sea-voyage-there-is-no-sense-of-time-you-have-been/) [Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/) ## More by W. Somerset Maugham > [“A man thinks it quite natural that he should fall out of love with a woman, but it never strikes him for a moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/a-man-thinks-it-quite-natural-that-he-should-fall-out-of-love-with-a/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“A man's work reveals him. In social intercourse he gives you the surface that he wishes the world to accept, but in his book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/a-man-s-work-reveals-him-in-social-intercourse-he-gives-you-the/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Love is only a dirty trick played on us to achieve continuation of the species.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/love-is-only-a-dirty-trick-played-on-us-to-achieve-continuation-of/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [The world is hard and cruel. We are here none knows why, and we go none knows whither. We must be very humble. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/the-world-is-hard-and-cruel-we-are-here-none-knows-why-and-we-go-none/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“There is no more merit in having read a thousand books than in having ploughed a thousand fields.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/there-is-no-more-merit-in-having-read-a-thousand-books-than-in-having/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“I wanted to live again and again. I was willing to accept every sort of life, no matter what its pain and sorrow; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/i-wanted-to-live-again-and-again-i-was-willing-to-accept-every-sort/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [In Hollywood, the women are all peaches. It makes one long for an apple occasionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/in-hollywood-the-women-are-all-peaches-it-makes-one-long-for-an-apple/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Follow your inclinations with due regard to the policeman round the corner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/follow-your-inclinations-with-due-regard-to-the-policeman-round-the/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“His love became a prison from which he longed to escape, but he had not the strength merely to open the door-that was all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/his-love-became-a-prison-from-which-he-longed-to-escape-but-he-had/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [I did not believe him capable of love. That is an emotion in which tenderness is an essential part, but Strickland had no tenderness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/i-did-not-believe-him-capable-of-love-that-is-an-emotion-in-which/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [If only the good were a little less heavy-footed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/if-only-the-good-were-a-little-less-heavy-footed/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Perfection has one grave defect: it is apt to be dull.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/perfection-has-one-grave-defect-it-is-apt-to-be-dull/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“A God that can be understood is no God. Who can explain the Infinite in words?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/a-god-that-can-be-understood-is-no-god-who-can-explain-the-infinite/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“My dear, you used to be quite a dish; now you're quite a tureen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/my-dear-you-used-to-be-quite-a-dish-now-you-re-quite-a-tureen/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“When people say they do not care what others thing of them, for the most part they deceive themselves”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/when-people-say-they-do-not-care-what-others-thing-of-them-for-the/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) [Explore all 840 W. Somerset Maugham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) ## More Get over quotes > [You get through it, you just never get over it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/you-get-through-it-you-just-never-get-over-it/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [I think that one of the hardest things in the world to be is a black male. I mean everyone hates your guts. White…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-think-that-one-of-the-hardest-things-in-the-world-to-be-is-a-black/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [A girl who would fall in love so easily or want a man to love her so easily would probably get over it just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-girl-who-would-fall-in-love-so-easily-or-want-a-man-to-love-her-so/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You ask everybody you know: How long does it usually take to get over it? There are many formulas. One year for every year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/you-ask-everybody-you-know-how-long-does-it-usually-take-to-get-over/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [Forgiveness ... is a willingness to get over what you think should have happened and an acceptance of the reality of what actually happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-britten/forgiveness-is-a-willingness-to-get-over-what-you-think-should-have/) [Rhonda Britten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-britten/) > [We tend to think of orphans as being the protagonist of stories we read when we're kids, and yet here you are: you're an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/we-tend-to-think-of-orphans-as-being-the-protagonist-of-stories-we/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [When I look at the human brain I'm still in awe of it. Every single time you lift off the bone and open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/when-i-look-at-the-human-brain-i-m-still-in-awe-of-it-every-single/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [Start enjoying the things you like about yourself, and if there are things you want to change, either get to work on it or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-madden/start-enjoying-the-things-you-like-about-yourself-and-if-there-are/) [Benji Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benji-madden/) > [When you get over the anxiety, you discover you should have been mad a long time ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-clampitt/when-you-get-over-the-anxiety-you-discover-you-should-have-been-mad-a/) [Amy Clampitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-clampitt/) > [I'm going to insist that we've got decent funding, enough teachers, and computers in the classroom, but unless you turn off the television set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-m-going-to-insist-that-we-ve-got-decent-funding-enough-teachers-and/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [So I grew up feeling that I wasn't good enough, and that no-one would love me unless I was perfect. But no-one's perfect, we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/so-i-grew-up-feeling-that-i-wasn-t-good-enough-and-that-no-one-would/) [Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/) > [I can't get over this. Dad isn't Sam's dad? Dad is a friend? How was I supposed to know that? People shouldn't be allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/i-can-t-get-over-this-dad-isn-t-sam-s-dad-dad-is-a-friend-how-was-i/) [Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/) > [I've seen people recover physical abilities, yet never get over emotional trauma after a serious accident. I've seen other people overcome the psychological and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-stovall/i-ve-seen-people-recover-physical-abilities-yet-never-get-over/) [Jim Stovall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-stovall/) > [ As you kind of get over the anxiety about \[science and evolution\], it actually adds to your sense of awe about this amazing universe… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/as-you-kind-of-get-over-the-anxiety-about-science-and-evolution-it/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [Tomorrow I'll get over you if I just get through tonight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lila-mccann/tomorrow-i-ll-get-over-you-if-i-just-get-through-tonight/) Lila McCann Browse all 523 Get over quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You know, when one's in love,' I said, 'and things go all wrong, one's terribly unhappy and one thinks one won't ever get over it. But you'll be astounded to learn what the sea will do.' What do you mean?' she smiled. Well, love isn't a good sailor and it languishes on a sea voyage. You'll be surprised when you have the Atlantic between you and Larry to find how slight the pang is that before you sailed seemed intolerable.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "W. Somerset Maugham" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/you-know-when-one-s-in-love-i-said-and-things-go-all-wrong-one-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Get over" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/you-know-when-one-s-in-love-i-said-and-things-go-all-wrong-one-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/w-somerset-maugham-237_get-over_you-know-when-one-s-in-love-i-said-and-t_3066507.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/w-somerset-maugham-237_get-over_you-know-when-one-s-in-love-i-said-and-t_3066507.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/w-somerset-maugham-237_get-over_you-know-when-one-s-in-love-i-said-and-t_3066507.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You know, when one's in love,' I said, 'and things go all wrong, one's terribly unhappy and one thinks one…” — W. Somerset Maugham", "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": "W. Somerset Maugham", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You know, when one's in love,'...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/you-know-when-one-s-in-love-i-said-and-things-go-all-wrong-one-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/you-know-when-one-s-in-love-i-said-and-things-go-all-wrong-one-s/#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 } } ] } ```