--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There have been five great kisses since…" description: "\"There have been five great kisses since 1642 B.C. when Saul and Delilah Korn's inadvertent discovery swept across Western civilization. (Before then co..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac2/william-goldman-1095_affection_there-have-been-five-great-kisses-since_2157922.jpg" --- # There have been five great kisses since 1642 B.C. when… ![“There have been five great kisses since 1642 B.C. when Saul and Delilah Korn's inadvertent discovery swept across Western civilization. (Before then couples hooked thumbs.) And the precise rating of kisses is a terribly difficult thing, often leading to great controversy, because although everyone…” quote by William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac2/william-goldman-1095_affection_there-have-been-five-great-kisses-since_2157922.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac2/william-goldman-1095_affection_there-have-been-five-great-kisses-since_2157922.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac2/william-goldman-1095_affection_there-have-been-five-great-kisses-since_2157922.jpg) > “There have been five great kisses since 1642 B.C. when Saul and Delilah Korn's inadvertent discovery swept across Western civilization. (Before then couples hooked thumbs.) And the precise rating of kisses is a terribly difficult thing, often leading to great controversy, because although everyone agrees with the formula of affection times purity times intensity times duration, no one has ever been completely satisfied with how much weight each element should receive. But on any system, there are five that everyone agrees deserve full marks. Well, this one left them all behind.” [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote satirically critiques attempts to quantify love, highlighting its complexity and the futility of rigid formulas. **In simple terms:** Love cannot be reduced to a simple formula. Key Takeaway Embrace love’s mystery. Themes love humor philosophy Mood witty reflective Type satirical philosophical When to use this quote - Romantic relationships - art criticism - personal reflection Key Concepts Quantification subjectivity relationships Questions to Reflect On - How do you measure affection? - What aspects of love resist measurement? A Different Perspective Quantifying love oversimplifies its depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Controversy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/controversy/) [Couple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couple/) [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [Intensity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intensity/) [Kiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kiss/) [Kisses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kisses/) [Kissing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kissing/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Purity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purity/) [Weight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weight/) [Western](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western/) [Western civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western-civilization/) ## Related quotes > [There have been five great kisses since 1642 B.C...(before then couples hooked thumbs.) And the precise rating of kisses is a terribly difficult thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/there-have-been-five-great-kisses-since-1642-b-c-before-then-couples/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [Every relationship comes with a shelf life; that duration could be a minute or even a lifetime. If, for whatever reasons, a relationship cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-bedi/every-relationship-comes-with-a-shelf-life-that-duration-could-be-a/) [Kabir Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-bedi/) > [Nevertheless so profound is our ignorance, and so high our presumption, that we marvel when we hear of the extinction of an organic being;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/nevertheless-so-profound-is-our-ignorance-and-so-high-our-presumption/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [I think a Moon base is not necessary to get to Mars, but I think it will be helpful. 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If we take eternity to mean not infinite temporal duration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/death-is-not-an-event-in-life-we-do-not-live-to-experience-death-if/) [Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/) > [If we denote excitation as an end-effect by the sign plus (+), and inhibition as end-effect by the sign minus (-), such a reflex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-scott-sherrington/if-we-denote-excitation-as-an-end-effect-by-the-sign-plus-and/) [Charles Scott Sherrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-scott-sherrington/) > [Our greatest gain is to lose the wealth that is of such brief duration and, by comparison with eternal things, of such little worth;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-of-vila/our-greatest-gain-is-to-lose-the-wealth-that-is-of-such-brief/) [Teresa of Avila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-of-vila/) > [It is not events and the things one sees and enjoys that produce happiness, but a state of mind which can endow events with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-maurois/it-is-not-events-and-the-things-one-sees-and-enjoys-that-produce/) [Andre Maurois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-maurois/) > [The Author of nature has not given laws to the universe, which, like the institutions of men, carry in themselves the elements of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-playfair/the-author-of-nature-has-not-given-laws-to-the-universe-which-like/) [John Playfair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-playfair/) > [It is well known that unemployment benefits raise unemployment durations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raj-chetty/it-is-well-known-that-unemployment-benefits-raise-unemployment/) [Raj Chetty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raj-chetty/) > [What we know for sure from our work and from others' is that mice have a life span of 1,000 days, dogs have 5,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/what-we-know-for-sure-from-our-work-and-from-others-is-that-mice-have/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore who are decrying the Christian religion, whose morality is so sublime and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-carroll-of-carrollton/without-morals-a-republic-cannot-subsist-any-length-of-time-they/) Charles Carroll of Carrollton > [By heaven we understand a state of happiness infinite in degree, and endless in duration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/by-heaven-we-understand-a-state-of-happiness-infinite-in-degree-and/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) ## More by William Goldman > [“aaron would not come out aaron entered into agony.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/aaron-would-not-come-out-aaron-entered-into-agony/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [“INIGO WAS IN Despair. 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There were four guards outside waiting. At ten seconds per guard, she began figuring, but then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/buttercup-could-picture-westley-rounding-the-final-corner-there-were/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [“Well, you haven’t once said you loved me.’ ‘That’s all you need? Easy. I love you. Okay? Want it louder? I love you. Spell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/well-you-haven-t-once-said-you-loved-me-that-s-all-you-need-easy-i/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [You think this is a trap then?" the Count asked. "I always think everything is a trap until proven otherwise," the Prince answered. "Which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-think-this-is-a-trap-then-the-count-asked-i-always-think/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [“He nodded, took a step away. “I’ll send for you soon. Believe me." “Would my Westley ever lie?” He took another step. “I’m late.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/he-nodded-took-a-step-away-i-ll-send-for-you-soon-believe-me-would-my/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [“This was not before doctors, but in Turkey they hadn't gotten around to claiming the bone business yet; milkmen still were in charge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/this-was-not-before-doctors-but-in-turkey-they-hadn-t-gotten-around/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [“Sonny, don't you tell me what's worthwhile--true love is the best thing in the world, except for cough drops. Everybody knows that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/sonny-don-t-you-tell-me-what-s-worthwhile-true-love-is-the-best-thing/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Explore all 281 William Goldman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) ## More Affection quotes > [My team and I have reunited two elements that coexist with diffiulty: respect and affection, because when they love you they don't respect you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakira/my-team-and-i-have-reunited-two-elements-that-coexist-with-diffiulty/) [Shakira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakira/) > [Needs cause motivation. Deep-rooted desires for esteem, affection, belonging, achievement, self-actualization, power, and control motivate us to push for what we want and need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorii-myers/needs-cause-motivation-deep-rooted-desires-for-esteem-affection/) [Lorii Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorii-myers/) > [“It is to build a house with affection, even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/it-is-to-build-a-house-with-affection-even-as-if-your-beloved-were-to/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [I, measuring his affections by my own, Which then most sought where most might not be found, Being one too many by my weary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-measuring-his-affections-by-my-own-which-then-most-sought-where/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [There are a number of qualities which are important for mental peace, but from the little experience I have, I believe that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/there-are-a-number-of-qualities-which-are-important-for-mental-peace/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [A lost love. Deny it who will, ridicule it, treat it as mere imagination and sentiment, the thing is and will be; and women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/a-lost-love-deny-it-who-will-ridicule-it-treat-it-as-mere-imagination/) [Dinah Maria Murlock Craik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/) > [Affection! Affection is false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-i/affection-affection-is-false/) [Elizabeth I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-i/) > [We are a spectacular, splendid manifestation of life. We have language. . . . We have affection. We have genes for usefulness, and usefulness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/we-are-a-spectacular-splendid-manifestation-of-life-we-have-language/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [Listen, I have a great affection and respect for Joe Biden. I think he's been a great vice president. He's taken on a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-axelrod/listen-i-have-a-great-affection-and-respect-for-joe-biden-i-think-he/) [David Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-axelrod/) > [The still affection of the heart Became an outward breathing type, That into stillness past again, And left a want unknown before; Although the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/the-still-affection-of-the-heart-became-an-outward-breathing-type/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [I am persuaded that there is no affection of the human heart more exquisitely pure, than that which is felt by a grateful son…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/i-am-persuaded-that-there-is-no-affection-of-the-human-heart-more/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [If you live in a material universe where acquiring things is very important to you, then family is an absolute deterrent to maintaining that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/if-you-live-in-a-material-universe-where-acquiring-things-is-very/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [Our sweetest experiences of affection are meant to be suggestions of that realm which is the home of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/our-sweetest-experiences-of-affection-are-meant-to-be-suggestions-of/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [“Georgia O’Keeffe moved to rural New Mexico, from which she would sign her letters to the people she loved, “from the faraway nearby.” It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/georgia-o-keeffe-moved-to-rural-new-mexico-from-which-she-would-sign/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) [Browse all 2,465 Affection quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There have been five great kisses since 1642 B.C. when Saul and Delilah Korn's inadvertent discovery swept across Western civilization. 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