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'perhaps all our loves are merely hints and symbols; vagabond-language scrawled on gate-posts and paving-stones along the weary road that others have tramped before us; perhaps you and I are types and this sadness which sometimes falls between us springs from disappointment in our search, each straining through and beyond the other, snatching a glimpse now and then of the shadow whcih turns the corner always a pace or two ahead of us.'

Evelyn Waugh#51

RelationshipsDisappointmentLoveMeaningSearch

About this quote

What does it mean?
Love is depicted as a search for something elusive, with individuals trying to find meaning through each other.
In plain terms
Love is like searching for something we can never quite catch.
What can you take from it?
Relationships often involve searching for deeper meaning.

Where it applies

  • literary analysis
  • relationship reflection
  • existential thought

Putting it to work

  • understanding relationships
  • exploring love

Questions to consider

  • Is love a search for something unreachable?
  • Do we find meaning in others?

Another view

It presents love as inherently unfulfilling.

More from Evelyn Waugh

  1. We possess nothing certainly except the past.

    Permalink to quote #50
  2. I have lived carefully, sheltered myself from the cold winds, eaten moderately of what was in season, drunk fine claret, slept in my own sheets; I shall live l…

    Permalink to quote #52
  3. My theme is memory, that winged host that soared about me one grey morning of war-time.

    Permalink to quote #49

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