Love Quote by Peter De Vries

De Vries lands the punch by splitting a pious commandment into two awkwardly human verbs. Love, in this line, is the public virtue: the thing sermons, civic mottos, and post-crisis speeches can demand with a straight face. Like is the private appetite: visceral, petty, contingent on tone of voice, table manners, political takes, and the thousand small abrasions that make community hard. The comedy comes from how quickly the speaker agrees with the high-minded part ("yes, yes") before swerving into the loophole. It is the sound of someone nodding dutifully in church while already drafting the footnote that lets them stay annoyed.

The subtext is not anti-love so much as anti-sentimentality. De Vries, a novelist with a satirist's ear, is mocking the American habit of turning morality into a feeling and then scolding people for failing to feel it on schedule. By insisting that love can be an obligation while liking remains optional, he makes love tougher, not softer: less Hallmark, more discipline. You can commit to someone's dignity, safety, and basic worth without pretending they are pleasant company.

Contextually, it reads like mid-century social realism with a skeptical grin: families stuck with families, neighbors with neighbors, citizens with fellow citizens. The line anticipates our current confusion between ethics and vibes. It gives permission to stop faking warmth while still holding the line against cruelty, exclusion, and the gleeful dehumanization that often hides behind "I'm just being honest."