- English translation
I don't love you, but I can't stand to be away from you either.
- Literal wording
Neither do I love you, nor am I able to bear your being far away.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying describes being tied to something you do not actually like. The speaker admits to no affection for the person or thing, yet confesses being unable to break away. It captures dependence or habit that survives without real approval, a bond held together by need or familiarity rather than fondness.
It is applied to anyone caught in this contradictory attachment: complaining about a companion, job, or place while staying close to it. The line can carry exasperation, self-mockery, or gentle reproach. It points to the tension of being dissatisfied with something one still cannot give up.
- When it is used
Use it for someone who keeps returning to a person, place, habit, or situation they openly dislike, or as a wry self-description of that bind. It suits teasing or rueful remarks about grudging attachment, not declarations of real hatred.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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