There is no reciprocity

Alice Thomas Ellis was a columnist for The Spectator. Or rather, she was a novelist who also wrote a column for the Spectator. That is where I am familiar with her writings.

Going through some old notes, I came across this quote from her.

There is no reciprocity. Men love women. Women love children. Children love hamsters. Hamsters don't love anyone.

We want everything to be balanced and good. And sometimes that is what we achieve through will and effort. But the desire for reciprocity does not spring from actual observed reciprocity.