Context

This line is from the song "The End" by The Beatles, from the album Abbey Road (1969).

Besides the 23-second song "Her Majesty," "The End" is the last song on the album Abbey Road by the Beatles. And Abbey Road is the penultimate album by the Beatles. So what we're saying is, "The End" is pretty much signifying the end of the Beatles.



Want more ends? Well, this is actually the last line in "The End." Hmm, so let's do some Shmoopy thinking. You could say that the love they took from their fans and from each other was equal to the love that they made in their music. Thus, "The love you take is equal to the love you make."



And you know what? That's a pretty good way to approach the end of a great band and legacy… thanking each other and their fans.

Where you've heard it

You probably won't read this on signs in the middle of the city, and your friends probably won't give you a card that says this as you go off to college. This is simply a Beatles thang.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

Wanna sound super sad and super sappy? Wanna sentimentalize the Shmoop out of a situation? Tired of all this aggravating alliteration? 

Well, then don't drop this bomb of a lyric on anyone, or that'll be the end of your friendship.