ROLLO MAY LOVE AND WILL QUOTES

Here are 25 quotes by Rollo May, known for his work in existential psychology, on the subjects of love and will:

“Love is not primarily a relationship to a specific person; it is an attitude, an orientation of character which determines the relatedness of a person to the world as a whole, not toward one ‘object’ of love.”

“The problem of love is not how to acquire it, but how to get rid of all the obstacles within ourselves that we have built against it.”

“Freedom is not the absence of commitments, but the ability to choose – and commit myself to – what is best for me.”

“Love is the affirmation of everything.”

“The experience of separateness arouses anxiety; it is, indeed, the source of all anxiety.”

“The capacity to be alone is the capacity to love.”

“To love means to open ourselves to the negative as well as the positive – to grief, sorrow, and disappointment as well as to joy, fulfillment, and an intensity of consciousness we did not know was possible before.”

“One of the main reasons that we lose our enthusiasm in life is because we become ungrateful..we let what was once a miracle become common to us. We get so accustomed to his goodness it becomes a routine.”

“To love means to embrace and at the same time to withstand many endings, and many many beginnings – all in the same relationship.”

“If we deny our will to love, we will dry up and die.”

“Yet love can always find a way. And if we want it to visit our lives, all we must do is open our hearts and minds to it. We must welcome it, cherish it, celebrate it—and most of all, believe in it.”

“In giving freedom to the other, we are giving freedom to ourselves when we love; we are free, but only if the other person is free.”

“The will to love is not an act of reason; it is a feeling.” I LOVE MY FAMILY QUOTES

“True love is neither physical, nor romantic. True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.”

“The presence of passion within you is the greatest gift you can receive. Treat it as a miracle and revel in its presence in your life.”

“Love is not only a singular triangle formed by the beloved and the two lovers together; it is also a triangular relationship, in which each of the two lovers is related to a third person.”

“Love is not finding someone to live with; it’s finding someone you can’t live without.”

“True love is a process of surrender—not to the other person, but to the force of love itself.”

“The love between two people is based on a mutual commitment of will.”

“The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice, it is conformity.”

“Understanding, love, and freedom are the three most powerful killers of fear.”

“To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk pain. To try is to risk failure, but risk must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.”

“It requires courage not to surrender oneself to the ingenious or compassionate counsels of despair that would induce a man to eliminate himself from the ranks of the living.”

“The ability to listen is a gift and a mark of true love – one that is characterized by openness, attention, and understanding.”

“Love is not meant to be possession, ownership, or control. Love is meant to be a union, a merging, a journey together.”