Quotes About Relationships

He fell in love with her because I didn't suit him anymore - nor him, me, though I could not see it, but he saw it for me.

After we flew across the country we got in bed, laid our bodies delicately together, like a map, laid face to face, East to West, my San Francisco against your New York

Our ability to connect with others is innate, wired into our nervous systems, and we need connection as much as we need physical nourishment.

Once someone appears to us primarily as an object, kindness has no place to root.

When we don't tell those we love about what's really going on or listen carefully to what they have to say, we tend to fill in the blanks with stories.

Even when we do our very best to treat those close to us with utmost respect and understanding, conflict happens. That's life. That's human nature.

Love exists in itself, not relying on owning or being owned.

Forgiveness can be bittersweet. It contains the sweetness of the release of a story that has caused us pain, but also the poignant reminder that even our dearest relationships change over the course of a lifetime.

Only when we start to distinguish reality from fantasy that we can humbly, with eyes wide open, forge loving and sustainable connections with others.

With mindfulness, loving kindness, and self-compassion, we can begin to let go of our expectations about how life and those we love should be.

Buddhist teachings discourage us from clinging and grasping to those we hold dear, and from trying to control the people or the relationship. What's more, we're encouraged to accept the impermanence of all things: the flower that blooms today will be gone tomorrow, the objects we possess will break or fade or lose their utility, our relationships will change, life will end.

The skills available to us through mindfulness make it possible to bring love to our connections with others.

No connection is always easy or free of strife, no matter how many minutes a day we meditate. It's how we relate to conflict, as well as to our differing needs and expectations, that makes our relationships sustainable.

The good news is that opportunities for love enter our lives unpredictably, whether or not we've perfected self-compassion or befriended our inner critic.

Whether we fear the existence of boundaries with others or crave more of them, there's no denying that individuation and separation are inevitable parts of loving relationships that become the site of tension.

We nurture our sense of connection with the larger whole, noticing that the whole is only as healthy as its smallest part.

Real forgiveness in close relationships is never easy. It can't be rushed or engineered.

In reality, love is fluid; it's a verb, not a noun.

The simple act of being completely attentive and present to another person is an act of love, and it fosters unshakeable well-being. It is happiness that isn't bound to a particular situation, happiness that can withstand change.

Sanskrit has different words to describe love for a brother or sister, love for a teacher, love for a partner, love for one's friends, love of nature, and so on. English has only one word, which leads to never-ending confusion.

Real Love may run on a lower voltage, but it's also more grounded & sustainable.

Feelings of apathy as they relate to our relationships often stem from insufficiently paying attention to those around us.

You don't have to love yourself unconditionally before you can give or receive real love.

Whatever language we use use to describe healthy relationships, when we're in them, we feel nourished by them, in body as well as mind.