It's so worth it.
By Emily Ratay — Written on Apr 14, 2017
Love can be hard for all of us. It can be difficult to wake up every day and feel the same amount of love for another person, whether it be after a few months together or even a few years.
Sometimes it feels like love comes and goes with one person, perhaps the rough patches you endure together feel like they're pulling you apart.
Love isn't easy, but true unconditional love never makes you feel like those rough patches are unbearable.
There will ALWAYS be times in your life when it feels impossible to love someone and, sometimes, it’ll feel like you don’t deserve to be loved at all.
But these are the times when unconditional love is needed most because when times get tough, you don’t want to be the one who leaves.
There are so many people out there who can teach you about the value of unconditional love. These people are ones who have been through it all and are able to say with 100 percent certainty that unconditional love is achievable.
Let’s face it, unconditional love can seem like an impossible task to someone who still finds little things to hate about their significant other. It can be easy to overlook someone’s flaws, but when you’re finally able to love every single part of them, then you know what unconditional love feels like.
Take it from Andrea Miller, the author of Radical Acceptance: The Secret to Happy, Lasting Love.
She writes that unconditional love isn’t about being able to love someone (and even yourself) in spite of all the flaws and misgivings they have. It’s about so deeply loving every part of someone that these “flaws” are just more of them to love.
And when it’s hardest to look your partner in the eye and tell them that you love them, that’s when it matters most. Because you are able to put your own pride aside and take the leap of faith that unconditional love requires.
This isn’t an easy thing to learn, and it certainly can’t be learned overnight, but when you take your time with love, that’s when you see all it has to offer. Here are 12 quotes that remind you that unconditional love takes work — a lot of work — but it's WORTH IT.
Love is life’s greatest gift, which is why people have a passion for love quotes — and we’ve got you covered. When it comes to saying “I love you”, the truth about marriage, or even finding the perfect love quote for your guy, we have all the cute (or sexy!) quotes you need.
On learning to love yourself, too.
“The ultimate lesson all of us have to learn is unconditional love, which includes not only others but ourselves as well.” — Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
On the equality of love.
“Love is made up of three unconditional properties in equal measure: acceptance, understanding, and appreciation. Remove any one of the three and the triangle falls apart.” — Vera Nazarian
On loving everything about someone.
“Love is not ‘if’ or ‘because.’ Love is ‘anyway’ and ‘even though’ and ‘in spite of.’”
On finding bliss.
“Love is extending yourself in the spirit of love, even when it’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done, and it’s finding serenity and bliss on the other side.” — Andrea Miller, author of Radical Acceptance: The Secret to Happy, Lasting Love
On loving when it's hardest.
“Love me when I least deserve it because that is when I need it the most.” — Swedish Proverb
On how love makes you act.
“Unconditional love is not based on the performance of the receiver, but on the character of the giver.” — Jack Frost
On the struggles of love.
“Unconditional love never fails any test. It can struggle, but the bond cannot be broken.” — Vex King
On taking a leap of faith.
“Loving and being loved unconditionally means taking a leap of faith. It means feeling safe in your relationship and making room for vulnerability so that you can both be truly seen for who you are.” — Andrea Miller, author of Radical Acceptance: The Secret to Happy, Lasting Love
On what the soul needs most.
"The most basic need a soul has is to experience unconditional love and acceptance."
On adjusting for love.
“Unconditional love is tuning yourself to the frequency of love, not looking for conditions to change.” — Abraham Hicks
On the strength of love.
“Loving someone fully and without judgment is the opposite of being a weak pushover. It requires tremendous strength, fortitude, emotional maturity, and self-awareness.” — Andrea Miller, author of Radical Acceptance: The Secret to Happy, Lasting Love
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