We live in interesting and increasingly bellicose times. While love is commonly associated with intimacy and romance, love’s virtues subtly pervade the entire creation. For this Love issue, Common Ground proudly celebrates some of these expressions with a small selection of pictures and quotes. These reminders aim to broaden the spotlight on love’s virtues that include compassion, patience, acceptance, truth, courage, generosity, justice, humility, reverence—just to speak a few.
We urge readers to plumb the depths of their own virtuous hearts to re-inspire the investigation of self-love and self-knowledge—and to walk boldly.
“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there
can be no more hurt, only more love.”
—MOTHER TERESA
“Love is what we were born with.
Fear is what we learned here.”
—MARIANNE WILLIAMSON
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did, but people will
never forget how you made them feel.”
—MAYA ANGELOU
“Another reason why we must love
our enemies is that hate scars the
soul and distorts the personality.”
—MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, conceited, proud, or boastful, it is not arrogant, selfish, irritable, or rude. Love does not keep a record of wrongs. Love is not happy with evil but is happy with the truth. Love never gives up, and its faith, hope, and patience never fail. Love is eternal.”
—1 CORINTHIANS 13:4
“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries.
Without them humanity cannot survive.”
—TENZIN GYATSO, 14TH DALAI LAMA
The hero of my tale, whom I love with all the power of
my soul, whom I have tried to portray in all his beauty,
who has been, is, and will be beautiful, is Truth.
—LEO TOLSTOY
One doesn’t stay in a state of nirvana by
hiding from difficulties. You stay in nirvana
by lavishing nirvana on everyone you meet,
by giving it away as fast as you receive it.
—ADYASHANTI
“Do you want to meet the love of
your life? Look in the mirror.”
—BYRON KATIE
“The most beautiful people I’ve known are those who
have known trials, have known struggles, have known
loss, and have found their way out of the depths.”
—ELISABETH KüBLER-ROSS
We can’t fight darkness with darkness. We
have to find compassion and embrace the
darkness inside in order to transcend it.”
—DEBBIE FORD
“Until one has loved an animal,
a part of one’s soul remains
unawakened.”
—ANATOLE FRANCE
“Never forget that justice is
what love looks like in public.”
—CORNEL WEST
“One man practicing kindness
in the wilderness is worth all
the temples this world pulls.”
—JACK KEROUAC
“Humility and patience are the
surest proofs of the increase of love.”
—JOHN WESLEY
“Compassion to the poor
is our duty to God.”
—MATA AMRITANANDAMAYI (AMMA)
“One love, one heart. Let’s get
together and feel all right.”
—BOB MARLEY
“And in the end, the love you take
is equal to the love you make.”
—THE BEATLES
