The highest form of love is the love that allows for intimacy without the annihilation of difference.
Interpretation
True love embraces intimacy while respecting individual differences.
This quote emphasizes that the purest and most profound form of love fosters closeness and connection between individuals, yet it also honors the uniqueness and individuality of each person. In a healthy relationship, intimacy is built on mutual understanding and respect for each other's differences rather than attempting to erase or control them.
In practice
During a wedding speech, one could use this quote to highlight the importance of loving one another while maintaining individuality.
The academic bias against subjectivity not only forces our students to write poorly ("It is believed...," instead of, "I believe..."), it deforms their thinking about themselves and their world. In a single stroke, we delude our students into believing that bad prose turns opinions into facts and we alienate them from their own inner lives.
Before I can tell my life what I want to do with it, I must listen to my life telling me who I am.
Self-care is never a selfish act - it is only good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer others.
We need a coat with two pockets. In one pocket there is dust, and in the other pocket there is gold. We need a coat with two pockets to remind us who we are.
The kind of teaching that transforms people does not happen if the student’s inward teacher is ignored… we can speak to the teacher within our students only when we are on speaking terms with the teacher within ourselves.
Our deepest calling is to grow into our own authentic self-hood, whether or not it conforms to some image of who we ought to be. As we do so, we will not only find the joy that every human being seeks--we will also find our path of authentic service in the world.
Happiness is not something you acquire; love is not something you produce; love is not something you have; love is something that has you.
Oh to have you with me, to have you here, not to be alone, but to be with you, my beauty, you of all souls! You.
Whether you call my heart affectionate, or you call it womanish: I confess, that to my misfortune, it is soft.
Prayer is first and foremost an act of love
For me the only things of interests are those linked to the heart
In the last resort, a love of God without love of humanity is no love at all.
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