Falling in love is not an extension of one's limits or boundaries; it is a partial and temporary collapse of them.
M. Scott PeckRead
I define love thus: The will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Love is about the desire to support and enhance the growth of oneself and others spiritually.
This quote by M. Scott Peck suggests that love is not merely an emotion but a conscious decision to invest in the growth and well-being of ourselves and those we care about. It emphasizes the importance of nurturing relationships that foster spiritual development, highlighting selflessness and commitment as integral components of true love.
Themes
LoveSpiritual GrowthNurturingSelflessnessRelationships
In practice
Example use cases
In a wedding speech to express the essence of the couple's love.
More from M. Scott Peck
All quotes βListening well is an exercise of attention and by necessity hard work. It is because they do not realize this or because they are not willing to do the work that most people do not listen well.
M. Scott PeckRead
If your goal is to avoid pain and escape suffering, I would not advise you to seek higher levels of consciousness or spiritual evolution.
M. Scott PeckRead
All my life I used to wonder what I would become when I grew up. Then, about seven years ago, I realized that I was never going to grow up--that growing is an ever ongoing process.
M. Scott PeckRead
When we love someone our love becomes demonstrable or real only through our exertion - through the fact that for that someone (or for ourself) we take an extra step or walk an extra mile. Love is not effortless. To the contrary, love is effortful.
M. Scott PeckRead
An unconscious, gentle process whereby people who want to be loving attempt to be so by telling little white lies, by withholding some of the truth about themselves and their feelings in order to avoid conflict. Pseudocommunity is conflict-avoiding; true community is conflict-resolving.
M. Scott PeckRead
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The outstretched arms of Jesus exclude no one, not the drunk in the doorway, the panhandler on the street, gays and lesbians in their isolation, the most selfish and ungrateful in their cocoons, the most unjust of employers and the most overweening of snobs. The love of Christ embraces all without exception.
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If a thing loves, it is infinite.
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