What Does Real Love Look Like? Best Relationship Quotes To Answer That Question

Updated October 16, 2024by Regain Editorial Team

There are many beliefs about what real love looks like. And it makes sense since every person has individual needs and desires in our various relationships. 

This article explores different relationship quotes that explain what love looks like from various perspectives. From there, you can explore what real love looks like to you through methods like online therapy

Quotes on love and appreciation

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Real love can mean many things

Many relationship experts and mental health professionals who work with couples highlight the value of showing appreciation for your partner. Here are some beautiful love quotes that might help you express gratitude for your relationship and partner.

“Where there is love, there is life.” - Mahatma Gandhi

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” - John F. Kennedy

“Love doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.” - Franklin P. Jones

“If you think something positive about someone, you should tell them. It is the easiest and cheapest way to create value that exists in the world.” - Justin Kan

“I appreciate you more because of the road I’ve traveled. My story brought me to you, and I wouldn’t revise a word of my past if it led me anywhere but your door.” - Aaron Polson

“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy. They are the charming gardeners who make our soul blossom.” - Marcel Proust

Quotes on love and commitment

Commitment, like love, may have various meanings depending on who you are and how you identify. However, authentic connections that exist on an ongoing basis often require a commitment to put in the effort to work with the other person when needed. Here are some quotes on love and commitment.

"True love – that is, deep, abiding love that is impervious to emotional whims or fancy – is a choice. It's a constant commitment to a person regardless of the present circumstances." - Mark Manson

“Your family and your love must be cultivated like a garden. Time, effort, and imagination must be summoned constantly to keep any relationship flourishing and growing.” - Jim Rohn

"Relationships are hard work, but when the work is put in, the love is unstoppable." - Dyllan Murray

"True love doesn't happen right away; it's an ever-growing process. It develops after you've gone through many ups and downs when you've suffered together, cried together, laughed together." - Ricardo Montalban

Quotes on love and tough times

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Most of us encounter rough patches in our relationships and life. And when we love someone, we must often get through these challenging seasons together. Here are some relationship quotes for those who might be going through a rocky time or are supporting a partner through one.

"Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope." - Maya Angelou

"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved." - Barbara Johnson

"I'd rather have bad times with you, than good times with someone else. I'd rather be beside you in a storm, than safe and warm by myself. I'd rather have hard times together than have it easy apart. I'd rather have the one who holds my heart." - Luther Vandross

"Relationships are hard work, but when the work is put in, the love is unstoppable." - Dyllan Murray

“The ultimate test of a relationship is to disagree but to hold hands.” - Alexandra Penney

Quotes on love and relationship health

Maintaining a relationship that each person finds healthy often requires time and dedication, but it can also happen spontaneously. Here are some quotes that explore relationship health.

“A healthy relationship will never require you to sacrifice your friends, your dreams, or your dignity.” - Dinkar Kalotra

"True love is not a strong, fiery, impetuous passion. It is, on the contrary, an element calm and deep. It looks beyond mere externals and is attracted by qualities alone. It is wise and discriminating, and its devotion is real and abiding." - Ellen G. White

“Love in such a way that the person you love feels free.” - Thich Nhat Hanh

More relationship quotes

Since ideas about love range from person to person and we all show love in diverse ways, you might be looking for different words to illustrate your perspective on real love or your relationship. So here are some additional, varied relationship and intimacy quotes you might enjoy.

“Remember that you don't choose love; love chooses you. All you really can do is accept it for all its mystery when it comes into your life. Feel the way it fills you to overflowing, then reach out and give it away.” - Kent Nerburn

“Intimacy is the capacity to be rather weird with someone - and finding that that's okay with them.” - Alain de Botton

“I like to think that I'm trying to choose love over most things, but that's my choice.” - Seal

"To be brave is to love someone unconditionally, without expecting anything in return" - Madonna

"Love consists in giving without getting in return; in giving what is not owed, what is not due the other. That's why true love is never based, as associations for utility or pleasure are, on a fair exchange." - Mortimer Adler

"Love is of all passions the strongest, for it attacks the head, the heart, and the senses simultaneously." - Lao Tzu

"Before you marry a person, you should first make them use a computer with slow Internet service to see who they are." - Will Ferrell

A therapist can help you ask the right questions

Getty/Xavier Lorenzo
Real love can mean many things

With these quotes and thoughts in mind, we hope you find it easier to identify what love looks like for you. Remember, almost every relationship goes through ups and downs. Sometimes you might not see eye-to-eye or unintentionally step on each other's toes, and that's natural. 

Speaking with a mental health professional alongside your partner or as an individual is often beneficial when trying to understand what real love looks like for you. A therapist can be a valuable addition to your support network, and since online and in-person treatments are equally effective, choose whichever method works best for you. 

Therapy can help deepen your connection with your partner regardless of whether you're encountering hurdles in the relationship. Whether you want to see someone as a couple or as an individual, it can help both parties explore and understand their emotions and experiences. And online options often make it easier for couples to coordinate their schedules for shared sessions. 

The independent mental health professionals at Regain are available to help. Regain provides online therapy services from licensed providers with various areas of expertise. In addition, we offer an easy, affordable way to get mental health care. No matter what the indicators of real love are to you, a mental health professional can help you find the healthy relationship tools and skills you're looking for.

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