For centuries, philosophers have been puzzled by the complex emotion of love. Through thoughtful musings, insightful quotes and other forms of expression, great thinkers have attempted to understand the meaning and role of love in our lives.
Love Quotes from Philosophers
“Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.”
– Aristotle

The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle believed love fuses two people together into one. This quote speaks to the profound connection and understanding lovers share.
“There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.”
– Friedrich Nietzsche
Nietzsche recognizes that love often appears nonsensical from the outside. But he suggests that if you look deeper, there is meaning and purpose driving even the most irrational acts of love.
“Love is the joy of the good, the wonder of the wise, the amazement of the Gods.” –
Plato
Plato regards love as a divine force that brings great happiness. His poetic description captures the euphoric feeling real love provides.
“To love is to delight in the happiness of someone else.”
– Gottfried Leibniz
The German polymath Leibniz identified an unselfishness in true love, where the happiness of the beloved becomes your own.
“Love is life. And if you miss love, you miss life.”
– Leo Buscaglia
Contemporary author Buscaglia summarizes how love is at the core of human existence. Life without love is devoid of meaning.
The musings of history’s great philosophical minds reveal diverse insights on this most captivating of human experiences. Their thoughts poetically convey love’s dual ability to both uplift and confound us. For millennia, love has fueled humanity’s greatest achievements and darkest torments. Clearly its complexity and power will continue to intrigue philosophers for centuries to come.
Love Quotes from Greek Philosophers
The ancient Greek philosophers were among the first to contemplate the meaning and role of love in our lives. Their insights on love were incredibly thoughtful and many still ring true today. Below are 20 quotes about love from famous Greek philosophers:
“Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.”
– Aristotle
“Love is born into every human being; it calls back the halves of our original nature together; it tries to make one out of two and heal the wound of human nature.” –
Plato

“There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.” –
Friedrich Nietzsche
“Love is the joy of the good, the wonder of the wise, the amazement of the gods.”
– Plato
“Love is a serious mental disease.”
– Plato
“Love is simply the name for the desire and pursuit of the whole.”
– Plato
“Love’s mysteries in souls do lie, of joining hearts and meeting eyes.”
– Plato
“Love is like a mirror, it reflects you.”
– Greek proverb
“One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love.”
– Sophocles
“Love is the tranquility of the good and the constancy of the wise.”
– Aristotle
“The madness of love is the greatest of heaven’s blessings.”
– Plato
“Love is the beauty of the soul.”
– Plato
“Once the realization is accepted that even between the closest human beings infinite distances continue, a wonderful living side by side can grow, if they succeed in loving the distance between them which makes it possible for each to see the other whole against the sky.”
– Rainer Maria Rilke
“There is no remedy for love but to love more.” –
Henry David Thoreau
“We are shaped and fashioned by what we love.”
– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“To love is to delight in the happiness of someone else.”
– Gottfried Leibniz
“We love because it’s the only true adventure.”
– Nikki Giovanni
“Love is friendship set on fire.”
– Jeremy Taylor
“Love asks me no questions, and gives me endless support.”
– William Shakespeare

“Love cures people—both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it.”
– Karl Menninger
Love Quotes from Plato
The ancient Greek philosopher Plato had many profound insights into the nature of love. His writings explore love’s motivations, effects, and purpose in our lives. Here are 20 memorable love quotes from the great thinker Plato:
“Love is born into every human being; it calls back the halves of our original nature together; it tries to make one out of two and heal the wound of human nature.”
“Love is a serious mental disease.”
“Love is the joy of the good, the wonder of the wise, the amazement of the Gods.”
“Love’s mysteries in souls do lie, of joining hearts and meeting eyes.”

“Love is the pursuit of the whole.”
“Once the realization is accepted that even between the closest human beings infinite distances continue, a wonderful living side by side can grow, if they succeed in loving the distance between them which makes it possible for each to see the other whole against the sky.”
– Rainer Maria Rilke
“Love asks me no questions, and gives me endless support.”
– William Shakespeare
“Love is an attempt to change a piece of a dream world into reality.” –
Sigmund Freud
“There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.”
– Friedrich Nietzsche
“Love is simply the name for the desire and pursuit of the whole.”
“Love is the messenger of the gods.”
“Love is the beauty of the soul.”
“Love conquers all.”
“Love is wise, hatred is foolish.”
“Love is when the other person’s happiness is more important than your own.”
– H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

“Where there is love there is life.”
– Mahatma Gandhi
“There is no surprise more magical than the surprise of being loved.”
– Charles Morgan
“Love is friendship set on fire.”
– Jeremy Taylor
“Love is an endless act of forgiveness.”
– Jan Karon
“Love is life. And if you miss love, you miss life.” –
Leo Buscaglia
Love Quotes from Ancient Greece
The philosophers and thinkers of ancient Greece left an immense cultural legacy, including many insights into the enigmatic power of love. Here are 20 thought-provoking quotes about love from ancient Greek sources:
“Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.”
– Aristotle
“Love is born into every human being; it calls back the halves of our original nature together; it tries to make one out of two and heal the wound of human nature.” –
Plato
“Love is a serious mental disease.” –
Plato
“Love is the joy of the good, the wonder of the wise, the amazement of the gods.”
– Plato

“There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.”
– Friedrich Nietzsche
“Love is simply the name for the desire and pursuit of the whole.”
– Plato
“Love’s mysteries in souls do lie, of joining hearts and meeting eyes.”
– Plato
“Love is like a mirror, it reflects you.”
– Greek proverb
“One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love.”
– Sophocles
“Love is the tranquility of the good and the constancy of the wise.”
– Aristotle
“The madness of love is the greatest of heaven’s blessings.”
– Plato
“Love is the beauty of the soul.”
– Plato
“Once the realization is accepted that even between the closest human beings infinite distances continue, a wonderful living side by side can grow, if they succeed in loving the distance between them which makes it possible for each to see the other whole against the sky.”
– Rainer Maria Rilke
“Love conquers all.”
“Love is patient, love is kind…”
– 1 Corinthians 13:4
“You have made me happy and as long as I can be happy in this life here, that is enough.”
– Greek poetess Nossis
“Love is the warmth of the soul.”
– Greek lyric poet Alcaeus
“Lovers have a right to betray you…friends don’t.”
– Greek writer Heraclitus
“Love is simply the name for the desire and pursuit of the whole.”
– Plato
“Where there is love there is life.”
– Mahatma Gandhi
Love quotes from philosophers have captivated thinkers and romantics for millennia. The musings of history’s greatest philosophical minds reveal diverse insights on this most captivating of human experiences. Their thoughts poetically convey love’s dual ability to both uplift and confound us. From Plato’s vision of love as “the joy of the good” to Nietzsche’s recognition that “there is always some madness in love”, these quotes eloquently analyze love from every angle. The wisdom within these love quotes from philosophers provides a timeless lens through which to examine and understand the most powerful of all human emotions.