Love is a many-splendored thing, but have you ever stopped to think about what it really means? The renowned philosopher Alan Watts had some profound insights on this very topic. As we navigate the ups and downs of life, love often emerges as a beacon of hope, a reminder that even in the darkest moments, there’s always something more. In this collection of +24 quotes, we’ll delve into the heart of what it means to truly love – and discover some wisdom from Alan Watts that will leave you feeling seen, heard, and inspired.
Love is not a feeling, it’s a choice. A choice to see the beauty in everyone and everything. – Alan Watts
The only way to truly love someone is to accept them for who they are, without trying to change them.
Love is like a garden. It needs to be nurtured and cared for, or it will wither away. – Alan Watts
The love we have for others is just a reflection of the love we have for ourselves.
Love is a state of Being. Typically, however, people tend to confuse love with strong feelings or emotions. – Alan Watts
We do not ‘come into’ this world; we come out of it as leaves from trees bear fruit and flower. – Alan Watts
Love is the ultimate and highest goal to which man has always aspirated. However, the love for which I am here pleading is not an emotional need but a spiritual necessity.
The primary cause of unhappiness is never the specific thing we think it is. So that when we find, for instance, that our actual disease or burden is tolerable, the trial itself is no longer burdensome. – Alan Watts
You can’t keep on giving out if a tank is empty.
The love we have for each other should be like the air we breathe – it’s always there, and we never even think about it.
It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t give a damn that you’re a genius than to try to get along with someone who thinks you’re some kind of crap. – Alan Watts
The fact that I was once unable to do something does not mean I am still unable.
When we love, we always strive its highest possible expression. When we try to grasp it, we merely touch its outer crust. – Alan Watts
You are never separate from the Universe. You are the Universe trying to experience itself.
The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have been here.
I am not a Buddhist, I am an anthropologist who has studied Buddhism. The Buddha was a man who lived in India 2,500 years ago. – Alan Watts
We are all in the same boat, and we must learn to keep our boat going through stormy seas before we can find the calm harbor.
It’s not that some people have willpower and others don’t. It’s that some people are ready to change and others are not. – Alan Watts
The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance. – Alan Watts
We have only this moment, which is ours. This unique and particular moment. What are we going to do with it?
The secret of life is not self-discovery but self-overcoming.
To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.
The world is a looking-glass. It reflects something every time. – Alan Watts
There are two means of refuge from the misery of life – music and cats.