#affection

But yet it is evident that religion consists so much in affection, as that without holy affection there is no true religion; and no light in the understanding is good which does not produce holy affection in the heart: no habit or principle in the heart is good which has no such exercise; and no external fruit is good which does not proceed from such exercises. ↗

— Jonathan Edwards

#religion #religion

[L]asting love is something a person has to decide to experience. Lifelong monogamous devotion is just not natural—not for women even, and emphatically not for men. It requires what, for lack of a better term, we can call an act of will. . . . This isn't to say that a young man can't hope to be seized by love. . . . But whether the sheer fury of a man's feelings accurately gauges their likely endurance is another question. The ardor will surely fade, sooner or later, and the marriage will then live or die on respect, practical compatibility, simple affection, and (these days, especially) determination. With the help of these things, something worthy of the label 'love' can last until death. But it will be a different kind of love from the kind that began the marriage. Will it be a richer love, a deeper love, a more spiritual love? Opinions vary. But it's certainly a more impressive love. ↗

— Robert Wright

#determination #evolutionary-psychology #feelings #lasting-love #love

If equal affection cannot be, let the more loving be me. ↗

— W. H. Auden

#cannot #equal #loving #me #more

I have been extremely touched by these signs of affection on the part of all the Thai people. ↗

— Bhumibol Adulyadej

#been #extremely #i #part #people

We long for an affection altogether ignorant of our faults. Heaven has accorded this to us in the uncritical canine attachment. ↗

— George Eliot

#affection #altogether #attachment #faults #heaven

Curiosity is natural to the soul of man and interesting objects have a powerful influence on our affections. ↗

— Daniel Boone

#curiosity #influence #interesting #man #natural

I use the chopsticks to outline the biggest heart possible. Then I use the Sweet'N Low packets to fill it in. I borrow some from two other tables when I run out. When I'm done, I point to the heart on the table. "This," I say, "is only about one ninety-millionth of how I feel about you." She laughs. "I'll try not to take it personally," she says. "Take what personally?" I say. "You should take it very personally." "The fact that you used artificial sweetener?" I take a Sweet'N Low and fling it at her. "Not everything is a symbol!" I shout. ↗

— David Levithan

#hearts #love #sweet-n-low #symbol #love

What Douglas had once seen as the attractive over-confidence of youth, now looked more like unyielding selfishness. ↗

— Len Deighton

#love #selfishness #ss-gb #youth #love

The day drags along, you make thousands of plans, you imagine every possible conversation, you promise to change your behavior in certain ways–and you feel more and more anxious until your loved one arrives. But by then, you don't know what to say. The hours of waiting have been transformed into tension, the tension has become fear, and the fear makes you embarrassed about showing affection. ↗

— Paulo Coelho

#behavior #change #conversation #day #fear

Any love or happiness given to anyone always comes back. Unfortunately we expect it from the same person ↗

— Brahmakumaris

#love