For a day that professes to promote love, relationships, and romance, Valentine’s Day itself is certainly not universally loved. Many people, both single and attached, are offended by the obvious commercialism of the “holiday” and believe it cheapens the experience of love and relationships. Greeting cards, chocolates, flowers, stuffed bears—each gift, thoughtful as it may be, puts a price tag on feeling loved or appreciated.
Others, especially people who are single around Valentine’s Day, resent the pressure it creates to have a significant other. After all, the arrival of Valentine’s Day can bring into sharp relief the experience of being single.
But if love is really at the heart of Valentine’s Day, then it should be enough to give the gift of time and attention to those you love and care for—beginning with yourself.
GoodTherapy.org has compiled a selection of love quotes and messages about love, including the most important kind of all: self-love. We hope these serve as a reminder that beneath the rituals and love letters we’ve created to recognize Valentine’s Day, despite the commercialism and expectations it seems to create, the greatest gift we can give or be given in life is love, in all its many forms!
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