Welcome to a brand new TBR Tales, friend! Over the years, through stories and seasons of life, I’ve come across many flavors of love in the books I’ve read. Growing up, love was synonymous to romantic love. Yet, as I have experienced deep relationships, I have come to recognize that strong bonds are created not just with our partner. Becoming a parent amplifies this understanding.
Today, I want to highlight eight of the many quotes that have stuck around with me. Each quote below reflects a different kind of love. I hope they bring you as much comfort as they bring me. There are many more I would love to share but we will keep those for another day.
The 8 Love Quotes
Quote 1: Slow-Burn Romance
“It happened gradually. Slowly, and unnoticed, the way the ocean turns rocks into sand. And you are an ocean, Hana. Gentle and quiet, yet powerful enough to sweep away any man or ship. I drowned in you a long time ago and I did not even know it.”
I love this metaphor of love arriving unnoticed and the impact that can have on us. It takes decades to turn tocks into sand but the key to me here is the transformation – love changes us. We are no longer the same once we have been touched by it.
About the book – Water Moon is a beautiful book, reminiscent of a Studio Ghibli film. It took Ariel and me to wonderful imaginary places like the Night Market in the clouds. Read our book discussion here.
Quote 2: When Language Fails Love
“I could not explain the duration of my love or the depths of my fear; maybe the words only existed in a language we had lost.”
This line speaks to the unspeakable layers of love and how it intertwines with fear of love, change and understanding. The love here endured time though there were years when it seemed non-existent. I love the idea conveyed by “maybe the words only existed in a language we had lost” – sometimes the weight of what we feel cannot be expressed in the language we speak. We are changed with no vocabulary to express how we feel.
About the book – A Curse for the Homesick is the love story of Tess and Soren. It was a thoughtful mystical take about home and belonging when people have different dreams. The backdrop of an ancient curse makes the stakes high and the fear of loss palpable. Read my review here.
Quote 3: Love as Quiet Devotion
“I loved her with the gravity of a stone sinking into a pool.”
Another visual metaphor – sombre, beautiful, heavy! It showcases the inevitably of falling in love in such few words. Though these lines are not for a lover, I think they fit in any context of love. Once we realize we are falling in love, there is no going back.
About the book – Untethered Sky is the story of a roc trainer, Ester, and her roc, Zahra, and the joys and challenges of loving a majestic wild beast. I thought about my cats often when I read this book. Check out my review here.
Quote 4: Love Defying Time
“Love is what we have, against time and death, against all the powers ranged to crush us down.”
Even when everything else is uncertain, it’s the love we carry that transcends time’s grip. I love the defiance in this line, the protest against everything that makes us feel small or afraid. Love survives war. Time. Death. Even if we can’t stop those things, we can love through them and that’s a kind of victory. The memories we share with loved ones are timeless, at our fingertips to return to.
About the book – This is How You Lose the Time War does a fantastic job of exploring how love can rise between enemies and blur the lines, how it can endure through wars and revive itself. Read my review here and come meet an unforgettable storyteller.
Quote 5: Learning to Love Through Parenthood
“If you want the experience of having complete responsibility for another human being, and to learn how to love and bond in the deepest way, then you should have children.”
I read Tuesdays with Morrie before I had my daughter and reflecting on this quote is building a bridge between then and now. At first glance, it seems like a daunting ask—but what Morrie points to is a kind of love that is active, selfless, and constantly evolving. It’s true – having her has deepened my understanding and capacity to love. She reminds me everyday that it is not about perfection but presence. I believe children remake us. A baby demands us to show up for them no matter how tired or at the end of our rope we may feel. Love is a teacher. Parenthood is one of the most revealing loves out there.
About the book – Tuesdays with Morrie is a kind reminder to be with the people we love in whatever capacity we can. To create memories we can look back at. Read my book discussion with a friend here.
Quote 6: Love in the Everyday Chaos
“I have a great love just like Babcia’s great love—and this man is it. It’s not clean and simple, because our lives are not clean and simple— and it’s harder day-to-day to keep that love in our focus, because we have so much else to manage. But right now—just for a moment—the static of managing our kids and his career and the dynamics of our home life has completely cleared, and my love for Wade surges until it’s all I can think about.”
Love is complex. Long-term partnerships see the ups and downs of life. Between commitments and unexpected time sinks, we need reminders of how much we love the person we are with. No matter how differently they handle things than us. This quote by Alice from The Things We Cannot Say is a beautiful example of when love isn’t easy but still enduring. Life changes whether it is having kids, changing jobs or loss of a loved one but we make the choice to hold on.
Quote 7: Letting Go While Holding On
“I am trying to allow her to grow while simultaneously keeping her from drifting away. I want her to know life, its beauties and its complexities, I want her to take risks and make mistakes and know love as we all should, and yet those things feel too big, they are dwarfing us, she is just a baby and I really need my wife.”
This is a quote from a father about this daughter. It is heartbreaking and complex because it showcases the challenges parenthood brings and how much harder it gets as a single parent. Dom feels his wife was a natural but he cannot reach her in death to help their daughter. These lines are raw with emotion. They portray the ache of wanting the best for a child while coping with loss. Children ask us to grow up in ways we never imagined. It is lovely but hard.
About the book – Wild Dark Shore is about a family on an isolated island, getting ready to leave, unsure of the world they will be returning to after eight years and scared to leave the life they have built because nothing is going to be the same anymore. My review is forthcoming!
Quote 8: Family Love, Shattered and Rebuilt
“This family of mine is messy and it’s different, but in this moment of grief and sadness, we feel closer to a whole unit than we have in as long as I can remember. Life has a way of shattering our expectations, of leaving our hopes in pieces without explanation. But when there’s love in a family, the fragments left behind from our shattered dreams can always be pulled together again, even if the end result is a mosaic.”
I want to end this compilation with another quote from The Things We Cannot Say. This is a balm to the one from Wild Dark Shore. It puts forward the chaos of life and the beauty that comes from when we feel broken. Grief unites us. It exposes us in ways we weren’t prepared for. Love holds us together. We may be changed but we are loved and that makes life worth living,
About the book – The Things We Cannot Say is a well loved book for a reason. A perfect blend of how history impacts the present and how much capacity we have in us to grow and endure, it is one of my all time favourite stories. Read the review here.
Final Reflections and Invitations
I hope you enjoyed this small selection of quotes about love – romantic, deep, familial, complicated – and maybe hopeful. Was there a quote that made you pause, or brought someone you love to mind? I’d love to hear which one and why. And if you have a quote about love that has stayed with you, please share it—I’m always gathering for the next chapter.
You’re welcome to save or share any of these lines that speak to you. I know I’ll be returning to them when I need reminders of how vast love can be.
I look forward to compiling more quotes in another post. Thanks for being here!
About TBR Tales
Dive into the world of TBR Tales, where the journey through the to-be-read pile becomes a rich narrative of literary exploration. Join me as I navigate the pages of books, reflecting on the joys, challenges, and unexpected treasures found along the way. From rediscovering old favorites to embracing new genres, TBR Tales is a celebration of the reader’s life. Thank you for reading. 🙂
They’re all lovely! I specially love the first one
Thanks! 🙂