Quotes About Love From John Legend, Joy Harjo and More

Love is one of the most powerful human emotions and manifests in myriad ways—from self-love to love for friends, family members, and significant others. Philosophers, poets, authors, artists, and religious leaders, from Aristotle to the Buddha to Emily Brontë and Jane Austen, have captured love’s significance in writing and produced some of the most inspirational quotes and moving love stories. Sharing love quotes with the special people in your life is a great way to say “I love you” and show them how much you care.

Many MasterClass instructors have spoken about the significant role love has played in their lives and offered advice on expressing, giving, and receiving love in your life. Here are some of the best quotes about love from MasterClass instructors:

• Cornel West on the Power of Love

Cornel West describes love as an “unequivocal and unconditional commitment to the welfare of another.” Love played a major role in shaping Cornel West into the person he is today, a fact that led him to marvel at its power.

“We should recognize that love is a dangerous force as well as the most sublime and majestic force. And what's dangerous about love is that it is so powerful that it can lead toward disintegration and destruction, or it can lead toward elevation and exaltation.” — Cornel West

• John Legend on Love and Music

Helping others think differently about true love motivates musician John Legend.

“Art can help people fall in love. Art can help people think about love differently. Art can do a lot of things. And I think some of my music has been about helping people think about love differently, and think about their relationships differently. Some of my music has been celebrating love, celebrating sensuality, celebrating romance.” — John Legend

• Joy Harjo on Love and Poetry

As the twenty-third United States Poet Laureate, Joy Harjo is a believer in the power of poetry, demonstrated by how people often gravitate toward poems to express feelings during life’s most significant moments.

“We go to poetry for the most important rituals of our lives. For being born, for birth, for weddings, for falling in love, for death, for letting people go, for welcoming someone in.” — Joy Harjo

• Emily Morse on the Science of Love and Sex

Sex educator Emily Morse explains that the “honeymoon” phase of a romantic relationship has a neurochemical basis. She says it’s natural for these passionate feelings to diminish slightly after about a year and a half.

“[Researchers] actually looked at the brainwave patterns of people who were falling in love or lust in this phase. It was the same as somebody who was on cocaine. It’s going come down a little bit, and then you're not going feel like ripping your partner’s clothes off the second they walk in the door. It doesn’t mean that you don't love your partner; it just means the sex doesn’t feel that intense and that lustful as it did in the beginning.” — Emily Morse

Craving a little more intimacy? Grab a MasterClass Annual Membership and learn more about open communication with your partners, experimenting in the bedroom, and being your own best sexual advocate with a little help from Emily Morse (host of the wildly popular podcast Sex With Emily).