---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Love likes to extend itself. If you…"
description: "\"Love likes to extend itself. If you receive it in a book - or however you get it - then your duty is to extend it beyond.\" — Alice Walker"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b1/alice-walker-347_book_love-likes-to-extend-itself-if-you-recei_3067225.png"
---

#  Love likes to extend itself. If you receive it in a book…

![“Love likes to extend itself. If you receive it in a book - or however you get it - then your duty is to extend it beyond.” quote by Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b1/alice-walker-347_book_love-likes-to-extend-itself-if-you-recei_3067225.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b1/alice-walker-347_book_love-likes-to-extend-itself-if-you-recei_3067225.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b1/alice-walker-347_book_love-likes-to-extend-itself-if-you-recei_3067225.png)

> “Love likes to extend itself. If you receive it in a book - or however you get it - then your duty is to extend it beyond.”

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Love is a force that grows when shared; receiving it obliges us to pass it on.

**In simple terms:** Love expands when shared.

Key Takeaway

Share love when you receive it.

Themes

compassion generosity connection

Mood

warm hopeful

Type

ethical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal relationships
- community building
- volunteering
- teaching
- artistic collaboration

Key Concepts

reciprocity empathy social responsibility

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you share love without expecting return?
- What barriers stop you from extending kindness?

A Different Perspective

Love may not be reciprocated, making sharing feel risky.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book Duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-duty-5172378/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) [Duty Extend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty-extend-5172376/) [Extend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extend/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Likes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/likes/) [Likes Extend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/likes-extend-5172377/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-does/)

## Related quotes

> [The best way to cleanse the heart and prepare for the stilling of the mind is to lead a normal, worldly life. Living in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meher-baba/the-best-way-to-cleanse-the-heart-and-prepare-for-the-stilling-of-the/)

[Meher Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meher-baba/)

> [if you ask me, nobody really likes people who are always doing their duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/if-you-ask-me-nobody-really-likes-people-who-are-always-doing-their/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [In seeking an empire of liberty, Jefferson wished not only to expand the country's territorial holdings, but also to extend American institutions around the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/in-seeking-an-empire-of-liberty-jefferson-wished-not-only-to-expand/)

[Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/)

> [Fairness is a concept that holds only in limited situations. Yet we want the concept to extend to everything, in and out of phase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fairness-is-a-concept-that-holds-only-in-limited-situations-yet-we/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Having a pleasant time can extend a long period of time to have a fun time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-polso/having-a-pleasant-time-can-extend-a-long-period-of-time-to-have-a-fun/)

[Travis Polso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-polso/)

> [I'm not a philosopher so why should I provide anyone with the answers? I'm just a musician, I don't have any solutions. All I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayshay/i-m-not-a-philosopher-so-why-should-i-provide-anyone-with-the-answers/)

[Ayshay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayshay/)

> [You can have a good run for several years with one company and then be able to extend it with another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-steamboat/you-can-have-a-good-run-for-several-years-with-one-company-and-then/)

[Ricky Steamboat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-steamboat/)

> [With practice and focus, you can extend yourself far more than you ever believed possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-hillary/with-practice-and-focus-you-can-extend-yourself-far-more-than-you/)

[Edmund Hillary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-hillary/)

> [Give yourself the same compassion you extend to others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-raitt/give-yourself-the-same-compassion-you-extend-to-others/)

[Bonnie Raitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-raitt/)

> [Extend a hand whether or not you know it shall be grasped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryunosuke-satoro/extend-a-hand-whether-or-not-you-know-it-shall-be-grasped/)

[Ryunosuke Satoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryunosuke-satoro/)

> [Here I encounter the most popular fallacy of our times. It is not considered sufficient that the law should guarantee to every citizen the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/here-i-encounter-the-most-popular-fallacy-of-our-times-it-is-not/)

[Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/)

> [The administration of George W. Bush, emboldened by the Sept. 11 attacks and the backing of a Republican Congress, has sought to further extend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/the-administration-of-george-w-bush-emboldened-by-the-sept-11-attacks/)

[Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/)

> [Man's ethics must not end with man, but should extend to the universe. He must regain the consciousness of the great Chain of Life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/man-s-ethics-must-not-end-with-man-but-should-extend-to-the-universe/)

[Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/)

> [I never do any album to beat it. I do it to extend it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-j-blige/i-never-do-any-album-to-beat-it-i-do-it-to-extend-it/)

[Mary J. Blige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-j-blige/)

> [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/)

[Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/)

## More by Alice Walker

> [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [Just be what it is that you are, and that is just fine. You don't have to be what you're not in any way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/just-be-what-it-is-that-you-are-and-that-is-just-fine-you-don-t-have/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [“Remember this-- say it &amp; know it is true: Alice loves me Alice loves me and I am not blamed for this. ... she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/remember-this-say-it-know-it-is-true-alice-loves-me-alice-loves-me/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [“Only the sky above us do we hold in common.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/only-the-sky-above-us-do-we-hold-in-common/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [“Why aren't you happy in America, if everyone there drives motorcars?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/why-aren-t-you-happy-in-america-if-everyone-there-drives-motorcars/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [“She saw poetry where other writers merely saw failure to cope with English.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/she-saw-poetry-where-other-writers-merely-saw-failure-to-cope-with/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [My mother had handed down respect for the possibilities...and the will to grasp them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/my-mother-had-handed-down-respect-for-the-possibilities-and-the-will/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [Helped are those who are content to be themselves; they will never lack mystery in their lives and the joys of self-discovery will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/helped-are-those-who-are-content-to-be-themselves-they-will-never/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [“As others might prepare for an exam whose subject matter is unknown to them, so I must study, cram, for every conversation with my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/as-others-might-prepare-for-an-exam-whose-subject-matter-is-unknown/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [The original crime of niggers and lesbians is that they prefer themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/the-original-crime-of-niggers-and-lesbians-is-that-they-prefer/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [My mother was very strong. Once, she picked up a coconut and smashed it against my father's head. It taught me about women defending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/my-mother-was-very-strong-once-she-picked-up-a-coconut-and-smashed-it/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [Many readers fail to realize this, but 'The Color Purple' is a theological text. It is about the reclamation of one's original God: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/many-readers-fail-to-realize-this-but-the-color-purple-is-a/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [The good news may be that Nature is phasing out the white man, but the bad news is that's who She thinks we all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/the-good-news-may-be-that-nature-is-phasing-out-the-white-man-but-the/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [Humans - whatever billions we are - we don't have the control. We are considered expendable, basically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/humans-whatever-billions-we-are-we-don-t-have-the-control-we-are/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [All my life I had to fight. I had to fight my daddy. I had to fight my uncles. I had to fight my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/all-my-life-i-had-to-fight-i-had-to-fight-my-daddy-i-had-to-fight-my/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

[Explore all 654 Alice Walker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

## More Book quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

[Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Love likes to extend itself. If you receive it in a book - or however you get it - then your duty is to extend it beyond.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alice Walker"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/love-likes-to-extend-itself-if-you-receive-it-in-a-book-or-however/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/love-likes-to-extend-itself-if-you-receive-it-in-a-book-or-however/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b1/alice-walker-347_book_love-likes-to-extend-itself-if-you-recei_3067225.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b1/alice-walker-347_book_love-likes-to-extend-itself-if-you-recei_3067225.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b1/alice-walker-347_book_love-likes-to-extend-itself-if-you-recei_3067225.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Love likes to extend itself. If you receive it in a book - or however you get it - then your duty is to…” — Alice Walker",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Alice Walker",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Love likes to extend itself. If...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/love-likes-to-extend-itself-if-you-receive-it-in-a-book-or-however/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/love-likes-to-extend-itself-if-you-receive-it-in-a-book-or-however/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
