--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is love itself-not loving behavior, or…" description: "\"“It is love itself-not loving behavior, or even the wish or intent to love-that has the power to \"always protect, always trust, always hope, put up wit..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf2/dallas-willard-jan-johnson-230_eternal-life_it-is-love-itself-not-loving-behavior-or_2719291.jpg" --- # It is love itself-not loving behavior, or even the wish or… ![“It is love itself-not loving behavior, or even the wish or intent to love-that has the power to "always protect, always trust, always hope, put up with anything, and never quit" (1 Corinthians 13:7-8, PAR). Merely trying to act lovingly will lead to despair and to the defeat of love. It will make…” quote by Dallas Willard & Jan Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf2/dallas-willard-jan-johnson-230_eternal-life_it-is-love-itself-not-loving-behavior-or_2719291.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf2/dallas-willard-jan-johnson-230_eternal-life_it-is-love-itself-not-loving-behavior-or_2719291.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf2/dallas-willard-jan-johnson-230_eternal-life_it-is-love-itself-not-loving-behavior-or_2719291.jpg) > ““It is love itself-not loving behavior, or even the wish or intent to love-that has the power to "always protect, always trust, always hope, put up with anything, and never quit" (1 Corinthians 13:7-8, PAR). Merely trying to act lovingly will lead to despair and to the defeat of love. It will make us angry and hopeless. But taking love itself-God's kind of love-into the depths of our being through the way of spiritual formation will, by contrast, enable us to act lovingly to an extent that will he surprising even to us at first. And this love will then become a constant source of joy and refreshment ment to us and others. Indeed it will, according to the promise, be "a spring of water gushing up to eternal life" (John 4:14, PAR), not an additional burden to carry through life, as the attempt to act lovingly surely would be.”” Dallas Willard & Jan Johnson ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Divine love, not merely loving actions, provides enduring strength, hope, and joy; attempting love without divine grounding leads to despair. **In simple terms:** God’s love sustains; mere effort fails. Key Takeaway Cultivate deep, spiritual love. Themes spirituality divine love transformation hope faith Mood hopeful reflective inspirational Type Eternal life:1 Habits:0 Love:1 Loving:0 Spiritual formation:1 Transformation:1 Defeat Love:0 Loving Behavior:0 Intent Love:0 Act Lovingly:1 When to use this quote - prayer - mindfulness - community service - personal growth Key Concepts theology inner renewal selfless action Questions to Reflect On - How does divine love differ from human effort? - What practices deepen spiritual love? A Different Perspective May conflict with secular perspectives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eternal life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternal-life/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Loving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loving/) [Spiritual formation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual-formation/) [Transformation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transformation/) ## Related quotes > [Paradise is to be the ultimate instrument, fulfilling God's desperate intent that we love each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-dee/paradise-is-to-be-the-ultimate-instrument-fulfilling-god-s-desperate/) [Ruby Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-dee/) > [How necessary it is to cultivate a spirit of joy. It is a psychological truth that the physical acts of reverence and devotion make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/how-necessary-it-is-to-cultivate-a-spirit-of-joy-it-is-a/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [Think lovingly, speak lovingly, act lovingly, and every need shall be supplied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/think-lovingly-speak-lovingly-act-lovingly-and-every-need-shall-be/) [James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) > [Loving behavior contributes to the group at the expense of the individual. Competition contributes to the survival of the individual at the expense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-vos-savant/loving-behavior-contributes-to-the-group-at-the-expense-of-the/) [Marilyn vos Savant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-vos-savant/) > [What we need to know about loving is no great mystery. We all know what constitutes loving behavior; we need but act upon it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-buscaglia/what-we-need-to-know-about-loving-is-no-great-mystery-we-all-know-2/) [Leo Buscaglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-buscaglia/) > [What we need to know about loving is no great mystery. We all know what constitutes loving behavior; we need but act upon it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-we-need-to-know-about-loving-is-no-great-mystery-we-all-know/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You maybe defeat is you love to much But you will live in torment if you Don't trust to much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laine/you-maybe-defeat-is-you-love-to-much-but-you-will-live-in-torment-if/) [Laine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laine/) > [As for life's tragedies, our love will defeat them. Love is the most effective cure. In the crevices of disasters, happiness lies like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/as-for-life-s-tragedies-our-love-will-defeat-them-love-is-the-most/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) > [If the feeling is Love, we can never stop it. If the journey is Love, it would never end. If the ocean was Love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/if-the-feeling-is-love-we-can-never-stop-it-if-the-journey-is-love-it/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [Mobilizing the love of life is the only force that can defeat the love for the dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/mobilizing-the-love-of-life-is-the-only-force-that-can-defeat-the/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [Laugh so hard that even sorrow smiles at you. Fight so strong that fate even admits defeat. Love so true that hatred walks out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/laugh-so-hard-that-even-sorrow-smiles-at-you-fight-so-strong-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Love is like a game of chess. You're white. He's black. You wait for him to make a move, while staring into his handsome,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amrita-ramanathan/love-is-like-a-game-of-chess-you-re-white-he-s-black-you-wait-for-him/) Amrita Ramanathan > [The question isn't if someone will sign up for spiritual formation; it's just who and what our spirits will be formed by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/the-question-isn-t-if-someone-will-sign-up-for-spiritual-formation-it/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [Spiritual formation in Christ moves us toward a total interchange of our ideas and images for his.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/spiritual-formation-in-christ-moves-us-toward-a-total-interchange-of/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [“No one has to teach God's people to know God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hon/no-one-has-to-teach-god-s-people-to-know-god/) [Henry Hon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hon/) ## More Eternal life quotes > [Our thoughts are either focused on what's eternal, life-changing, and true, or lost in the details of our temporary, selfish, false beliefs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/our-thoughts-are-either-focused-on-what-s-eternal-life-changing-and/) [Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/) > [“What about your funeral, eh?” She asks. “You mean the one that is never going to happen ever because I am going to gather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-wolf/what-about-your-funeral-eh-she-asks-you-mean-the-one-that-is-never/) [Sara Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-wolf/) > [The Baseball Hall of Fame is something every player dreams about, but being a member of God's Hall of Fame is the greatest achievement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-carter/the-baseball-hall-of-fame-is-something-every-player-dreams-about-but/) [Gary Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-carter/) > [Intellectual methods-study and reason-are essential to our progress toward eternal life, but they are not sufficient. They can prepare the way. They can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallin-h-oaks/intellectual-methods-study-and-reason-are-essential-to-our-progress/) [Dallin H. Oaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallin-h-oaks/) > [“This life is just a bootcamp, to test and toughen us, to prepare us for the next life of service in some great adventure.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/this-life-is-just-a-bootcamp-to-test-and-toughen-us-to-prepare-us-for/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [Suppose that we are wise enough to learn and know-and yet not wise enough to control our learning and knowledge, so that we use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/suppose-that-we-are-wise-enough-to-learn-and-know-and-yet-not-wise/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [My plea therefore is this: Let us get our instruments tightly strung and our melodies sweetly sung. Let us not die with our music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-w-kimball/my-plea-therefore-is-this-let-us-get-our-instruments-tightly-strung/) [Spencer W. Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-w-kimball/) > [Masonry inculcates faith in immortality as indispensable to moral living and urges its members to qualify for eternal life by the practice of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-e-hammond/masonry-inculcates-faith-in-immortality-as-indispensable-to-moral/) William E Hammond > [The fear of an eternal life compared to an inevitable death is that of a wise man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-queen/the-fear-of-an-eternal-life-compared-to-an-inevitable-death-is-that/) [Derek Queen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-queen/) > [“Our true reality is not a limited phenomenon, existing only between birth and death. It is eternal life that exists alone, self-existent and self-sufficient,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilchi-lee/our-true-reality-is-not-a-limited-phenomenon-existing-only-between/) [Ilchi Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilchi-lee/) > [“We live a short period of time in this world, but we live it according to the laws of eternal life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/we-live-a-short-period-of-time-in-this-world-but-we-live-it-according/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“ Programs has a temporary results leading to nothingness, and the Gospel the brings the result of Eternal life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommie-scott/programs-has-a-temporary-results-leading-to-nothingness-and-the/) Tommie Scott > [“Silently a flower blooms, In silence if falls away; Yet here now, at this moment, at this place, The world of the flower, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilli-jolgren-day/silently-a-flower-blooms-in-silence-if-falls-away-yet-here-now-at/) Lilli Jolgren Day > [If we never leave our house except to drive to work, do we need to be even remotely aware of this powerful, humbling, extraordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/if-we-never-leave-our-house-except-to-drive-to-work-do-we-need-to-be/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [We have a commitment to serve our Lord. We have an assurance that the cause is just and worthy. But, above all, we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-w-kimball/we-have-a-commitment-to-serve-our-lord-we-have-an-assurance-that-the/) [Spencer W. Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-w-kimball/) [Browse all 750 Eternal life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternal-life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is love itself-not loving behavior, or even the wish or intent to love-that has the power to \"always protect, always trust, always hope, put up with anything, and never quit\" (1 Corinthians 13:7-8, PAR). Merely trying to act lovingly will lead to despair and to the defeat of love. It will make us angry and hopeless. But taking love itself-God's kind of love-into the depths of our being through the way of spiritual formation will, by contrast, enable us to act lovingly to an extent that will he surprising even to us at first. 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