--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Which maybe that’s what love was: liking…" description: "\"“Which maybe that’s what love was: liking someone how he was and doing things to help him get even better.”\" — George Saunders" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c89/george-saunders-317_doing-things_which-maybe-that-s-what-love-was-liking_1768656.jpg" --- # Which maybe that’s what love was: liking someone how he… ![“Which maybe that’s what love was: liking someone how he was and doing things to help him get even better.” quote by George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c89/george-saunders-317_doing-things_which-maybe-that-s-what-love-was-liking_1768656.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c89/george-saunders-317_doing-things_which-maybe-that-s-what-love-was-liking_1768656.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c89/george-saunders-317_doing-things_which-maybe-that-s-what-love-was-liking_1768656.jpg) > ““Which maybe that’s what love was: liking someone how he was and doing things to help him get even better.”” [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Love involves accepting someone as they are while encouraging their growth. **In simple terms:** Love is acceptance plus encouragement. Key Takeaway Support loved ones while fostering improvement. Themes love acceptance growth support Mood warm reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - friendship - mentorship - personal development Key Concepts psychology relationships Questions to Reflect On - How to love without trying to change? - What boundaries exist in supportive relationships? A Different Perspective Balancing acceptance with desire for change can cause tension. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [I try to do something active everyday. Liking what you're doing makes working out enjoyable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-lakin/i-try-to-do-something-active-everyday-liking-what-you-re-doing-makes/) [Christine Lakin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-lakin/) > [“It is a very strange feeling when one is loving a clock that is to every one of your class of living an ugly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/it-is-a-very-strange-feeling-when-one-is-loving-a-clock-that-is-to/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [Love is not something that you can put chains on and throw into a lake. That's called Houdini. Love is liking someone a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/love-is-not-something-that-you-can-put-chains-on-and-throw-into-a/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [God does not 'love' us without liking us...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/god-does-not-love-us-without-liking-us/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [I grew up in one of the biggest high schools in the world, and that's the Disney Channel. Everybody was falling in love with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selena/i-grew-up-in-one-of-the-biggest-high-schools-in-the-world-and-that-s/) [Selena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/selena/) > [The love and liking that people have for me has bowled me over, and I am simply overwhelmed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mammootty/the-love-and-liking-that-people-have-for-me-has-bowled-me-over-and-i/) [Mammootty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mammootty/) > [“No doubt it's all love, but liking your get-down is another question.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-f-hodge/no-doubt-it-s-all-love-but-liking-your-get-down-is-another-question/) [T.F. Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-f-hodge/) > [If love is liking someone an awful lot, then I suppose I'm in love with several people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-love-is-liking-someone-an-awful-lot-then-i-suppose-i-m-in-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not negative, I love not liking anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/green-monk/i-m-not-negative-i-love-not-liking-anything/) [Green Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/green-monk/) > [Love is liking someone for who they are for a very long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-liking-someone-for-who-they-are-for-a-very-long-time/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ I don't think anybody can be a success who doesn't like what they do. \[But it's\] no job if it has no challenge; there's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/i-don-t-think-anybody-can-be-a-success-who-doesn-t-like-what-they-do/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [I think whenever a writer is really enjoying themselves and liking what they are doing, that shows on the page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-think-whenever-a-writer-is-really-enjoying-themselves-and-liking/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [I'm a huge fan of Taio Cruz. I'm really liking what he's doing at the moment. I'd love to do something with him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flo-rida/i-m-a-huge-fan-of-taio-cruz-i-m-really-liking-what-he-s-doing-at-the/) [Flo Rida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flo-rida/) > [People need to know the difference between 'falling in love' and 'liking/admiring someone.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-need-to-know-the-difference-between-falling-in-love-and-liking/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Love is liking someone better than you like yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/love-is-liking-someone-better-than-you-like-yourself/) [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) ## More by George Saunders > [Success is like a mountain in front of you that keeps growing. If you're not careful, it will take up your whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/success-is-like-a-mountain-in-front-of-you-that-keeps-growing-if-you/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“Wow wow wow is all I can say! Remember how I always buy lunchtime Scratch-Off ticket? Have I said? Maybe did not say? Well,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/wow-wow-wow-is-all-i-can-say-remember-how-i-always-buy-lunchtime/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“None of it was real; nothing was real. Everything was real; inconceivably real, infinitely dear. These and all things started as nothing, latent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/none-of-it-was-real-nothing-was-real-everything-was-real/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“We must see God not as a Him (some linear rewarding fellow) but an IT, a great beast beyond our understanding, who wants something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/we-must-see-god-not-as-a-him-some-linear-rewarding-fellow-but-an-it-a/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [America, to me, should be shouting all the time, a bunch of shouting voices, most of them wrong, some of them nuts, but please,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/america-to-me-should-be-shouting-all-the-time-a-bunch-of-shouting/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [In my case, when I am trying to be "kind" I often default in a sort of toothless loving-all stance that is, actually, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/in-my-case-when-i-am-trying-to-be-kind-i-often-default-in-a-sort-of/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [Whatever your supposed politics are - left, right - if you put it in a human connection, most people will rise to the occasion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/whatever-your-supposed-politics-are-left-right-if-you-put-it-in-a/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“A Clinton staffer tells me his theory. Think about Frank Sinatra, he says: born to sing. Think about Willie Mays: born to play ball.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/a-clinton-staffer-tells-me-his-theory-think-about-frank-sinatra-he/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [We try, we fail, we posture, we aspire, we pontificate - and then we age, shrink, die, and vanish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/we-try-we-fail-we-posture-we-aspire-we-pontificate-and-then-we-age/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“You were torturing a cat," she says. "With a freaking prod." "A prod I built myself in metal shop," he says. "But of course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/you-were-torturing-a-cat-she-says-with-a-freaking-prod-a-prod-i-built/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“Rachel got up and did this happy little shuffle, like she was some cheerful farmer chick who'd just stepped outside to find the hick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/rachel-got-up-and-did-this-happy-little-shuffle-like-she-was-some/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [What America is, to me, is a guy doesn't want to buy, you let him not buy, you respect his not buying. A guy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/what-america-is-to-me-is-a-guy-doesn-t-want-to-buy-you-let-him-not/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [What good the prophet in the wilderness may do is incremental and personal. It's good for us to hear someone speak the irrational truth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/what-good-the-prophet-in-the-wilderness-may-do-is-incremental-and/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [We're in the transition between birth and death. But the one that people often know about is the transition between the moment of death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/we-re-in-the-transition-between-birth-and-death-but-the-one-that/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [You don't want to be that parent - the one who dresses his kid in a cloth sack when all the other kids are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/you-don-t-want-to-be-that-parent-the-one-who-dresses-his-kid-in-a/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) [Explore all 690 George Saunders quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) ## More Doing things quotes > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [Doing the right things is more important than doing things right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ko-wen-je/doing-the-right-things-is-more-important-than-doing-things-right/) [Ko Wen-je](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ko-wen-je/) > [“Standards are just the most accepted ways of doing things. They're usually unquestioned, not challenged, not the most efficient, and not the best way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-otton/standards-are-just-the-most-accepted-ways-of-doing-things-they-re/) Rick Otton > [As opposed to getting into arguments about, well, these folks have been treated fairly so now we're going to be doing things that, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/as-opposed-to-getting-into-arguments-about-well-these-folks-have-been/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Either you let your life slip away by not doing the things you want to do, or you get up & do them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-von-oech/either-you-let-your-life-slip-away-by-not-doing-the-things-you-want/) [Roger von Oech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-von-oech/) > [Life is all about doing things you like and being surrounded by people you like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-cassandra/life-is-all-about-doing-things-you-like-and-being-surrounded-by/) [Regina Cassandra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-cassandra/) > [There are those that say, if you do the uncomfortable thing long enough, it will become comfortable. But we are really not encouragers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/there-are-those-that-say-if-you-do-the-uncomfortable-thing-long/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [I'm closer to being happy. I'm doing things that make me happy. In football I loved to practice and I loved to play, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-williams/i-m-closer-to-being-happy-i-m-doing-things-that-make-me-happy-in/) [Ricky Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-williams/) > [“If you aren't in love, Willow Vaughn, then my name isn't Miriam Brigham." Willow started out of her daydreaming and glanced up from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mcpherren/if-you-aren-t-in-love-willow-vaughn-then-my-name-isn-t-miriam-brigham/) [Charlotte McPherren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mcpherren/) > [The story being told in 'Star Wars' is a classic one. Every few hundred years, the story is retold because we have a tendency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lucas/the-story-being-told-in-star-wars-is-a-classic-one-every-few-hundred/) [George Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lucas/) > [When you study history and look at every civilization that has grown up and died off, they all leave one remnant: a major sports…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-study-history-and-look-at-every-civilization-that-has-grown/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Well I think that what we're seeing now is that the people feel like they, the people in Congress don't have their consent to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingraham/well-i-think-that-what-we-re-seeing-now-is-that-the-people-feel-like/) [Laura Ingraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingraham/) > [It's sad that women characters have lost so much ground in popular movies. Didn't 'Thelma and Louise' prove that women want to see women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-quivers/it-s-sad-that-women-characters-have-lost-so-much-ground-in-popular/) [Robin Quivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-quivers/) > [I spent a lot of my life schlepping around New York with people not doing things for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-gibson/i-spent-a-lot-of-my-life-schlepping-around-new-york-with-people-not/) [Debbie Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-gibson/) > [This is your life do wat you love, and do it often. if you don't like something, change it. if you don't like your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiea/this-is-your-life-do-wat-you-love-and-do-it-often-if-you-don-t-like/) Amiea Browse all 1,822 Doing things quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Which maybe that’s what love was: liking someone how he was and doing things to help him get even better.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Saunders" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/which-maybe-that-s-what-love-was-liking-someone-how-he-was-and-doing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Doing things" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/which-maybe-that-s-what-love-was-liking-someone-how-he-was-and-doing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c89/george-saunders-317_doing-things_which-maybe-that-s-what-love-was-liking_1768656.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c89/george-saunders-317_doing-things_which-maybe-that-s-what-love-was-liking_1768656.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c89/george-saunders-317_doing-things_which-maybe-that-s-what-love-was-liking_1768656.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Which maybe that’s what love was: liking someone how he was and doing things to help him get even better.” — George Saunders", "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": "George Saunders", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Which maybe that’s what love was:...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/which-maybe-that-s-what-love-was-liking-someone-how-he-was-and-doing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/which-maybe-that-s-what-love-was-liking-someone-how-he-was-and-doing/#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 } } ] } ```