--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We actually love ourselves more than we…" description: "\"We actually love ourselves more than we love joy.\" — Gilbert K. Chesterton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/688/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_actually_we-actually-love-ourselves-more-than-we_699936.png" --- # We actually love ourselves more than we love joy. ![“We actually love ourselves more than we love joy.” quote by Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/688/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_actually_we-actually-love-ourselves-more-than-we_699936.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/688/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_actually_we-actually-love-ourselves-more-than-we_699936.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/688/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_actually_we-actually-love-ourselves-more-than-we_699936.png) > “We actually love ourselves more than we love joy.” [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We tend to prioritize love for ourselves over the pursuit of joy, revealing a self‑centric bias. **In simple terms:** We love ourselves more than we love joy. Key Takeaway Balance self‑care with seeking joy. Themes self‑love joy priorities human nature Mood contemplative thought‑provoking Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - relationship counseling - mental health - personal fulfillment - spiritual practice Key Concepts ego hedonism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What does joy mean to you beyond personal satisfaction? - Can self‑love coexist with altruism? A Different Perspective Joy can be fleeting and self‑love may become selfish. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [“We do not merely love ourselves more than we love duty; we actually love ourselves more than we love joy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-keith-chesterton/we-do-not-merely-love-ourselves-more-than-we-love-duty-we-actually/) [Gilbert Keith Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-keith-chesterton/) > [It scares me that you might actually love me. Because I love you too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-scares-me-that-you-might-actually-love-me-because-i-love-you-too/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think we should actually love ourselves for who we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-michelle/i-think-we-should-actually-love-ourselves-for-who-we-are/) [Ava Michelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-michelle/) > [I actually love the Discovery Channel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-flintoff/i-actually-love-the-discovery-channel/) [Andrew Flintoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-flintoff/) > [God is the Source of real love, joy, peace, wisdom and everything else we all need to be the people He has created us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/god-is-the-source-of-real-love-joy-peace-wisdom-and-everything-else/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [Joy is prayer; joy is strength: joy is love; joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/joy-is-prayer-joy-is-strength-joy-is-love-joy-is-a-net-of-love-by/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [Most poetry is the utterance of a man in some state of passion, love, joy, grief, rage, etc., and no doubt this is as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/most-poetry-is-the-utterance-of-a-man-in-some-state-of-passion-love/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [I love 'Love Actually' and particularly the story with Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson. I think it's possibly the best exploration of infidelity that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-requa/i-love-love-actually-and-particularly-the-story-with-alan-rickman-and/) [John Requa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-requa/) > [In our imaginations we believe that love is apart from us. Actually there is nothing but love, once we are ready to accept it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/in-our-imaginations-we-believe-that-love-is-apart-from-us-actually/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [The whole idea of love is scary - so is being with someone for the rest of your life and being happy with them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aziz-ansari/the-whole-idea-of-love-is-scary-so-is-being-with-someone-for-the-rest/) [Aziz Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aziz-ansari/) > [I will say this quite plainly, what truly human is -and don't be afraid of this word- love. And I mean it even with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-levinas/i-will-say-this-quite-plainly-what-truly-human-is-and-don-t-be-afraid/) [Emmanuel Levinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-levinas/) > [Sometimes I would open my eyes when we were kissing, I would watch him and I could see it. I could actually see LOVE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/sometimes-i-would-open-my-eyes-when-we-were-kissing-i-would-watch-him/) [Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/) > [I was in love with the idea of being in love with a woman way before I was actually in love with one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carr/i-was-in-love-with-the-idea-of-being-in-love-with-a-woman-way-before/) [Jimmy Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carr/) > [If we actually love what we're doing and we go and do what we love, and every day we get up because we're really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-stokes/if-we-actually-love-what-we-re-doing-and-we-go-and-do-what-we-love/) [Kerry Stokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-stokes/) > [Its funny how who you thought you love and you you actually love are so different in so many ways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-funny-how-who-you-thought-you-love-and-you-you-actually-love-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Gilbert K. Chesterton > [The aim of good prose words is to mean what they say. The aim of good poetical words is to mean what they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-aim-of-good-prose-words-is-to-mean-what-they-say-the-aim-of-good/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Youth is always too serious, and just now it is too serious about frivolity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/youth-is-always-too-serious-and-just-now-it-is-too-serious-about/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Tradition does not mean a dead town; it does not mean that the living are dead but that the dead are alive. It means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/tradition-does-not-mean-a-dead-town-it-does-not-mean-that-the-living/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [It is shorter to state the things forbidden than the things permitted; precisely because most things are permitted and only a few things forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/it-is-shorter-to-state-the-things-forbidden-than-the-things-permitted/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Everyone seems to assume that the unscrupulous parts of journalism will be the frivolous or jocular parts. This is against all ethical experience. Jokes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/everyone-seems-to-assume-that-the-unscrupulous-parts-of-journalism/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [For Scotland has a double dose of the poison called heredity; the sense of blood in the aristocrat, the sense of doom in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/for-scotland-has-a-double-dose-of-the-poison-called-heredity-the/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Faith is always at a disadvantage; it is a perpetually defeated thing which survives all conquerors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/faith-is-always-at-a-disadvantage-it-is-a-perpetually-defeated-thing/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [A building is akin to dogma; it is insolent, like dogma. Whether or no it is permanent, it claims permanence, like a dogma. People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/a-building-is-akin-to-dogma-it-is-insolent-like-dogma-whether-or-no/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [The triangle of truisms, of father, mother and child, cannot be destroyed; it can only destroy those civilizations which disregard it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-triangle-of-truisms-of-father-mother-and-child-cannot-be/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Criticism is only words about words, and of what use are words about such words as these?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/criticism-is-only-words-about-words-and-of-what-use-are-words-about/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [What we suffer from today is humility in the wrong place...The old humility was a spur that prevented a man from stopping; not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/what-we-suffer-from-today-is-humility-in-the-wrong-place-the-old/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Plato was only a Bernard Shaw who unfortunately made his jokes in Greek.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/plato-was-only-a-bernard-shaw-who-unfortunately-made-his-jokes-in/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [The word good has many meanings...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-word-good-has-many-meanings/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Music with dinner is an insult both to the cook and the violinist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/music-with-dinner-is-an-insult-both-to-the-cook-and-the-violinist/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Eugenics asserts that all men must be so stupid that they cannot manage their own affairs; and also so clever that they can manage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/eugenics-asserts-that-all-men-must-be-so-stupid-that-they-cannot/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) [Explore all 868 Gilbert K. Chesterton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) ## More Actually quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [I actually like getting out of my comfort zone. It shakes me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/i-actually-like-getting-out-of-my-comfort-zone-it-shakes-me-up/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [You have to talk about why things happened the way they did. You can't actually explain my political life except by a series of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lange/you-have-to-talk-about-why-things-happened-the-way-they-did-you-can-t/) [David Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lange/) > [Failure actually makes you strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neha-sharma/failure-actually-makes-you-strong/) [Neha Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neha-sharma/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [I'm from Europe, England, and I actually lived in Italy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/i-m-from-europe-england-and-i-actually-lived-in-italy/) [Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/) > [The alternative comedy scene is actually pretty small, I guess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-wilson/the-alternative-comedy-scene-is-actually-pretty-small-i-guess/) [Casey Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-wilson/) > [I was a very good student. Procrastinating gives me anxiety, and getting a B really ticked me off. Sure, I didn't always want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-loren/i-was-a-very-good-student-procrastinating-gives-me-anxiety-and/) [Josie Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-loren/) > [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [Somebody said that part of my reaction to British cinema is actually, paradoxically, a patriotic one. I'm so disappointed that we're not better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-brownlow/somebody-said-that-part-of-my-reaction-to-british-cinema-is-actually/) [Kevin Brownlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-brownlow/) > [I actually do sing sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morten-harket/i-actually-do-sing-sometimes/) [Morten Harket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morten-harket/) > [I've actually got quite a good memory. I've good recall. 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