--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was younger, I used to think that…" description: "\"“When I was younger, I used to think that loving someone meant being weak. I thought it meant giving yourself up and losing your identity, and becoming..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b39/j-leigh-bralick-61517_giving-yourself_when-i-was-younger-i-used-to-think-that_700729.jpg" --- # When I was younger, I used to think that loving someone… ![“When I was younger, I used to think that loving someone meant being weak. I thought it meant giving yourself up and losing your identity, and becoming just an other to someone else. I thought that only those who weren’t strong enough to stand on their own needed someone to lean on. I never…” quote by J. Leigh Bralick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b39/j-leigh-bralick-61517_giving-yourself_when-i-was-younger-i-used-to-think-that_700729.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b39/j-leigh-bralick-61517_giving-yourself_when-i-was-younger-i-used-to-think-that_700729.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b39/j-leigh-bralick-61517_giving-yourself_when-i-was-younger-i-used-to-think-that_700729.jpg) > ““When I was younger, I used to think that loving someone meant being weak. I thought it meant giving yourself up and losing your identity, and becoming just an other to someone else. I thought that only those who weren’t strong enough to stand on their own needed someone to lean on. I never realized that love is as much about giving strength as accepting it, and that love doesn’t mean that you can’t stand on your own, but only that now you can fly.”” [J. Leigh Bralick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-leigh-bralick/) ## 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 not weakness; it combines giving strength and receiving support, allowing individuals to remain independent yet soar together. **In simple terms:** Love gives strength and lets you stay independent. Key Takeaway Balance self‑reliance with mutual support. Themes love strength independence interdependence Mood hopeful inspirational Type relationship self‑help When to use this quote - personal development - relationship counseling - team building Key Concepts psychology relationships growth Questions to Reflect On - How do you maintain identity in a partnership? - What does “flying together” look like in daily life? A Different Perspective Love can be misunderstood as dependency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accepting love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepting-love/) [Giving Strength](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-strength/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Loving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loving/) [Strong enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-enough/) ## Related quotes > [Forgiving yourself will help with giving yourself strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-nash/forgiving-yourself-will-help-with-giving-yourself-strength/) [Kate Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-nash/) > [It's OK if you mess up. You should give yourself a break.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/it-s-ok-if-you-mess-up-you-should-give-yourself-a-break/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [“One of the truest signs of strength is accepting one’s own weaknesses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tadahiko-nagao/one-of-the-truest-signs-of-strength-is-accepting-one-s-own-weaknesses/) [Tadahiko Nagao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tadahiko-nagao/) > [You gotta find strength in accepting things, closing them & moving forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-gotta-find-strength-in-accepting-things-closing-them-moving/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Even if loving meant leaving, or solitude, or sorrow, love was worth every penny of its price.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/even-if-loving-meant-leaving-or-solitude-or-sorrow-love-was-worth/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“loving someone meant knowing your life will be worse without them in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-carey/loving-someone-meant-knowing-your-life-will-be-worse-without-them-in/) [Anna Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-carey/) > [i love you Ivy. I'll never stop loving you." "I prayed for one more chance to reach you," he said, "to tell you how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chandler/i-love-you-ivy-i-ll-never-stop-loving-you-i-prayed-for-one-more/) [Elizabeth Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-chandler/) > [My heart broke the day I realized loving you meant letting you go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-heart-broke-the-day-i-realized-loving-you-meant-letting-you-go/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Loving you meant that I no longer loved myself and for me, that is no longer okay”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-b-cenci/loving-you-meant-that-i-no-longer-loved-myself-and-for-me-that-is-no/) Jasmine B. Cenci > [“-loving someone meant knowing that your life would be worse without them in it. -Caleb (Benny)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-carey/loving-someone-meant-knowing-that-your-life-would-be-worse-without/) [Anna Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-carey/) > [When you accused me of not loving you, a silent tear fell from my eyes, the pain was too much I cant help but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edchelyn/when-you-accused-me-of-not-loving-you-a-silent-tear-fell-from-my-eyes/) Edchelyn > [She had told him that she loved him. He had known that, but hearing it in the traditional phrase had affected him in new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacquelyn-frank/she-had-told-him-that-she-loved-him-he-had-known-that-but-hearing-it/) [Jacquelyn Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacquelyn-frank/) > [Loving someone meant letting them be who they were, not caging them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-marr/loving-someone-meant-letting-them-be-who-they-were-not-caging-them/) [Melissa Marr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-marr/) > [“as much as we sometimes want God to remove us from our messes, more often He just gets in it with us—lifting our heads,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-thacker/as-much-as-we-sometimes-want-god-to-remove-us-from-our-messes-more/) Stacey Thacker > [“The arbutus is now open everywhere in the woods and groves. How pleasant it is to meet the same flowers year after year! If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-fenimore-cooper/the-arbutus-is-now-open-everywhere-in-the-woods-and-groves-how/) Susan Fenimore Cooper ## More by J. Leigh Bralick > [“To peace, Royin... We give our lives seeking it, but it is only in death that we find it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-leigh-bralick/to-peace-royin-we-give-our-lives-seeking-it-but-it-is-only-in-death/) [J. Leigh Bralick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-leigh-bralick/) > [“Men are not angels,” Akhmar affirmed. “And so men have the chance to be noble, in a way that angels cannot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-leigh-bralick/men-are-not-angels-akhmar-affirmed-and-so-men-have-the-chance-to-be/) [J. Leigh Bralick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-leigh-bralick/) > [“Shut up,” I snapped. “This is not the time. What part of this situation seems like a joke to you?” Lohka pulled up his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-leigh-bralick/shut-up-i-snapped-this-is-not-the-time-what-part-of-this-situation/) [J. Leigh Bralick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-leigh-bralick/) > [Sometimes people need to know they could be forgiven to have the strength to change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-leigh-bralick/sometimes-people-need-to-know-they-could-be-forgiven-to-have-the/) [J. Leigh Bralick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-leigh-bralick/) [Explore all 5 J. Leigh Bralick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-leigh-bralick/) ## More Accepting love quotes > [“instead of accepting love's strength, we are trying to diminish it so that it fits the world in which we imagine we live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/instead-of-accepting-love-s-strength-we-are-trying-to-diminish-it-so/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I believe when we are the most connected to spirit/God/Universe, we are in a non judgmental place, accepting love in all forms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-dewan-tatum/i-believe-when-we-are-the-most-connected-to-spirit-god-universe-we/) [Jenna Dewan Tatum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-dewan-tatum/) > [You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bindi-irwin/you-don-t-need-to-be-accepted-by-others-you-need-to-accept-yourself/) [Bindi Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bindi-irwin/) > [Nothing is more dangerous than not accepting love relationships that are broken off, work that is promised but there is no starting date, decisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-is-more-dangerous-than-not-accepting-love-relationships-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“A mature person has the integrity to be alone. And when a mature person gives love, he gives without any strings attached to it:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/a-mature-person-has-the-integrity-to-be-alone-and-when-a-mature/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [ “\[A\]lthough the deeds opposed to love which mark Christian religious history, are in accordance with Christianity, and its antagonists are therefore right in imputing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-feuerbach/a-lthough-the-deeds-opposed-to-love-which-mark-christian-religious/) [Ludwig Feuerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-feuerbach/) > [Nothing is more dangerous than not accepting love relationships that are broken off, work that is promised but there is no starting date, decisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate/nothing-is-more-dangerous-than-not-accepting-love-relationships-that-2/) [Nate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate/) > [They say love is blind. I disagree. Infatuation is blind, love is all-seeing and accepting. Love is seeing all the flaws and blemishes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/they-say-love-is-blind-i-disagree-infatuation-is-blind-love-is-all/) Unkown > [If you didn't love him, this never would have happened. But you did. And accepting that love and everything that followed it is part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/if-you-didn-t-love-him-this-never-would-have-happened-but-you-did-and/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“Moving from teaching university students to living with mentally handicapped people was, for me at least, a step toward the platform where the father…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-j-m-nouwen/moving-from-teaching-university-students-to-living-with-mentally/) [Henri J.M. Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-j-m-nouwen/) > [One must have the adventurous daring to accept oneself as a bundle of possibilities and undertake the most interesting game in the world --…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/one-must-have-the-adventurous-daring-to-accept-oneself-as-a-bundle-of/) [Harry Emerson Fosdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-emerson-fosdick/) > [The more you love, the more you crave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-kidman/the-more-you-love-the-more-you-crave/) [Nicole Kidman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-kidman/) > [“Jesus was willing to be despised. He was willing to face rejection. He was willing to subject himself to hatred and violence. He was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-david-tripp/jesus-was-willing-to-be-despised-he-was-willing-to-face-rejection-he/) [Paul David Tripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-david-tripp/) > [“It's not a switch you can just flip off", Dr. Marshall had told me once. "If you didn't love him, this never would have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/it-s-not-a-switch-you-can-just-flip-off-dr-marshall-had-told-me-once/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“Closing The Cycle One always has to know when a stage comes to an end. If we insist on staying longer than the necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/closing-the-cycle-one-always-has-to-know-when-a-stage-comes-to-an-end/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) [Browse all 32 Accepting love quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepting-love/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When I was younger, I used to think that loving someone meant being weak. I thought it meant giving yourself up and losing your identity, and becoming just an other to someone else. I thought that only those who weren’t strong enough to stand on their own needed someone to lean on. I never realized that love is as much about giving strength as accepting it, and that love doesn’t mean that you can’t stand on your own, but only that now you can fly.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "J. 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