--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I realized that real love, the kind that…" description: "\"“I realized that real love, the kind that lasts a lifetime, is never possessive. It’s never suffocating. It breathes. It lives. We feel it. But we also..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a24/jacqueline-simon-gunn-14191_love_i-realized-that-real-love-the-kind-that_1764282.jpg" --- # I realized that real love, the kind that lasts a lifetime… ![“I realized that real love, the kind that lasts a lifetime, is never possessive. It’s never suffocating. It breathes. It lives. We feel it. But we also know how to let the attachment go.” quote by Jacqueline Simon Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a24/jacqueline-simon-gunn-14191_love_i-realized-that-real-love-the-kind-that_1764282.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a24/jacqueline-simon-gunn-14191_love_i-realized-that-real-love-the-kind-that_1764282.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a24/jacqueline-simon-gunn-14191_love_i-realized-that-real-love-the-kind-that_1764282.jpg) > ““I realized that real love, the kind that lasts a lifetime, is never possessive. It’s never suffocating. It breathes. It lives. We feel it. But we also know how to let the attachment go.”” [Jacqueline Simon Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-simon-gunn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True love is non‑possessive, breathing, and alive; it allows attachment but also release. **In simple terms:** Love is free, alive, and lets go. Key Takeaway Practice loving without control. Themes love attachment freedom growth Mood inspirational empathetic Type philosophical relationship When to use this quote - romantic partnership - friendship - parenting Key Concepts philosophy relationship dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance closeness and freedom? - What signs show love is becoming controlling? A Different Perspective Possessiveness can masquerade as love. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-quotes/) [Love-quotes-and-sayings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-quotes-and-sayings/) [Real love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-love/) [Relationship quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationship-quotes/) ## Related quotes > [When I was about 9 years old, man, I realized that the real thing was not only to do what you were doing totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-carroll/when-i-was-about-9-years-old-man-i-realized-that-the-real-thing-was/) [Jim Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-carroll/) > [One Day u will realized what is the real meaning of a real friendship !! I will let you do ur thing so u…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valeska-glez/one-day-u-will-realized-what-is-the-real-meaning-of-a-real-friendship/) Valeska Glez > [After dating you I realized what a real man was and you were it... its just too bad everyone after you are great actors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nico/after-dating-you-i-realized-what-a-real-man-was-and-you-were-it-its/) [Nico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nico/) > [I have realized that my real self is a greater entity than any possible post or title.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anwar-sadat/i-have-realized-that-my-real-self-is-a-greater-entity-than-any/) [Anwar Sadat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anwar-sadat/) > [And I realized again that real life is different from reel life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/and-i-realized-again-that-real-life-is-different-from-reel-life/) [Vikas Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/) > [It was easy to believe, between lessons on Shakespeare and Dickens and Austen, that all of the great stories had already been written by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-carter/it-was-easy-to-believe-between-lessons-on-shakespeare-and-dickens-and/) [Ally Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-carter/) > [Skepticism is provisional, even if it lasts a lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-bergam-n/skepticism-is-provisional-even-if-it-lasts-a-lifetime/) [Jose Bergamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-bergam-n/) > [A beautiful appearance will last a few decades, but a beautiful personality lasts for a lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-beautiful-appearance-will-last-a-few-decades-but-a-beautiful/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What I do for myself stays within me, what I do for others lasts a lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-trestman/what-i-do-for-myself-stays-within-me-what-i-do-for-others-lasts-a/) Marc Trestman > [Motivation gets you through the day, but inspiration lasts a lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-vujicic/motivation-gets-you-through-the-day-but-inspiration-lasts-a-lifetime/) [Nick Vujicic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-vujicic/) > [“A little love lasts a lifetime.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-little-love-lasts-a-lifetime/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It's only a two-day hike. But it lasts a lifetime.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/national-geographic/it-s-only-a-two-day-hike-but-it-lasts-a-lifetime/) National Geographic > [Love toward yourself is the romance that lasts a lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/love-toward-yourself-is-the-romance-that-lasts-a-lifetime/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Some love lasts a lifetime true love lasts forever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-love-lasts-a-lifetime-true-love-lasts-forever/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Unhappy parents teach you a lesson that lasts a lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/unhappy-parents-teach-you-a-lesson-that-lasts-a-lifetime/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Jacqueline Simon Gunn > [“Sometimes we don't know where we are going until we get there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-simon-gunn/sometimes-we-don-t-know-where-we-are-going-until-we-get-there/) [Jacqueline Simon Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-simon-gunn/) > [“I want to be bold and courageous; I want to take ridiculous risks; I want to live every moment with appreciation and consciousness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-simon-gunn/i-want-to-be-bold-and-courageous-i-want-to-take-ridiculous-risks-i/) [Jacqueline Simon Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-simon-gunn/) > [“She averted his eyes, but not before he recognized the pain in them, a tormented and languished gaze, a stare preserved for people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-simon-gunn/she-averted-his-eyes-but-not-before-he-recognized-the-pain-in-them-a/) [Jacqueline Simon Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-simon-gunn/) > [“All I wanted was to merge with the same person who had broken me, thinking that he was the only one who could fill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-simon-gunn/all-i-wanted-was-to-merge-with-the-same-person-who-had-broken-me/) [Jacqueline Simon Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-simon-gunn/) > [“We can reach untainted experiential freedom, by living in the moment as it is—without contemplation. Here we find the possibility of freedom—of just being—living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-simon-gunn/we-can-reach-untainted-experiential-freedom-by-living-in-the-moment/) [Jacqueline Simon Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-simon-gunn/) > [“We cannot develop resilience without first enduring.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-simon-gunn/we-cannot-develop-resilience-without-first-enduring/) [Jacqueline Simon Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-simon-gunn/) > [“He was always right beside me, but we were never in the same place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-simon-gunn/he-was-always-right-beside-me-but-we-were-never-in-the-same-place/) [Jacqueline Simon Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-simon-gunn/) > [“I suffer from chronic nostalgia. Looking back makes me dizzy, queasy, and I yearn for it, ache for it. I want it back; maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-simon-gunn/i-suffer-from-chronic-nostalgia-looking-back-makes-me-dizzy-queasy/) [Jacqueline Simon Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-simon-gunn/) > [“She grew tired of shielding her body, For societal expectation and propriety, Double standards and sobriety, Ideologies of prudent cries, And boys who made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-simon-gunn/she-grew-tired-of-shielding-her-body-for-societal-expectation-and/) [Jacqueline Simon Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-simon-gunn/) > [“I used to think knots in my stomach meant I really liked someone, but now I knew it was my body’s alarm system telling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-simon-gunn/i-used-to-think-knots-in-my-stomach-meant-i-really-liked-someone-but/) [Jacqueline Simon Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-simon-gunn/) > [“I rested my chin on my paws, wondering if she’d ever be able to open her heart to another man-human. I knew firsthand how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-simon-gunn/i-rested-my-chin-on-my-paws-wondering-if-she-d-ever-be-able-to-open/) [Jacqueline Simon Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-simon-gunn/) > [“You should only fall in love with someone whose arms are open, and strong enough to catch you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-simon-gunn/you-should-only-fall-in-love-with-someone-whose-arms-are-open-and/) [Jacqueline Simon Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-simon-gunn/) > [“Therapy, like life, is a process -- a journey toward greater self-awareness and healing -- where the in-the-moment experience is often as enriching as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-simon-gunn/therapy-like-life-is-a-process-a-journey-toward-greater-self/) [Jacqueline Simon Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-simon-gunn/) > [“Life can be difficult at times and many questions have no answers. The determination it takes to go on and the resiliency required of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-simon-gunn/life-can-be-difficult-at-times-and-many-questions-have-no-answers-the/) [Jacqueline Simon Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-simon-gunn/) > [“Stop trying to get validation from people who can't or won't acknowledge your feelings. This reflects their inability to empathize. It's a failure on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-simon-gunn/stop-trying-to-get-validation-from-people-who-can-t-or-won-t/) [Jacqueline Simon Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-simon-gunn/) [Explore all 47 Jacqueline Simon Gunn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-simon-gunn/) ## More Love quotes > [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. It could just as easily have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/whatever-meaning-annie-s-song-had-for-me-on-a-personal-level-there/) [John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [I love going to Columbia, Missouri. That is a really underrated campus. It shocked me when I went there because I really didn't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-herbstreit/i-love-going-to-columbia-missouri-that-is-a-really-underrated-campus/) [Kirk Herbstreit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-herbstreit/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [We talk to God--that is prayer; God talks to us--that is inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-emilie-cady/we-talk-to-god-that-is-prayer-god-talks-to-us-that-is-inspiration/) [H. Emilie Cady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-emilie-cady/) > [I fell in love with social work, and that was my undoing as a poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rakosi/i-fell-in-love-with-social-work-and-that-was-my-undoing-as-a-poet/) [Carl Rakosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rakosi/) > [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/) [Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > [“To be loved by a man, truly loved, made a woman feel as if she could burst. Of course, Lia was strong and could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-anne/to-be-loved-by-a-man-truly-loved-made-a-woman-feel-as-if-she-could/) [Melody Anne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-anne/) > [So when you take those tears, don't look to see I'm alright. …\*Seal - Violet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-nickel/so-when-you-take-those-tears-don-t-look-to-see-i-m-alright-seal-violet/) [Eric Nickel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-nickel/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [“That horrible stinging sensation returned, the muscles behind my eyes straining as the first tear began to fall. “I’m scared, too. For eighteen months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-ashley/that-horrible-stinging-sensation-returned-the-muscles-behind-my-eyes/) [Devon Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-ashley/) > [I could program a 'fabulous, I love it' kind of hit season right now. I'm more interested in breaking boundaries, telling a story, defying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-wolfe/i-could-program-a-fabulous-i-love-it-kind-of-hit-season-right-now-i-m/) [George C. Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-wolfe/) [Browse all 233,035 Love quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I realized that real love, the kind that lasts a lifetime, is never possessive. It’s never suffocating. It breathes. It lives. We feel it. But we also know how to let the attachment go.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jacqueline Simon Gunn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-simon-gunn/i-realized-that-real-love-the-kind-that-lasts-a-lifetime-is-never/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Love" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-simon-gunn/i-realized-that-real-love-the-kind-that-lasts-a-lifetime-is-never/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a24/jacqueline-simon-gunn-14191_love_i-realized-that-real-love-the-kind-that_1764282.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a24/jacqueline-simon-gunn-14191_love_i-realized-that-real-love-the-kind-that_1764282.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a24/jacqueline-simon-gunn-14191_love_i-realized-that-real-love-the-kind-that_1764282.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I realized that real love, the kind that lasts a lifetime, is never possessive. It’s never suffocating. It…” — Jacqueline Simon Gunn", "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": "Jacqueline Simon Gunn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-simon-gunn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I realized that real love, the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-simon-gunn/i-realized-that-real-love-the-kind-that-lasts-a-lifetime-is-never/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-simon-gunn/i-realized-that-real-love-the-kind-that-lasts-a-lifetime-is-never/#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 } } ] } ```