--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That's what love is. Love is keeping the…" description: "\"“That's what love is. Love is keeping the promise anyway.”\" — John Green" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1b/john-green-12_keeping_that-s-what-love-is-love-is-keeping-the_308865.jpg" --- # That's what love is. Love is keeping the promise anyway. ![“That's what love is. Love is keeping the promise anyway.” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1b/john-green-12_keeping_that-s-what-love-is-love-is-keeping-the_308865.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1b/john-green-12_keeping_that-s-what-love-is-love-is-keeping-the_308865.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1b/john-green-12_keeping_that-s-what-love-is-love-is-keeping-the_308865.jpg) > ““That's what love is. Love is keeping the promise anyway.”” [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Love means honoring commitments even when circumstances are difficult. **In simple terms:** Love keeps promises. Key Takeaway Stay faithful despite obstacles. Themes love commitment resilience Mood hopeful reflective Type romantic inspirational When to use this quote - marriage vows - friendship contracts - caregiver support Key Concepts relationships ethical duty Questions to Reflect On - What promises matter most? - How to balance love and self? A Different Perspective Idealizing sacrifice may ignore self‑care. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love is love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-is-love/) [Promise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promise/) ## Related quotes > [“But you keep the promise anyway. That's what love is. 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Love is keeping the promise anyway.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/isaac-shot-me-a-look-right-of-course-but-you-keep-the-promise-anyway/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Right, of course. But you keep the promise anyway. That's what love is. Love is keeping the promise anyway. Don't you believe in true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/right-of-course-but-you-keep-the-promise-anyway-that-s-what-love-is-2/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Love is keeping the promise anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/love-is-keeping-the-promise-anyway/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“How can you just break the promise?" "Sometimes people don't understand the promises they're making when they make them," I said. Isaac shot me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/how-can-you-just-break-the-promise-sometimes-people-don-t-understand/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“I kept saying ‘always’ to her today, ‘always always always,’ and she just kept talking over me and not saying it back. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-kept-saying-always-to-her-today-always-always-always-and-she-just/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Sometimes people don’t understand the promises they’re making when they make them,” I said. Isaac shot me a look. “Right, of course. But you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/sometimes-people-don-t-understand-the-promises-they-re-making-when-4/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Some people don't understand the promises they're making when they make them," I said. "Right, of course. But you keep the promise anyway. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/some-people-don-t-understand-the-promises-they-re-making-when-they/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Sometimes people don’t understand the promises they’re making when they make them. But you keep the promise anyway. That’s what love is. Love is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/sometimes-people-don-t-understand-the-promises-they-re-making-when-3/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“How can you just break the promise?” “Sometimes people don’t understand the promises they’re making when they make them,” I said. Isaac shot me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/how-can-you-just-break-the-promise-sometimes-people-don-t-understand-2/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Always' was a promise! How can you just break the promise?" "Sometimes people don't always understand the promises they're making when they make them,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/always-was-a-promise-how-can-you-just-break-the-promise-sometimes/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Sometimes people don't understand the promises they're making when they make them," I said. Isaac shot me a look. "Right, of course. But you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/sometimes-people-don-t-understand-the-promises-they-re-making-when-2/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Right, of course. But you keep the promise anyway. That’s what love is. Love is keeping the promise anyway. Don’t you believe in true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/right-of-course-but-you-keep-the-promise-anyway-that-s-what-love-is/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## More by John Green > [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“I just want to stay away from people and read books and think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-just-want-to-stay-away-from-people-and-read-books-and-think/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [A Margo for each of us--and each more mirror than window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/a-margo-for-each-of-us-and-each-more-mirror-than-window/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“No one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/no-one-ever-says-good-bye-unless-they-want-to-see-you-again/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Traffic's not too bad on Sheridan, and I'm cornering the car like it's the Indy 500, and we're listening to my favorite NMH song,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/traffic-s-not-too-bad-on-sheridan-and-i-m-cornering-the-car-like-it-s/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Praise God for good nurses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/praise-god-for-good-nurses/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [So I was ugly. I was never fat, really, and I never wore headgear or had zits or anything. But I was ugly. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/so-i-was-ugly-i-was-never-fat-really-and-i-never-wore-headgear-or-had/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Nothing has ever looked like that ever in all of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/nothing-has-ever-looked-like-that-ever-in-all-of-human-history/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“said to him quietly, as if I couldn’t hear or something. Dad was about to respond but I interrupted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/said-to-him-quietly-as-if-i-couldn-t-hear-or-something-dad-was-about/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I believe humans have souls, and I believe in the conservation of souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-believe-humans-have-souls-and-i-believe-in-the-conservation-of-souls/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“He was hot. A nonhotboy stares at you relentlessly and it is, at best, awkward and, at worst, a form of assault. But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/he-was-hot-a-nonhotboy-stares-at-you-relentlessly-and-it-is-at-best/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/imagining-the-future-is-a-kind-of-nostalgia-you-spend-your-whole-life/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) [Explore all 3,614 John Green quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## More Keeping quotes > [Hats off to starting a franchise younger than we all did in 'Twilight' and keeping your cool. The 'Harry Potter' men and women had,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellan-lutz/hats-off-to-starting-a-franchise-younger-than-we-all-did-in-twilight/) [Kellan Lutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellan-lutz/) > [Especially for those of us who lived in single cells, you had the time to sit down and think, and we discovered that sitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/especially-for-those-of-us-who-lived-in-single-cells-you-had-the-time/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [It is by chance that I met you, and by choice I am keeping you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punkinhead-abhishek/it-is-by-chance-that-i-met-you-and-by-choice-i-am-keeping-you/) [Punkinhead Abhishek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punkinhead-abhishek/) > [Retirement is having nothing to do and someone always keeping you from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/retirement-is-having-nothing-to-do-and-someone-always-keeping-you/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [“I have a hard time keeping my hands off you without that added bonus”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/i-have-a-hard-time-keeping-my-hands-off-you-without-that-added-bonus/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [Keeping in touch with the people that matter is important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-eazy/keeping-in-touch-with-the-people-that-matter-is-important/) [G-Eazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-eazy/) > [A lot of young musicians in Stockholm are about keeping tradition alive and moving it forward at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neneh-cherry/a-lot-of-young-musicians-in-stockholm-are-about-keeping-tradition/) [Neneh Cherry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neneh-cherry/) > [I always wanted to do be an allrounder. I don't know why I picked keeping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-karthik/i-always-wanted-to-do-be-an-allrounder-i-don-t-know-why-i-picked/) [Dinesh Karthik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-karthik/) > [Keeping score is for games, not friendships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/keeping-score-is-for-games-not-friendships/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [By far the most difficult skill I learned as a C.E.O. was the ability to manage my own psychology. Organizational design, process design, metrics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-horowitz/by-far-the-most-difficult-skill-i-learned-as-a-c-e-o-was-the-ability/) [Ben Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-horowitz/) > [In general, we like to play as a band - guitar, piano, and voice. We also tour with a bass player, a drummer, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-dost/in-general-we-like-to-play-as-a-band-guitar-piano-and-voice-we-also/) [Andrew Dost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-dost/) > [I'll never forget how she told us. She took us all out to brunch, and she was like, 'You guys, I'm keeping this one.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-schumer/i-ll-never-forget-how-she-told-us-she-took-us-all-out-to-brunch-and/) [Amy Schumer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-schumer/) > [I think film requires a lot more patience and concentration and each day you're keeping the entire picture in your head throughout a two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawnee-smith/i-think-film-requires-a-lot-more-patience-and-concentration-and-each/) [Shawnee Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawnee-smith/) > [There's nothing better than keeping fit. It gives me energy and helps me think more clearly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-donovan/there-s-nothing-better-than-keeping-fit-it-gives-me-energy-and-helps/) [Trevor Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-donovan/) > [There are too many people around keeping me grounded to go off the rails. I'm my own person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-scott/there-are-too-many-people-around-keeping-me-grounded-to-go-off-the/) [Naomi Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-scott/) Browse all 642 Keeping quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“That's what love is. 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