--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is a secret about human love that…" description: "\"There is a secret about human love that is commonly overlooked: Receiving it is much more scary and threatening than giving it. How many times in your ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/843/john-welwood-16872_difficult_there-is-a-secret-about-human-love-that_3215656.jpg" --- # There is a secret about human love that is commonly… ![“There is a secret about human love that is commonly overlooked: Receiving it is much more scary and threatening than giving it. How many times in your life have you been unable to let in someone's love or even pushed it away? Much as we proclaim the wish to be truly loved, we are often afraid of…” quote by John Welwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/843/john-welwood-16872_difficult_there-is-a-secret-about-human-love-that_3215656.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/843/john-welwood-16872_difficult_there-is-a-secret-about-human-love-that_3215656.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/843/john-welwood-16872_difficult_there-is-a-secret-about-human-love-that_3215656.jpg) > “There is a secret about human love that is commonly overlooked: Receiving it is much more scary and threatening than giving it. How many times in your life have you been unable to let in someone's love or even pushed it away? Much as we proclaim the wish to be truly loved, we are often afraid of that, and so find it difficult to open to love or let it all the way in.” [John Welwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-welwood/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Receiving love can feel more threatening than giving it, causing people to reject affection **In simple terms:** Love can be scarier to accept than to give Key Takeaway Open yourself to receiving love despite fear Themes psychology relationships vulnerability self‑acceptance love Mood introspective empathetic cautious Type psychological relationship self‑help When to use this quote - counseling sessions - personal relationships - self‑help workshops - mindfulness practice Key Concepts Attachment theory emotional safety self‑worth Questions to Reflect On - What fears arise when you accept love? - How can you practice safe receiving of affection? A Different Perspective Fear of vulnerability may lead to isolation if not addressed ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Human love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-love/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Let Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/let-love/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-does/) [Love Let](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-let/) [Love Pushed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-pushed-498111/) [Man Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-love/) [Open Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-love/) [Overlooked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overlooked/) [Perfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect/) [Perfect love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect-love/) [Receiving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/receiving/) [Scary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scary/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Threatening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threatening/) [Truly love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truly-love/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [I believe in love at first sight, and I feel sometimes you have to just be open to whatever love is and let yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-kirby/i-believe-in-love-at-first-sight-and-i-feel-sometimes-you-have-to/) [Luke Kirby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-kirby/) > [I started out looking for the perfect love story, but what I found instead was something even more beautiful - a messy love, an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/velcrow-ripper/i-started-out-looking-for-the-perfect-love-story-but-what-i-found/) [Velcrow Ripper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/velcrow-ripper/) > [There is a secret about human love that is commonly overlooked: Receiving it is much more scary and threatening than giving it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-welwood/there-is-a-secret-about-human-love-that-is-commonly-overlooked/) [John Welwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-welwood/) > [“If you're there, Eva...if you're really there..." His fingers tightened around our shoulder, digging into our skin. "I love you, too. 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