--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: First best is falling in love. Second…" description: "\"First best is falling in love. Second best is being in love. Least best is falling out of love. But any of it is better than never having been in love...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce2/maya-angelou-104_being-in-love_first-best-is-falling-in-love-second-bes_3213240.png" --- # First best is falling in love. Second best is being in… ![“First best is falling in love. Second best is being in love. Least best is falling out of love. But any of it is better than never having been in love.” quote by Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce2/maya-angelou-104_being-in-love_first-best-is-falling-in-love-second-bes_3213240.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce2/maya-angelou-104_being-in-love_first-best-is-falling-in-love-second-bes_3213240.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce2/maya-angelou-104_being-in-love_first-best-is-falling-in-love-second-bes_3213240.png) > “First best is falling in love. Second best is being in love. Least best is falling out of love. But any of it is better than never having been in love.” [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ranks love experiences, asserting any love is preferable to none **In simple terms:** Any love is better than none Key Takeaway Cherish love in all its forms Themes love relationships growth Mood hopeful empathetic Type poetic inspirational When to use this quote - romantic relationships - friendships - family bonds - self‑love practices Key Concepts Emotional intelligence human connection Questions to Reflect On - How do you navigate love’s challenges? - What does love mean to you beyond romance? A Different Perspective Idealizing love can ignore its complexities and pain ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being in love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-in-love/) [Best love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-love/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Falling in love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falling-in-love/) [Falling out of love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falling-out-of-love/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Having Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-love/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-best/) [Love Second](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-second/) [Lovelessness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lovelessness/) [Second best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/second-best/) ## Related quotes > [Falling in love with you was the second best thing that has ever happened to me...finding you was the first](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daley/falling-in-love-with-you-was-the-second-best-thing-that-has-ever/) [Daley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daley/) > [“After self-love the second best gift you could ever give yourself is self-discipline.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyconis-d-allison-ty/after-self-love-the-second-best-gift-you-could-ever-give-yourself-is/) [Tyconis D. Allison Ty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyconis-d-allison-ty/) > [Falling in love with you is the second best thing in the world. Finding you is the first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/falling-in-love-with-you-is-the-second-best-thing-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My people had used music to soothe slavery's torment or to propitiate God, or to describe the sweetness of love and the distress of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/my-people-had-used-music-to-soothe-slavery-s-torment-or-to-propitiate/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Don't go for second best. Put your love to the test.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/don-t-go-for-second-best-put-your-love-to-the-test/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [“There is no such thing as second best love story because the only best love story that a person will ever encounter and experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-del-rosario/there-is-no-such-thing-as-second-best-love-story-because-the-only/) [Nikki del Rosario](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-del-rosario/) > [We must learn to die, and to die in the fullest sense of the word. The fear of the end is the source of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-wagner/we-must-learn-to-die-and-to-die-in-the-fullest-sense-of-the-word-the/) [Richard Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-wagner/) > [Marriage is not a process for prolonging the life of love, sir. It merely mummifies its corpse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/marriage-is-not-a-process-for-prolonging-the-life-of-love-sir-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [...and gradually his face assumed the expressions which are so often found among rich people - the expressions of discontent, of sickliness, of displeasure,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/and-gradually-his-face-assumed-the-expressions-which-are-so-often/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [The plan of spiritual evolution is marked not only by God's will that we move ever in the direction of love, nut also by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-plan-of-spiritual-evolution-is-marked-not-only-by-god-s-will-that/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [“A gust of cool wind moved in the curtains and made shadows dance and play for her on the walls of the bedroom. Like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-silva/a-gust-of-cool-wind-moved-in-the-curtains-and-made-shadows-dance-and/) [Daniel Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-silva/) > [Every love relationship rests on an unwritten agreement unthinkingly concluded by the lovers in the first weeks of their love. They are still in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/every-love-relationship-rests-on-an-unwritten-agreement-unthinkingly/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Women have endeavored to guide men to love because patriarchal thinking has sanctioned this work even as it has undermined it by teaching men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/women-have-endeavored-to-guide-men-to-love-because-patriarchal/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [“No matter how powerful hate seems, it cannot usurp the throne of love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/no-matter-how-powerful-hate-seems-it-cannot-usurp-the-throne-of-love/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [Silent night, holy night, when the bough flies from the tree and is hung everywhere, when from tables the crusts fly, when the gifts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingeborg-bachmann/silent-night-holy-night-when-the-bough-flies-from-the-tree-and-is/) [Ingeborg Bachmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingeborg-bachmann/) ## More by Maya Angelou > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“You are very kind and very intelligent and those elements are not always found together. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-are-very-kind-and-very-intelligent-and-those-elements-are-not/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I agreed a long time ago, I would not live at any cost. 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Put your whole heart in everything you do, and pray, then you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/life-is-going-to-give-you-just-what-you-put-in-it-put-your-whole/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may tread me in the very dirt But still, like dust,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-may-write-me-down-in-history-with-your-bitter-twisted-lies-you/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [The more you know of your history, the more liberated you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/the-more-you-know-of-your-history-the-more-liberated-you-are/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Life offers us tickets to places which we have not knowingly asked for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/life-offers-us-tickets-to-places-which-we-have-not-knowingly-asked-for/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/every-person-needs-to-take-one-day-away-a-day-in-which-one/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm working at trying to be a Christian, and that's serious business. It's like trying to be a good Jew, a good Muslim, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-m-working-at-trying-to-be-a-christian-and-that-s-serious-business/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Nathaniel Hawthorne once said that easy reading is damn hard writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/nathaniel-hawthorne-once-said-that-easy-reading-is-damn-hard-writing/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Sunday, if I'm lucky, I'll go to church or listen to some good spiritual advice on the television or on the radio. I take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/sunday-if-i-m-lucky-i-ll-go-to-church-or-listen-to-some-good/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) [Explore all 1,313 Maya Angelou quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## More Being in love quotes > [If You Love Someone, Be Brave Enough To Tell Them., Otherwise Be Brave Enough To Watch Them To Be Loved By Someone Else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bilal-zahoor/if-you-love-someone-be-brave-enough-to-tell-them-otherwise-be-brave/) [Bilal Zahoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bilal-zahoor/) > [You'll know they're special when no matter what kind of mood you're in, they can always manage to make you smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-tomasello/you-ll-know-they-re-special-when-no-matter-what-kind-of-mood-you-re/) [Mario Tomasello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-tomasello/) > [ONE stone enough to break a glass,,, ONE sentence is enough to break a heart,,, FIRST sight is enough to fall in love,,, ONE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-stone-enough-to-break-a-glass-one-sentence-is-enough-to-break-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The one thing I absolutely hate about social media are the people who abuse it. Whenever I see a person who constantly posts negative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jazmin-garcia/the-one-thing-i-absolutely-hate-about-social-media-are-the-people-who/) [Jazmin Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jazmin-garcia/) > [Don't turn your back on love when it's already in front of you. Don't drive it away from you, because If you do, someday,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jcalex-maneja/don-t-turn-your-back-on-love-when-it-s-already-in-front-of-you-don-t/) [Jcalex Maneja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jcalex-maneja/) > [Enough for this bow & arrow. It caused me nothing but sorrow. No need for another tomorrow. In your heart, I will never be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louaiq8/enough-for-this-bow-arrow-it-caused-me-nothing-but-sorrow-no-need-for/) [Louaiq8](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louaiq8/) > [I know we can't be together, and yes it hurts like hell...but I want you to be happy, cause I'm happy if you are…i'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/superman/i-know-we-can-t-be-together-and-yes-it-hurts-like-hell-but-i-want-you/) [Superman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/superman/) > [I be picking flower pedals saying does he love me or does he love me not... I just want to be that special someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelica-perez/i-be-picking-flower-pedals-saying-does-he-love-me-or-does-he-love-me/) [Angelica Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelica-perez/) > [You can't make someone love you, all you can do is be someone who can be loved ,the rest is up to the person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-t-make-someone-love-you-all-you-can-do-is-be-someone-who-can/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes loving someone does not require a sense of knowing...Often times it's when you love someone without reason or explanation that it withstands the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mimi-mata-aspiring-writer/sometimes-loving-someone-does-not-require-a-sense-of-knowing-often/) [Mimi Mata (Aspiring Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mimi-mata-aspiring-writer/) > [You can never understand why people do stupid things for love, Unless you, yourself experience how it is to be in LOVE...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-never-understand-why-people-do-stupid-things-for-love-unless/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes all you need in life is someone who will always be there for you, no matter what happens to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-all-you-need-in-life-is-someone-who-will-always-be-there/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > ['I Love You' fails to sum up all the memories, smiles, laughs, trials, and tribulations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghib-clitso/i-love-you-fails-to-sum-up-all-the-memories-smiles-laughs-trials-and/) [Raghib Clitso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghib-clitso/) > [Each day my love grows deeper, deeper than I never thought before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/each-day-my-love-grows-deeper-deeper-than-i-never-thought-before/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Whatever questions I ask, will you give me an honest answer? Do you love me? why do you blush look away and say no?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/whatever-questions-i-ask-will-you-give-me-an-honest-answer-do-you/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) [Browse all 3,301 Being in love quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-in-love/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "First best is falling in love. Second best is being in love. Least best is falling out of love. 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