---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Agape doesn't love somebody because…"
description: "\"Agape doesn't love somebody because they're worthy. Agape makes them worthy by the strength and power of its love. Agape doesn't love somebody because ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e9/rob-bell-1025_agape_agape-doesn-t-love-somebody-because-they_2352026.jpg"
---

#  Agape doesn't love somebody because they're worthy. Agape…

![“Agape doesn't love somebody because they're worthy. Agape makes them worthy by the strength and power of its love. Agape doesn't love somebody because they're beautiful. Agape loves in such a way that it makes them beautiful.” quote by Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e9/rob-bell-1025_agape_agape-doesn-t-love-somebody-because-they_2352026.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e9/rob-bell-1025_agape_agape-doesn-t-love-somebody-because-they_2352026.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e9/rob-bell-1025_agape_agape-doesn-t-love-somebody-because-they_2352026.jpg)

> “Agape doesn't love somebody because they're worthy. Agape makes them worthy by the strength and power of its love. Agape doesn't love somebody because they're beautiful. Agape loves in such a way that it makes them beautiful.”

[Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Agape love is unconditional, creating worth and beauty in the beloved through its powerful, self-giving nature.

**In simple terms:** Agape makes people worthy and beautiful by loving them.

Key Takeaway

Love unconditionally to uplift others.

Themes

unconditional love transformation spirituality

Mood

compassionate hopeful reflective

Type

spiritual inspirational philosophical

When to use this quote

- relationships
- counseling
- spiritual mentorship
- community building

Key Concepts

agape self‑sacrifice empowerment

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you love without enabling?
- What does it mean to make someone beautiful through love?

A Different Perspective

Unconditional love may be misunderstood as enabling harmful behavior.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Agape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agape/) [Agape love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agape-love/) [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Strength And Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strength-and-power/)

## Related quotes

> [“Holistic, unconditional love, agape, is the unity in which duality disappears. It is as if a certain internal boundary has vanished. With agape what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-edmund-helminski/holistic-unconditional-love-agape-is-the-unity-in-which-duality/)

Kabir Edmund Helminski

> [Therefore, go out yee and share the God-kinda love (AGAPE) with everybody for Love covers up a multitude of sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingandipewa/therefore-go-out-yee-and-share-the-god-kinda-love-agape-with/)

Ingandipewa

> [There may come a time when it will be possible for you to humiliate your worst enemy or even to defeat him, but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/there-may-come-a-time-when-it-will-be-possible-for-you-to-humiliate/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [Agape is disinterested love. . . . Agape does not begin by discriminating between worthy and unworthy people, or any qualities people possess. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/agape-is-disinterested-love-agape-does-not-begin-by-discriminating/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [Divine love, agape, is self-sacrificing love, which sounds difficult, as it is, and not very attractive. If the best image we have of love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hart/divine-love-agape-is-self-sacrificing-love-which-sounds-difficult-as/)

[Kevin Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hart/)

> [“In the final analysis, agape means a recognition of the fact that all life is interrelated. All humanity is involved in a single process,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/in-the-final-analysis-agape-means-a-recognition-of-the-fact-that-all/)

[Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/)

> [Fasting and feasting are universal human responses, and any meal, shared with love, can be an agape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elise-m-boulding/fasting-and-feasting-are-universal-human-responses-and-any-meal/)

[Elise M. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elise-m-boulding/)

> [Agape, the love of each one of us for the other, from the closest to the furthest, is in fact the only way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/agape-the-love-of-each-one-of-us-for-the-other-from-the-closest-to/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [ “I contend that those who Agape can only administer mercy and grace." ~R. Alan Woods \[2012\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-alan-woods/i-contend-that-those-who-agape-can-only-administer-mercy-and-grace-r/)

[R. Alan Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-alan-woods/)

> [On this special day of love, remember that your Father loves you more than you could ever imagine...no matter what you’ve done or haven’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/on-this-special-day-of-love-remember-that-your-father-loves-you-more/)

[Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/)

> [What is this love that endures decades, passes on sleep, and resists death to give one kiss? Call it agape love, a love that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/what-is-this-love-that-endures-decades-passes-on-sleep-and-resists/)

[Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/)

> [“Experience and Demonstrate the Agape Love, is far more than Gold - Go for it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-asumadu-sarkodie/experience-and-demonstrate-the-agape-love-is-far-more-than-gold-go/)

[Samuel Asumadu-Sarkodie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-asumadu-sarkodie/)

> [“HE remembered looking "agape" in his encyclopedia volume after he read Dr. King's speech in the DEFENDER. The newspaper ran the address in full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/he-remembered-looking-agape-in-his-encyclopedia-volume-after-he-read/)

[Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/)

> [“Agape love is strengthened by the person who expresses it - not by the person who receives it. In fact, the person who receives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-apollo/agape-love-is-strengthened-by-the-person-who-expresses-it-not-by-the/)

Brian Apollo

> [There must be a stronger foundation than mere friendship or sexual attraction. Unconditional love, agape love, will not be swayed by time or circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kendrick/there-must-be-a-stronger-foundation-than-mere-friendship-or-sexual/)

[Stephen Kendrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kendrick/)

## More by Rob Bell

> [If the gospel isn't good news for everybody, then it isn't good news for anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/if-the-gospel-isn-t-good-news-for-everybody-then-it-isn-t-good-news/)

[Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/)

> [Why blame the dark for being dark? It is far more helpful to ask why the light isn’t as bright as it could be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/why-blame-the-dark-for-being-dark-it-is-far-more-helpful-to-ask-why/)

[Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/)

> [“This story... blasts to pieces our biases and labels with a declaration that God is on everyone's side, extending grace and compassion to everyone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/this-story-blasts-to-pieces-our-biases-and-labels-with-a-declaration/)

[Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/)

> [One truth is that suffering raises profound questions with the universe. The other truth is that grace, gift and generosity also raise profound questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/one-truth-is-that-suffering-raises-profound-questions-with-the/)

[Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/)

> [For Jesus, heaven and hell were present realities. Ways of living we can enter into here and now. He talked very little of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/for-jesus-heaven-and-hell-were-present-realities-ways-of-living-we/)

[Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/)

> [Love is what God is, love is why Jesus came, and love is why he continues to come, year after year to person after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/love-is-what-god-is-love-is-why-jesus-came-and-love-is-why-he/)

[Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/)

> [I believe that God is love. I believe that Jesus came to show us this love, to give us this love, to teach us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/i-believe-that-god-is-love-i-believe-that-jesus-came-to-show-us-this/)

[Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/)

> [If the gospel isn't good news for everybody, then it isn't good news for anybody. And this is because the most powerful things happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/if-the-gospel-isn-t-good-news-for-everybody-then-it-isn-t-good-news-2/)

[Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/)

> [“I don’t read the Bible like a flat line. I don’t see all of the passages in the Bible sitting equally side by side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/i-don-t-read-the-bible-like-a-flat-line-i-don-t-see-all-of-the/)

[Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/)

> [To elevate abstract doctrines and dogmas over living, breathing, embodied experiences of God's love and grace, then, is going the wrong direction. It's taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/to-elevate-abstract-doctrines-and-dogmas-over-living-breathing/)

[Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/)

> [The modern world has created airports and hospitals and put 10,000 songs in our pocket. It has built gleaming buildings and computers and advances…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/the-modern-world-has-created-airports-and-hospitals-and-put-10-000/)

[Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/)

> [God is bigger than the Christian faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/god-is-bigger-than-the-christian-faith/)

[Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/)

> [What you believe about the future shapes, informs, and determines how you live now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/what-you-believe-about-the-future-shapes-informs-and-determines-how/)

[Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/)

> [The life you want begins by embracing the life you have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/the-life-you-want-begins-by-embracing-the-life-you-have/)

[Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/)

> [It takes quite a spine to turn the other cheek. It takes phenomenal fortitude to love your enemy. It takes firm resolve to pray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/it-takes-quite-a-spine-to-turn-the-other-cheek-it-takes-phenomenal/)

[Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/)

[Explore all 305 Rob Bell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/)

## More Agape quotes

> [There's a term, agape, you hear used a lot with charismatic religious groups, that it's this more pure love of caring, of sharing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-jackson/there-s-a-term-agape-you-hear-used-a-lot-with-charismatic-religious/)

[Phil Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-jackson/)

> [Agape means recognition of the fact that all life is interrelated. All humanity is involved in a single process, and all men are brothers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/agape-means-recognition-of-the-fact-that-all-life-is-interrelated-all/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [There must be a stronger foundation than mere friendship or sexual attraction. Unconditional love, agape love, will not be swayed by time or circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kendrick/there-must-be-a-stronger-foundation-than-mere-friendship-or-sexual/)

[Stephen Kendrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kendrick/)

> [“Agape love is strengthened by the person who expresses it - not by the person who receives it. In fact, the person who receives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-apollo/agape-love-is-strengthened-by-the-person-who-expresses-it-not-by-the/)

Brian Apollo

> [“Every action is a losing, a letting go, a passing away from oneself of some bit of one’s own reality into the existence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-mcgill/every-action-is-a-losing-a-letting-go-a-passing-away-from-oneself-of/)

Arthur C. McGill

> [“No doubt, God has placed you in the position to love the unlovely, whether or not you've been obedient to that command. In fact,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/no-doubt-god-has-placed-you-in-the-position-to-love-the-unlovely/)

[Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/)

> [What I am trying to say is that it is not without any value. The value of copies is that they can direct us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbas-kiarostami/what-i-am-trying-to-say-is-that-it-is-not-without-any-value-the-value/)

[Abbas Kiarostami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbas-kiarostami/)

> [My teenage children watched Senator Clinton on the Today Show, mouths agape. They attended our local caucus with me and saw hundreds of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shoshana-zuboff/my-teenage-children-watched-senator-clinton-on-the-today-show-mouths/)

[Shoshana Zuboff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shoshana-zuboff/)

> [“ Agape is disinterested love. It is a love in which the individual seeks not his own good, but the good of his neighbor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/agape-is-disinterested-love-it-is-a-love-in-which-the-individual/)

[Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/)

> [“To agape,” we all echoed, raising our wineglasses and drinking to higher love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-konigsberg/to-agape-we-all-echoed-raising-our-wineglasses-and-drinking-to-higher/)

[Bill Konigsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-konigsberg/)

> [Agape is disinterested love. . . . Agape does not begin by discriminating between worthy and unworthy people, or any qualities people possess. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/agape-is-disinterested-love-agape-does-not-begin-by-discriminating/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [“HE remembered looking "agape" in his encyclopedia volume after he read Dr. King's speech in the DEFENDER. The newspaper ran the address in full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/he-remembered-looking-agape-in-his-encyclopedia-volume-after-he-read/)

[Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/)

> [We must never stop dreaming. Dreams provide nourishment for the soul, just as a meal does for the body. Many times in our lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/we-must-never-stop-dreaming-dreams-provide-nourishment-for-the-soul/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [“Experience and Demonstrate the Agape Love, is far more than Gold - Go for it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-asumadu-sarkodie/experience-and-demonstrate-the-agape-love-is-far-more-than-gold-go/)

[Samuel Asumadu-Sarkodie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-asumadu-sarkodie/)

> [“Sissy had two great failings. She was a great lover and a great mother. She had so much of tenderness in her, so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/sissy-had-two-great-failings-she-was-a-great-lover-and-a-great-mother/)

[Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/)

[Browse all 71 Agape quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agape/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Agape doesn't love somebody because they're worthy. Agape makes them worthy by the strength and power of its love. Agape doesn't love somebody because they're beautiful. Agape loves in such a way that it makes them beautiful.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Rob Bell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/agape-doesn-t-love-somebody-because-they-re-worthy-agape-makes-them/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Agape"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/agape-doesn-t-love-somebody-because-they-re-worthy-agape-makes-them/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e9/rob-bell-1025_agape_agape-doesn-t-love-somebody-because-they_2352026.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e9/rob-bell-1025_agape_agape-doesn-t-love-somebody-because-they_2352026.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e9/rob-bell-1025_agape_agape-doesn-t-love-somebody-because-they_2352026.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Agape doesn't love somebody because they're worthy. Agape makes them worthy by the strength and power of its…” — Rob Bell",
                "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": "Rob Bell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Agape doesn't love somebody because they're...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/agape-doesn-t-love-somebody-because-they-re-worthy-agape-makes-them/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/agape-doesn-t-love-somebody-because-they-re-worthy-agape-makes-them/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
