--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Self-love is not only necessary and good…" description: "\"Self-love is not only necessary and good, it is a prerequisite for loving others.\" — Rollo May" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2f/rollo-may-1295_love_self-love-is-not-only-necessary-and-good_2825033.jpg" --- # Self-love is not only necessary and good, it is a… ![“Self-love is not only necessary and good, it is a prerequisite for loving others.” quote by Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2f/rollo-may-1295_love_self-love-is-not-only-necessary-and-good_2825033.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2f/rollo-may-1295_love_self-love-is-not-only-necessary-and-good_2825033.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2f/rollo-may-1295_love_self-love-is-not-only-necessary-and-good_2825033.jpg) > “Self-love is not only necessary and good, it is a prerequisite for loving others.” [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. States that self‑love is essential before one can genuinely love others. **In simple terms:** Love yourself first to love others. Key Takeaway Cultivate self‑acceptance before extending love. Themes self‑love psychology relationships Mood introspective encouraging Type psychological philosophical When to use this quote - therapy - personal growth - relationship counseling Key Concepts humanistic psychology emotional health Questions to Reflect On - How do you practice self‑care? - What limits does self‑love set? A Different Perspective Self‑love alone may not guarantee healthy relationships. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-yourself/) [Loving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loving/) [Loving others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loving-others/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-love/) ## Related quotes > [Fortunately, however, we no longer have to argue that self -love is not only necessary and good but that it also is a prerequisite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/fortunately-however-we-no-longer-have-to-argue-that-self-love-is-not/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [The prerequisite to loving others is to love yourself. If you don't have a healthy respect for who you are, and if you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/the-prerequisite-to-loving-others-is-to-love-yourself-if-you-don-t/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [Everyone loves himself,but loving others is the most daunting task. In fact, the key reason for feeling low, hurt, rejected or dejected in ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuj-somany/everyone-loves-himself-but-loving-others-is-the-most-daunting-task-in/) [Anuj Somany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anuj-somany/) > [Love yourself, and you will begin to see that loving others will come naturally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-yourself-and-you-will-begin-to-see-that-loving-others-will-come/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Don't fall in love with a person—fall in love with who you are when you're with them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connor-chalfant/don-t-fall-in-love-with-a-person-fall-in-love-with-who-you-are-when/) [Connor Chalfant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connor-chalfant/) > [“If you spend time judging and criticizing people, you will not have time to heal from your pain or brokenness. You cannot love yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemi-sogunle/if-you-spend-time-judging-and-criticizing-people-you-will-not-have/) [Kemi Sogunle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemi-sogunle/) > [That a country has a strong civil society is, I believe, particularly necessary for good development.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winnie-byanyima/that-a-country-has-a-strong-civil-society-is-i-believe-particularly/) [Winnie Byanyima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winnie-byanyima/) > [Something which is good for you may not be necessary that its good for me and Something which is bad for me may not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-p-s/something-which-is-good-for-you-may-not-be-necessary-that-its-good/) Nina P S > [I exhort you and beseech you in the bowels of Christ, faint not, weary not. There is a great necessity of heaven; ye must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-rutherford/i-exhort-you-and-beseech-you-in-the-bowels-of-christ-faint-not-weary/) [Samuel Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-rutherford/) > [“Everything a Good Person Says or Does is not necessary to be Good”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venkat-gandhi/everything-a-good-person-says-or-does-is-not-necessary-to-be-good/) [Venkat Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/venkat-gandhi/) > [I want to be necessary and do good works. I ain't here to waste nobody's time, because I don't want you to waste mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/i-want-to-be-necessary-and-do-good-works-i-ain-t-here-to-waste-nobody/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [Religion, morality, and knowledge are necessary for good government... Therefore schools and the means of educating the people should always be encouraged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/religion-morality-and-knowledge-are-necessary-for-good-government/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I didn't realize it until I was grown how necessary it is for good people to be tough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-dee/i-didn-t-realize-it-until-i-was-grown-how-necessary-it-is-for-good/) [Ruby Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-dee/) > [Science is no substitute for virtue; the heart is as necessary for a good life as the head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/science-is-no-substitute-for-virtue-the-heart-is-as-necessary-for-a/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Good things to say only and hear about the good are saying is not necessary/good things of those who have a good character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/good-things-to-say-only-and-hear-about-the-good-are-saying-is-not/) Mak\_786 ## More by Rollo May > [Human freedom involves our capacity to pause between the stimulus and response and, in that pause, to choose the one response toward which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/human-freedom-involves-our-capacity-to-pause-between-the-stimulus-and/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [Political freedom is to be cherished indeed. But there is no political freedom that is not indissolubly bound to the inner personal freedom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/political-freedom-is-to-be-cherished-indeed-but-there-is-no-political/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [Joy is the effect which comes when we use our powers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/joy-is-the-effect-which-comes-when-we-use-our-powers/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [In religion, it is not the sycophants or those who cling most faithfully to the status quo who are ultimately praised. It is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/in-religion-it-is-not-the-sycophants-or-those-who-cling-most/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [One of the few blessings of living in an age of anxiety is that we are forced to become aware of ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/one-of-the-few-blessings-of-living-in-an-age-of-anxiety-is-that-we/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [Intimacy requires courage because risk is inescapable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/intimacy-requires-courage-because-risk-is-inescapable/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [Artists do not run away from non-being, but by encountering and wrestling with it, force it to produce being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/artists-do-not-run-away-from-non-being-but-by-encountering-and/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [“Technology is the knack of so arranging the world that we do not experience it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/technology-is-the-knack-of-so-arranging-the-world-that-we-do-not/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [By the creative act, we are able to reach beyond our own death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/by-the-creative-act-we-are-able-to-reach-beyond-our-own-death/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [Joy is the zest that you get out of using your talents, your understanding, the totality of your being, for great aims...That's the kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/joy-is-the-zest-that-you-get-out-of-using-your-talents-your/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [One must have at least a readiness to love the other person, broadly speaking, if one is to be able to understand him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/one-must-have-at-least-a-readiness-to-love-the-other-person-broadly/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [Man is the "ethical animal" ethical in potentiality even if, unfortunately, not in actuality. His capacity for ethical judgment like freedom, reason and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/man-is-the-ethical-animal-ethical-in-potentiality-even-if/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [Evil, in this system of ethics, is that which tears apart, shuts out the other person, raises barriers, sets people against each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/evil-in-this-system-of-ethics-is-that-which-tears-apart-shuts-out-the/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [We receive love — from our children as well as others — not in proportion to our demands or sacrifices or needs, but roughly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/we-receive-love-from-our-children-as-well-as-others-not-in-proportion/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice, it is conformity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/the-opposite-of-courage-in-our-society-is-not-cowardice-it-is/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) [Explore all 259 Rollo May quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) ## More Love quotes > [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. 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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. 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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": "Self-love is not only necessary and good, it is a prerequisite for loving others.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rollo May" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/self-love-is-not-only-necessary-and-good-it-is-a-prerequisite-for/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Love" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/self-love-is-not-only-necessary-and-good-it-is-a-prerequisite-for/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2f/rollo-may-1295_love_self-love-is-not-only-necessary-and-good_2825033.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2f/rollo-may-1295_love_self-love-is-not-only-necessary-and-good_2825033.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2f/rollo-may-1295_love_self-love-is-not-only-necessary-and-good_2825033.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Self-love is not only necessary and good, it is a prerequisite for loving others.” — Rollo May", "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": "Rollo May", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Self-love is not only necessary and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/self-love-is-not-only-necessary-and-good-it-is-a-prerequisite-for/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/self-love-is-not-only-necessary-and-good-it-is-a-prerequisite-for/#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 } } ] } ```