--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every romantic knows that love was never…" description: "\"“Every romantic knows that love was never a noun; it is a verb.”\" — Shannon L. Alder" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/shannon-l-alder-363_action_every-romantic-knows-that-love-was-never_774724.jpg" --- # Every romantic knows that love was never a noun; it is a… ![“Every romantic knows that love was never a noun; it is a verb.” quote by Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/shannon-l-alder-363_action_every-romantic-knows-that-love-was-never_774724.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/shannon-l-alder-363_action_every-romantic-knows-that-love-was-never_774724.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/shannon-l-alder-363_action_every-romantic-knows-that-love-was-never_774724.jpg) > ““Every romantic knows that love was never a noun; it is a verb.”” [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Love is an active practice, not a static label, requiring ongoing effort and expression. **In simple terms:** Love is an action, not a noun. Key Takeaway Treat love as a verb. Themes relationships emotion commitment Mood reflective hopeful Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - dating - marriage - friendship - family life Key Concepts reciprocity intentionality Questions to Reflect On - How do you show love daily? - What actions define love for you? A Different Perspective Love can feel burdensome if expectations are unrealistic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Heartfelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heartfelt/) [Hurricanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurricanes/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Never ending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never-ending/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Passionate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passionate/) [Romantic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romantic/) [Storms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storms/) ## Related quotes > [Love is more than a noun-it is a verb; it is more than a feeling-it is caring, sharing, helping, sacrificing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/love-is-more-than-a-noun-it-is-a-verb-it-is-more-than-a-feeling-it-is/) [William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/) > [In my old age, I have come to believe that love is not a noun but a verb. An action. Like water, it flows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyson-richman/in-my-old-age-i-have-come-to-believe-that-love-is-not-a-noun-but-a/) [Alyson Richman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyson-richman/) > [“I'd been treating love like a thing, an achievement, a trophy to be and hung around my neck. People talk about it that way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-staveley/i-d-been-treating-love-like-a-thing-an-achievement-a-trophy-to-be-and/) [Brian Staveley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-staveley/) > [Love is not a noun to be defined, but a verb to be acted upon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-not-a-noun-to-be-defined-but-a-verb-to-be-acted-upon/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To me, Faith is not just a noun but also a verb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/to-me-faith-is-not-just-a-noun-but-also-a-verb/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [Why indeed must 'God' be a noun? Why not a verb - the most active and dynamic of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-daly/why-indeed-must-god-be-a-noun-why-not-a-verb-the-most-active-and/) [Mary Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-daly/) > [Whatever the thing you wish to say, there is but one word to express it, but one verb to give it movement, but one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/whatever-the-thing-you-wish-to-say-there-is-but-one-word-to-express/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [One of the glories of English simplicity is the possibility of using the same word as noun and verb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-sapir/one-of-the-glories-of-english-simplicity-is-the-possibility-of-using/) [Edward Sapir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-sapir/) > [Marriage is not a noun; it's a verb. It isn't something you get. It's something you do. It's the way you love your partner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-de-angelis/marriage-is-not-a-noun-it-s-a-verb-it-isn-t-something-you-get-it-s/) [Barbara De Angelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-de-angelis/) > [parenting isn't a noun but a verb--an ongoing process instead of an accomplishment. And that no matter how many years you put into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/parenting-isn-t-a-noun-but-a-verb-an-ongoing-process-instead-of-an/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“If the Britannica has taught me anything, it's to be more careful. I don't want to turn into an unseemly noun or verb or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-jacobs/if-the-britannica-has-taught-me-anything-it-s-to-be-more-careful-i/) [A.J. Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-jacobs/) > [Happiness is not a noun or a verb. It's a conjunction. Connective tissue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/happiness-is-not-a-noun-or-a-verb-it-s-a-conjunction-connective-tissue/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [I live on Earth at present, and I don’t know what I am. I know that I am not a category. I am not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/i-live-on-earth-at-present-and-i-don-t-know-what-i-am-i-know-that-i/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) > [“Peace is not a noun; it’s a verb”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-e-noll/peace-is-not-a-noun-it-s-a-verb/) Douglas E. Noll > [“Faith is not just something you have. Faith is something you do. It can turn a noun into a verb quicker than you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/faith-is-not-just-something-you-have-faith-is-something-you-do-it-can/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) ## More by Shannon L. Alder > [“Don’t waste your time trying to explain yourself to people that are committed to misunderstanding you. Instead, commit your time to explaining who they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/don-t-waste-your-time-trying-to-explain-yourself-to-people-that-are/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“God has a way of picking a “nobody” and turning their world upside down, in order to create a “somebody” that will remove the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/god-has-a-way-of-picking-a-nobody-and-turning-their-world-upside-down/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“Mental illness is not something you misunderstand in this era. Get educated because bias is no different than racism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/mental-illness-is-not-something-you-misunderstand-in-this-era-get/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“It takes a female to have a baby, It takes a woman to raise a child, It takes a mother to raise them correctly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/it-takes-a-female-to-have-a-baby-it-takes-a-woman-to-raise-a-child-it/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“God is going to send you someone that will rescue you. Then one day you will rescue them in return and together your story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/god-is-going-to-send-you-someone-that-will-rescue-you-then-one-day/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“You can be bit in the leg by a rattlesnake and seek help to heal your wound, or you can run after it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/you-can-be-bit-in-the-leg-by-a-rattlesnake-and-seek-help-to-heal-your/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“It is not the self respect and pride that you take with you, but the heritage you leave behind to your children that matters.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/it-is-not-the-self-respect-and-pride-that-you-take-with-you-but-the/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“The art of being wise is the art of knowing that solutions don’t come from individuals, but rather experiences.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/the-art-of-being-wise-is-the-art-of-knowing-that-solutions-don-t-come/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“If you have feelings for someone, let them know. It doesn’t matter if they can be in your life or not. Maybe, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/if-you-have-feelings-for-someone-let-them-know-it-doesn-t-matter-if/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“After every storm, there is a rainbow. If you have eyes, you will find it. If you have wisdom, you will create it. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/after-every-storm-there-is-a-rainbow-if-you-have-eyes-you-will-find/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“Don’t ever feel bad that someone couldn’t give you all of their heart. Be grateful that you can take the least complicated part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/don-t-ever-feel-bad-that-someone-couldn-t-give-you-all-of-their-heart/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“I don't know why anyone would be scared of a homeless person. The truly scary people are all the murder mystery writers. They spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/i-don-t-know-why-anyone-would-be-scared-of-a-homeless-person-the/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“Until you have stood in another woman’s stilettos, you will never begin to know the year of pain she felt breaking them in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/until-you-have-stood-in-another-woman-s-stilettos-you-will-never/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“I don't understand women that call themselves a "bitch". It doesn't empower a woman. Rather, it reveals to everyone that you were deeply hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/i-don-t-understand-women-that-call-themselves-a-bitch-it-doesn-t/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“ The Prodigal Son They gave the deep end of their heart--a hue of crimson red, They whispered their desire and offered up their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/the-prodigal-son-they-gave-the-deep-end-of-their-heart-a-hue-of/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) [Explore all 639 Shannon L. Alder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) ## More Action quotes > [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Every thought I have imprisioned in expression I must free by my deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/every-thought-i-have-imprisioned-in-expression-i-must-free-by-my-deeds/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [For comedy action, I must know the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/for-comedy-action-i-must-know-the-language/) [Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“Action is a powerful thing. When you smile through your sadness, it can completely change your outlook. Try it! Smile :) Now hold onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leticia-rae/action-is-a-powerful-thing-when-you-smile-through-your-sadness-it-can/) [Leticia Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leticia-rae/) > [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. I think people are conditioned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-tyrnauer/i-reject-criticism-because-the-last-thing-i-wanted-was-to-sit-there/) [Matt Tyrnauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-tyrnauer/) > [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) [Browse all 14,940 Action quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Every romantic knows that love was never a noun; it is a verb.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Shannon L. Alder" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/every-romantic-knows-that-love-was-never-a-noun-it-is-a-verb/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Action" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/every-romantic-knows-that-love-was-never-a-noun-it-is-a-verb/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/shannon-l-alder-363_action_every-romantic-knows-that-love-was-never_774724.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/shannon-l-alder-363_action_every-romantic-knows-that-love-was-never_774724.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/shannon-l-alder-363_action_every-romantic-knows-that-love-was-never_774724.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Every romantic knows that love was never a noun; it is a verb.” — Shannon L. Alder", "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": "Shannon L. Alder", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Every romantic knows that love was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/every-romantic-knows-that-love-was-never-a-noun-it-is-a-verb/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/every-romantic-knows-that-love-was-never-a-noun-it-is-a-verb/#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 } } ] } ```