--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is nothing better or more necessary…" description: "\"“There is nothing better or more necessary than love.”\" — St John of the Cross" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/063/st-john-of-the-cross-27673_better_there-is-nothing-better-or-more-necessar_456087.jpg" --- # There is nothing better or more necessary than love. ![“There is nothing better or more necessary than love.” quote by St John of the Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/063/st-john-of-the-cross-27673_better_there-is-nothing-better-or-more-necessar_456087.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/063/st-john-of-the-cross-27673_better_there-is-nothing-better-or-more-necessar_456087.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/063/st-john-of-the-cross-27673_better_there-is-nothing-better-or-more-necessar_456087.jpg) > ““There is nothing better or more necessary than love.”” [St John of the Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-john-of-the-cross/) This quote is also attributed to [John of the Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-of-the-cross/) in other sources. Attributions for famous quotes are often disputed. ## 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 presented as the highest, most essential human need and purpose. **In simple terms:** Love is essential. Key Takeaway Prioritize love in relationships. Themes love spirituality human need Mood reflective devotional Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - marriage - friendship - community building Key Concepts divine love essentialism Questions to Reflect On - How can love guide daily decisions? - What does love mean to you? A Different Perspective Love alone may not solve practical problems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [It is not only necessary to love, it is necessary to say so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/proverb/it-is-not-only-necessary-to-love-it-is-necessary-to-say-so/) Proverb > [Its not necessary to love the one who love you, but atleast dont hate them, it'll hurt them more!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-not-necessary-to-love-the-one-who-love-you-but-atleast-dont-hate/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“When you want something as powerful and necessary as love, you don’t reach back, you reach forward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-cardamone/when-you-want-something-as-powerful-and-necessary-as-love-you-don-t/) [Tom Cardamone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-cardamone/) > [“You do, Bob. You have the requirements for it. A certain simplicity is necessary for love. You have it. Keep it. It is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-maria-remarque/you-do-bob-you-have-the-requirements-for-it-a-certain-simplicity-is/) [Erich Maria Remarque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-maria-remarque/) > [“Elegy on Toy Piano" For Kenneth Koch You don't need a pony to connect you to the unseeable or an airplane to connect you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-young/elegy-on-toy-piano-for-kenneth-koch-you-don-t-need-a-pony-to-connect/) [Dean Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-young/) > [Everyone discusses my art and pretends to understand, as if it were necessary to understand, when it is simply necessary to love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/everyone-discusses-my-art-and-pretends-to-understand-as-if-it-were/) [Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/) > [It is true, that it is not at all necessary to love many books, in order to love them much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/it-is-true-that-it-is-not-at-all-necessary-to-love-many-books-in/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [“And, everyone knows, to tolerate a person telling you about his childhood it is necessary to be in love with him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/and-everyone-knows-to-tolerate-a-person-telling-you-about-his/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [Nothing else is necessary but these - love, sincerity, and patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/nothing-else-is-necessary-but-these-love-sincerity-and-patience/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [People discuss my art and pretend to understand as if it were necessary to understand, when it's simply necessary to love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/people-discuss-my-art-and-pretend-to-understand-as-if-it-were/) [Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/) > [...it was necessary to love silence, but before you could love silence you had to have noise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/it-was-necessary-to-love-silence-but-before-you-could-love-silence/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [It’s one thing to be the greatest; it’s another thing to be necessary. The best are the most necessary: those who take less than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/it-s-one-thing-to-be-the-greatest-it-s-another-thing-to-be-necessary/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [Whilst in speaking of human things, we say that it is necessary to know them before we love can them. The saints on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/whilst-in-speaking-of-human-things-we-say-that-it-is-necessary-to/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [Although we know that the feeling of loss is inevitable, I want us to be sure that whatever happens we can still count on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/although-we-know-that-the-feeling-of-loss-is-inevitable-i-want-us-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We ourselves shall be loved for awhile and forgotten. But the love will have been enough; all those impulses of love return to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/we-ourselves-shall-be-loved-for-awhile-and-forgotten-but-the-love/) [Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/) ## More by St John of the Cross > [One human thought alone is worth more than the entire world, hence God alone is worthy of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-john-of-the-cross/one-human-thought-alone-is-worth-more-than-the-entire-world-hence-god/) [St John Of The Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-john-of-the-cross/) > [Although you perform many works, if you do not deny your will and submit yourself, losing all solicitude about yourself and your affairs, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-john-of-the-cross/although-you-perform-many-works-if-you-do-not-deny-your-will-and/) [St John Of The Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-john-of-the-cross/) > [“Kad bi duša htjela gledati i istraživati božanske stvari,ostala bi zablještena više negoli onaj koji izravno promatra prejak sjaj sunca.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-john-of-the-cross/kad-bi-du-a-htjela-gledati-i-istra-ivati-bo-anske-stvari-ostala-bi/) [St John of the Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-john-of-the-cross/) > [The soul that desires God to surrender himself to it entirely must surrender itself entirely to him without keeping anything for itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-john-of-the-cross/the-soul-that-desires-god-to-surrender-himself-to-it-entirely-must/) [St John Of The Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-john-of-the-cross/) > [“Nisu stvari ovog svjeta te koje gospodare dušom i uništavaju je,jer one u nju ne ulaze,nego želja i čežnja za njima koje u njoj…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-john-of-the-cross/nisu-stvari-ovog-svjeta-te-koje-gospodare-du-om-i-uni-tavaju-je-jer/) [St John of the Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-john-of-the-cross/) > [The very pure spirit does not bother about the regard of others or human respect, but communes inwardly with God, alone and in solitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-john-of-the-cross/the-very-pure-spirit-does-not-bother-about-the-regard-of-others-or/) [St John Of The Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-john-of-the-cross/) > [In the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-john-of-the-cross/in-the-evening-of-life-we-will-be-judged-on-love-alone/) [St John Of The Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-john-of-the-cross/) > [If you wish to attain holy recollection, you will do so not by receiving but by denying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-john-of-the-cross/if-you-wish-to-attain-holy-recollection-you-will-do-so-not-by/) [St John Of The Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-john-of-the-cross/) > [Wherefore a man can know nothing by himself, save after a natural manner, which is only that which he attains by means of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-john-of-the-cross/wherefore-a-man-can-know-nothing-by-himself-save-after-a-natural/) [St John Of The Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-john-of-the-cross/) > [Strive to preserve your heart in peace; let no event of this world disturb it; reflect that all must come to an end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-john-of-the-cross/strive-to-preserve-your-heart-in-peace-let-no-event-of-this-world/) [St John Of The Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-john-of-the-cross/) > [The soul that is attached to anything however much good there may be in it, will not arrive at the liberty of divine union.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-john-of-the-cross/the-soul-that-is-attached-to-anything-however-much-good-there-may-be/) [St John Of The Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-john-of-the-cross/) > [Whoever flees prayer flees all that is good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-john-of-the-cross/whoever-flees-prayer-flees-all-that-is-good/) [St John Of The Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-john-of-the-cross/) > [To be taken with love for a soul, God does not look on its greatness, but the greatness of its humility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-john-of-the-cross/to-be-taken-with-love-for-a-soul-god-does-not-look-on-its-greatness/) [St John Of The Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-john-of-the-cross/) > [Not all the faculties and senses have to be employed in things, but only those that are required; as for the others, leave them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-john-of-the-cross/not-all-the-faculties-and-senses-have-to-be-employed-in-things-but/) [St John Of The Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-john-of-the-cross/) > [Deny your desires and you will find what your heart longs for. For how do you know if any desire of yours is according…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-john-of-the-cross/deny-your-desires-and-you-will-find-what-your-heart-longs-for-for-how/) [St John Of The Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-john-of-the-cross/) [Explore all 20 St John of the Cross quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-john-of-the-cross/) ## More Better quotes > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [Everybody has their cliques, and I was very shy. I'm still very shy. Music opened up doors. 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