---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Love is the effort and desire to make…"
description: "\"Love is the effort and desire to make someone else everything they were created to be.\" — Timothy Keller"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/timothy-keller-240_desire_love-is-the-effort-and-desire-to-make-so_2710036.png"
---

#  Love is the effort and desire to make someone else…

![“Love is the effort and desire to make someone else everything they were created to be.” quote by Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/timothy-keller-240_desire_love-is-the-effort-and-desire-to-make-so_2710036.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/timothy-keller-240_desire_love-is-the-effort-and-desire-to-make-so_2710036.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/timothy-keller-240_desire_love-is-the-effort-and-desire-to-make-so_2710036.png)

> “Love is the effort and desire to make someone else everything they were created to be.”

[Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

## About This Quote

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

Love involves actively supporting another's fullest potential, not just affection.

**In simple terms:** Love helps others become their best.

Key Takeaway

Encourage growth in loved ones.

Themes

relationships personal development selflessness

Mood

hopeful reflective

Type

advice inspirational

When to use this quote

- marriage counseling
- parenting
- mentorship
- friendship

Key Concepts

agape potential support

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you foster another's potential without overstepping?
- What limits exist in loving support?

A Different Perspective

Love alone cannot fix systemic barriers to personal growth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/)

## Related quotes

> [What I've talked about the entire series and throughout this playoffs is about intensity and effort, desire and will of our players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-laimbeer/what-i-ve-talked-about-the-entire-series-and-throughout-this-playoffs/)

[Bill Laimbeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-laimbeer/)

> [I think about Milan from morning to night, and there is certainly no lack of effort and desire on my part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-seedorf/i-think-about-milan-from-morning-to-night-and-there-is-certainly-no/)

[Clarence Seedorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-seedorf/)

> [“Salvation is neither human effort nor desire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/salvation-is-neither-human-effort-nor-desire/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [Love is a beautiful rainbow and it isn't about how rich you are or how clever you might be but it's about the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/love-is-a-beautiful-rainbow-and-it-isn-t-about-how-rich-you-are-or/)

Unkown

> [There must be the... generating force of Love behind every effort destined to be successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/there-must-be-the-generating-force-of-love-behind-every-effort/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [It sucks when you realize that no matter how you showed your love to someone or effort everyday that you do they never treat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jpabugais/it-sucks-when-you-realize-that-no-matter-how-you-showed-your-love-to/)

Jpabugais

> [“I fell in love with his effort. The way he never stopped trying to make this love the best it could be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-newman/i-fell-in-love-with-his-effort-the-way-he-never-stopped-trying-to/)

[Liz Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-newman/)

> [There's nothing women love more than an effort. You can even mess it up. The shoes that you bought don't have to be right.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-thicke/there-s-nothing-women-love-more-than-an-effort-you-can-even-mess-it/)

[Robin Thicke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-thicke/)

> [“If you love another person, you have to become a no-self, a nothing. When you love, you have to become a nobody. When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-dhyan-giten/if-you-love-another-person-you-have-to-become-a-no-self-a-nothing/)

[Swami Dhyan Giten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-dhyan-giten/)

> [“Without equanimity, we might give love to others only in an effort to bridge the inevitable and healthy space that always exists between two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-salzberg/without-equanimity-we-might-give-love-to-others-only-in-an-effort-to/)

[Sharon Salzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-salzberg/)

> [“For some reason women these days want men to love them the way they are naturally… While the thought is nice, in reality it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-j-mcavoy/for-some-reason-women-these-days-want-men-to-love-them-the-way-they/)

[J.J. McAvoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-j-mcavoy/)

> [Love is simply the name for the desire and the pursuit of the whole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/love-is-simply-the-name-for-the-desire-and-the-pursuit-of-the-whole/)

[Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/)

> [While love is common, true love is rare, and I believe that few people are fortunate enough to experience it. The roads of regular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-buss/while-love-is-common-true-love-is-rare-and-i-believe-that-few-people/)

[David Buss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-buss/)

> [Love is the foundation from which your decisions about your life should be made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-the-foundation-from-which-your-decisions-about-your-life/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Love isn't intellectual - it's visceral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-mcgillis/love-isn-t-intellectual-it-s-visceral/)

[Kelly McGillis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-mcgillis/)

## More by Timothy Keller

> [If you are trying to live a life in accordance with the Bible, the concept and call to justice are inescapable. We do justice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-you-are-trying-to-live-a-life-in-accordance-with-the-bible-the/)

[Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

> [The more you rejoice in your own forgiveness, the quicker you will be to forgive others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/the-more-you-rejoice-in-your-own-forgiveness-the-quicker-you-will-be/)

[Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

> [“Evangelism will come organically in friendship if we don’t let our pride, fears, and pessimism cause us to hide our faith and heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/evangelism-will-come-organically-in-friendship-if-we-don-t-let-our/)

[Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

> [“The coming of the messianic King occurs in two stages. At his first coming, he saved us from the penalty of sin and gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/the-coming-of-the-messianic-king-occurs-in-two-stages-at-his-first/)

[Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

> [ “24 A few pages later, Delbanco writes the following: \[Alexis de\] Tocqueville’s detection of a “strange melancholy in the midst of abundance” has a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/24-a-few-pages-later-delbanco-writes-the-following-alexis-de/)

[Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

> [“To stay away from Christianity because part of the Bible's teaching is offensive to you assumes that if there is a God he wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/to-stay-away-from-christianity-because-part-of-the-bible-s-teaching/)

[Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

> [If the preaching of our ministers and the practice of our parishioners do not have the same effect on people that Jesus had, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-the-preaching-of-our-ministers-and-the-practice-of-our/)

[Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

> [“of temple, presence, and sacrifice; of covenant and faithfulness; of kingdom and victory. When we seek to communicate the gospel to a particular culture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/of-temple-presence-and-sacrifice-of-covenant-and-faithfulness-of/)

[Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

> [“Finally, you are ready to launch your church. Begin by developing action steps and goals that can be used as benchmarks to track your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/finally-you-are-ready-to-launch-your-church-begin-by-developing/)

[Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

> [If you are a child of God, you don’t lose your status if you have a bad week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-you-are-a-child-of-god-you-don-t-lose-your-status-if-you-have-a/)

[Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

> [God's salvation does not come in response to a changed life. A changed life comes in response to the salvation, offered as a free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/god-s-salvation-does-not-come-in-response-to-a-changed-life-a-changed/)

[Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

> [“When anything in life is an absolute requirement for your happiness and self-worth, it is essentially an ‘idol,’ something you are actually worshiping. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/when-anything-in-life-is-an-absolute-requirement-for-your-happiness/)

[Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

> [Suffering is the stripping of our hope in finite things, therefore we do not put our ultimate hope in anything finite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/suffering-is-the-stripping-of-our-hope-in-finite-things-therefore-we/)

[Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

> [Christ will do everything for you or nothing. He's either all of your righteousness or none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/christ-will-do-everything-for-you-or-nothing-he-s-either-all-of-your/)

[Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

> [If we give God things in hope that they'll earn us blessings, we're really not doing anything for him. It's for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-we-give-god-things-in-hope-that-they-ll-earn-us-blessings-we-re/)

[Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

[Explore all 843 Timothy Keller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

## More Desire quotes

> [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/)

Ted Martinez

> [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/)

[David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/)

> [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/)

[John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/)

> [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/)

[John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/)

[Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/)

> [On the brink of being satiated, desire still appears infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/on-the-brink-of-being-satiated-desire-still-appears-infinite/)

[Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

> [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

> [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/)

[Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/)

> [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [“from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW : She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lee/from-the-devil-you-know-she-wanted-him-too-he-could-see-it-in-the/)

[Emery Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lee/)

[Browse all 15,155 Desire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Love is the effort and desire to make someone else everything they were created to be.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Timothy Keller"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/love-is-the-effort-and-desire-to-make-someone-else-everything-they/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Desire"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/love-is-the-effort-and-desire-to-make-someone-else-everything-they/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/timothy-keller-240_desire_love-is-the-effort-and-desire-to-make-so_2710036.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/timothy-keller-240_desire_love-is-the-effort-and-desire-to-make-so_2710036.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/timothy-keller-240_desire_love-is-the-effort-and-desire-to-make-so_2710036.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Love is the effort and desire to make someone else everything they were created to be.” — Timothy Keller",
                "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": "Timothy Keller",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Love is the effort and desire...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/love-is-the-effort-and-desire-to-make-someone-else-everything-they/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/love-is-the-effort-and-desire-to-make-someone-else-everything-they/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
