--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The opposite of love is fear, not hate." description: "\"The opposite of love is fear, not hate.\" — Yoko Ono" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11d/yoko-ono-726_afraid-to-love_the-opposite-of-love-is-fear-not-hate-27_2773584.png" --- # The opposite of love is fear, not hate. ![“The opposite of love is fear, not hate.” quote by Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11d/yoko-ono-726_afraid-to-love_the-opposite-of-love-is-fear-not-hate-27_2773584.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11d/yoko-ono-726_afraid-to-love_the-opposite-of-love-is-fear-not-hate-27_2773584.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11d/yoko-ono-726_afraid-to-love_the-opposite-of-love-is-fear-not-hate-27_2773584.png) > “The opposite of love is fear, not hate.” [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fear, not hate, is the true opposite of love because it blocks openness. **In simple terms:** Fear opposes love more than hate. Key Takeaway Address fear to deepen love. Themes love fear psychology Mood thoughtful introspective Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - relationships - personal growth - conflict resolution Key Concepts emotional barriers vulnerability Questions to Reflect On - How does fear manifest in your relationships? - Can confronting fear strengthen love? A Different Perspective Hate also has destructive power. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afraid to love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afraid-to-love/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Fear Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-hate/) [Fear not](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-not/) [Fear of love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-of-love/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love & hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-hate-2/) [Love Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-fear/) [Love is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-is/) [Opposite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposite/) [Opposite Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposite-love/) [Opposites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposites/) ## Related quotes > [I have been continuously surprised by people who come to me and say they are afraid of love. 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So be careful what you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/everything-we-do-is-motivated-by-love-even-fear-and-hate-are-born-of/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [“She has learned to love. To fear. To hate. And then to love again. Through it all, she writes.” ~Once Upon A Time There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-kinrade/she-has-learned-to-love-to-fear-to-hate-and-then-to-love-again/) [Kimberly Kinrade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-kinrade/) > [If someone broke your heart it doesn't mean you should build a wall around it and quit loving. Redirect your love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/if-someone-broke-your-heart-it-doesn-t-mean-you-should-build-a-wall/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [“Fear isn't the opposite of love; fear is what arises when love isn't there, so maybe, I reasoned, there is only one emotion. 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Be Brave and Choose Love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-dewey/the-opposite-of-love-is-not-hate-the-opposite-of-love-is-fear-be/) [Laurel Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-dewey/) > [You love fear. The ending of fear is death, and you don't want that to happen. I am not talking of wiping out the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/u-g-krishnamurti/you-love-fear-the-ending-of-fear-is-death-and-you-don-t-want-that-to/) [U.G. Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/u-g-krishnamurti/) > [Fear's the only obstacle that gets in the way of doing what we love. Fear holds us back from living the lives we're made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/fear-s-the-only-obstacle-that-gets-in-the-way-of-doing-what-we-love/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [“He glanced up in my direction and I froze. Quickly I turned away. There are rocks deep enough in this earth that no matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/he-glanced-up-in-my-direction-and-i-froze-quickly-i-turned-away-there/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [“The fear of love can be replaced by the love of fear”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-biondi/the-fear-of-love-can-be-replaced-by-the-love-of-fear/) [Michael Biondi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-biondi/) ## More by Yoko Ono > [Our public officials have forgotten that they are ultimately accountable to the people who put them in office, that the information they keep in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/our-public-officials-have-forgotten-that-they-are-ultimately/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [Smile in the mirror. Do that every morning and you'll start to see a big difference in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/smile-in-the-mirror-do-that-every-morning-and-you-ll-start-to-see-a/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [Think of the Earth as a turning point in eternity. Think of the Earth as a meeting point in infinity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/think-of-the-earth-as-a-turning-point-in-eternity-think-of-the-earth/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [If your life changes, we can change the world, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/if-your-life-changes-we-can-change-the-world-too/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [ When people get cynical about love, they should look at us \[Yoko and John Lennon\] and see it is possible ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/when-people-get-cynical-about-love-they-should-look-at-us-yoko-and/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [True artists are prophets. 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I cut the seed of a pear in half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/the-first-idea-the-first-art-piece-i-ever-did-was-when-i-was-four-i/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [John wrote with a very deep love for the human race and a concern for its future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/john-wrote-with-a-very-deep-love-for-the-human-race-and-a-concern-for/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [I always believed that my work should be unfinished in the sense that I encourage people to add their creativity to it, either conceptually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/i-always-believed-that-my-work-should-be-unfinished-in-the-sense-that/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [Losing my daughter was a very serious pain. There was always some empty space in my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/losing-my-daughter-was-a-very-serious-pain-there-was-always-some/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [People don't remember each tree in a park but all of us benefit from the trees. And in a way, artists are like trees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/people-don-t-remember-each-tree-in-a-park-but-all-of-us-benefit-from/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [Marriage is a gamble, let's be honest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/marriage-is-a-gamble-let-s-be-honest/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [It's difficult to explain love. You want to explain water? You need a book for it. There are many different ways to explain what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/it-s-difficult-to-explain-love-you-want-to-explain-water-you-need-a/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [Being alone is very difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/being-alone-is-very-difficult/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [Many people do remember their births, but they deny it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/many-people-do-remember-their-births-but-they-deny-it/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) [Explore all 391 Yoko Ono quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) ## More Afraid to love quotes > [“Please, God, help me not to be afraid to love again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gillenwater/please-god-help-me-not-to-be-afraid-to-love-again/) [Sharon Gillenwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gillenwater/) > [There isn’t anything I have to be afraid of, love is the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-colan/there-isn-t-anything-i-have-to-be-afraid-of-love-is-the-answer/) [Gene Colan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-colan/) > [I'm so afraid to love you, but more afraid to loose Clinging to a past that doesn't let me choose Once there was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mclachlan/i-m-so-afraid-to-love-you-but-more-afraid-to-loose-clinging-to-a-past/) [Sarah McLachlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mclachlan/) > [“Archie wasn't waiting for her at the attic. She didn't consider that. He was probably giving her time to set and collect a trap,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perie-wolford/archie-wasn-t-waiting-for-her-at-the-attic-she-didn-t-consider-that/) [Perie Wolford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perie-wolford/) > [When I saw you I was afraid to meet you... When I met you I was afraid to kiss you... When I kissed you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-pajaron/when-i-saw-you-i-was-afraid-to-meet-you-when-i-met-you-i-was-afraid/) [Jenny\_pajaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-pajaron/) > [When I first saw you, I was afraid to talk to you. When I first talked to you, I was afraid to like you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-first-saw-you-i-was-afraid-to-talk-to-you-when-i-first-talked/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I first saw yo I was afraid to meet you when I first met you I was afraid to kiss you when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemis-khan/when-i-first-saw-yo-i-was-afraid-to-meet-you-when-i-first-met-you-i/) [Kemis Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemis-khan/) > [Don't be afraid to love, not everyone will hurt you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/don-t-be-afraid-to-love-not-everyone-will-hurt-you/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [If we could be pure dancers in spirit we would never be afraid to love, and we would love with strength and wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/if-we-could-be-pure-dancers-in-spirit-we-would-never-be-afraid-to/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [“Never be afraid to wish for what you really want in life. Wishes are possible manifestation of thoughts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/never-be-afraid-to-wish-for-what-you-really-want-in-life-wishes-are/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Don't be surprised if one day I'll avoid you be gone. It's not because you've done something wrong and I hate you but because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-be-surprised-if-one-day-i-ll-avoid-you-be-gone-it-s-not-because/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not afraid to love. I'm just afraid of not being loved back. And I'm not afraid to try again. I'm just afraid of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-not-afraid-to-love-i-m-just-afraid-of-not-being-loved-back-and-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Hate is something we do when we are afraid to love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/hate-is-something-we-do-when-we-are-afraid-to-love/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Maybe there's something you're afraid to say, or someone you're afraid to love, or somewhere you're afraid to go, you know? 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