Share & Save
Meaning
The quote says that love is central to human purpose. It also suggests that a meaningful life is not discovered in isolation, but through a relationship with another person.
When It Was Said
1979
Who It Was Said To
Not documented yet.
Historical Context
Cited on Wikiquote from Love and Living (1979), Part One: Love and Living, p. 27.
Source
Love and Living (1979) Part One : Love and Living, p. 27
Original Language & Translation
Originally said in English.
Did They Really Say It?
Listed with a cited source on Wikiquote.
Did You Know?
Cited on Wikiquote from Love and Living (1979), Part One: Love and Living, p. 27.
About Thomas Merton
American Trappist monk, Catholic priest, theologian, mystic, poet, and writer
Thomas Merton was an American Trappist monk, Catholic priest, theologian, mystic, poet, and writer. He was a professed member of the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani near Bardstown, Kentucky, and lived there from 1941 until his death. He is best known for his religious writing and for work that reflects his life as a monk, priest, and theologian. His poems and books grow out of contemplation, faith, and the discipline of monastic life, and his reputation rests on the range of roles he held within the Catholic tradition.
More from Thomas Merton (135 quotes) →Other sayings from Thomas Merton
- “I will no longer wound myself with the thoughts and questions that have surrounded me like thorns: that is a…”Thomas Merton
- “The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own i…”Thomas Merton
- “There is a 'movement' of meditation, expressing the basic 'paschal' rhythm of the Christian life, the passage…”Thomas Merton
- “Most of the world is either asleep or dead. The religious people are, for the most part, asleep. The irreligi…”Thomas Merton
More Valentine's Day quotes
Explore Meaning Of Life
- “Life is like theatre. Each new day is a new scene with new acts and roles to portray. The sets always change.…”Melody Joy
- “People, fearing their own extinction, are willing to accept and perpetuate hand-me-down answers to the meanin…”Robert Coover
- “A person seeks to quantify their existence. Do we measure a person’s life by its longevity or by assessing th…”Kilroy J. Oldster