Spiritual Quotes

Loving Others

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. —Matthew 5:43–45 (KJV)

Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. —Matthew 5:38–39 (KJV)

Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. —Matthew 22:39 (KJV)

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. —John 13:34 (KJV)

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. —John 15:13 (KJV)

...love is the fulfilling of the law. —Romans 23:10 (KJV)

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. —I John 4:7–8 (KJV)

We are made to love, both to satisfy the necessity of our active nature, and to answer the beauties in every creature. By Love our Souls are married and solder’d to the creatures and it is our Duty like God to be united to them all. We must love them infinitely, but in God, and for God and God in them: namely all His excellencies manifested in them. —Thomas Traherne, Centuries of Meditations

For the more thou lovest thy friend, thy Sovereign Friend, the more thou lovest all His Friends. Which showeth the endless proneness of love to increase and never to decay. O my Soul, thou livest in all those whom thou lovest: and in them enjoyest all their treasures. —Thomas Traherne, Centuries of Meditations

Instead of thinking of the people whom you have believed to be evil and an undesirable influence, think of the goodness of God in the life of all His children. Think of God as everywhere-present light, love, peace, power, and life. Think of all men, all women, all children as abiding in God's presence and expressing God's qualities. As you do this, you will touch the reality of individuals, and you will invite only the best from them. Spirit will respond as you expect it to, for the Spirit of God is in every person. Some persons have not yet wakened to this realization; but as you declare the Truth for them and expect it to express through them toward you, you will receive only loving and considerate treatment from them. —Myrtle Fillmore, Healing Letters

Whatever others may say of you, whatever they may do to you, never take offense . Do not return hatred with hatred. If another hates you perhaps you have, consciously or unconsciously, failed somewhere in your conduct, or there may be some misunderstanding which the exercise of a little gentleness and reason may remove; but, under all circumstances, "Father, forgive them" is infinitely better, sweeter, and nobler than "I will have nothing more to do with them." Hatred is so small and poor, so blind and wretched. Love is so great and rich, so far-seeing and blissful. —James Allen, Byways of Blessedness

Open the flood gates of your heart for the inpouring of that sweet, great, beautiful love which embraces all with strong yet tender thoughts of protection and peace, leaving not one, nay, not even he who hates or despises or slanders you, out in the cold. —James Allen, Byways of Blessedness

In the degree that we love will we be loved. Thoughts are forces. Each creates of its kind. Each comes back laden with the effect that corresponds to itself and of which it is the cause.... If our heart goes out in love to all with whom we come in contact, we inspire love and the same ennobling and warming influences of love always return to us from those in whom we inspire them. There is a deep scientific principle underlying the precept—if you would have all the world love you, you must first love all the world. —Ralph Waldo Trine, Thoughts I Met on the Highway