Unconditional love… the purest, strongest, and most wonderful kind of love. It’s really no wonder why most people refer to it as maternal love because the fact is that the most sincere love is of a mother to her children.
It’s unconditional. It’s beyond eternity. It’s incredibly strong; a rock-solid one. The love of a mother is the only perfect example of selfless love indeed.
And, most of us are blessed to feel that type of love from our mothers. However, it’s something we all long to feel from our romantic partners also.
But, the real question is, are we all blessed to have a partner like that? Are we all lucky enough to find that one person who’ll love us unlimitedly without expecting anything in return? And, are we able to love another human being in such a perfect way?
What Does It Mean To Love Someone Unconditionally?
What does it really mean to love another human being unconditionally? And, we are not talking about family love here, but about pure romantic love. Are words alone enough to portray this kind of true love?
Well, of course, they aren’t. As a matter of fact, love hates words because they never have real value when it comes to true love.
When you love someone unconditionally, they need to sense it in your eyes, feel it in their heart, and see it through your actions.
Before we start, here’s an interesting fact?: In some ancient cultures (Chinese, Greek, and Norse), people used the apple as the symbol for unconditional love. You’ll see the Roman goddess, Venus, holding a golden apple in most sculptures and pictures.
However, this is the symbol for unconditional love today, and it can actually be a pretty awesome and cool tattoo; do you agree with me?
Now, let’s find out the real meaning of unconditional love.
Unconditional love is loving someone without any limits…
Have you ever heard of agape love? It’s mostly described as love between a person and God, and it’s without a doubt the highest form of love in the universe.
Well, unconditional love can be seen as a form of agape love. The simplest definition for both of these types of love is loving someone without any limits, conditions, or restrictions.
You love them to the fullest, and you never ever question your feelings. Your heart is pulling you towards that person, and as much as you try to resist it, you always end up at the same conclusion; you can’t live without that person anymore.
Under all circumstances…
In health and sickness, through good and bad times, and even if the whole world stands against you, you keep loving each other. You hold on to your love no matter what is going on around you.
In every condition…
Unlimited love is mature love. It means falling in love with a person and automatically accepting all of their flaws and imperfections.
Even when they get sad or angry… even when they’re in a bad mood… even if they feel like hating you, themselves, and the entire world… your love for them stays exactly the same; it doesn’t weaken nor it ever comes to an end.
With no strings attached…
You love someone for who they are and without expecting anything in return. You only hope, not expect, that your love will be reciprocated the right way.
Even if you’re aware that your love isn’t being reciprocated the way it should be, it still doesn’t make you stop loving that other person.
And, without an end.
This kind of love doesn’t have an ending. It’s the eternal, forever type of love that can’t vanish or disappear as it has never even existed in the first place.
Neither time nor distance can shut it down. There is truly nothing that could cause unlimited love to end because your heart vowed on loving that one person for eternity.
9 Most Clear Signs Of Unconditional Love
There are some signs that may help you recognize whether it’s unconditional love or not. However, the truth is that you don’t have to look for any sign. You just need to listen to your heart and I’m sure the right answer will pop out of there.
Feeling free to be your true self
When you’re in a healthy relationship where unconditional and true love is mutual and equally given from both sides, you simply feel like you can finally be yourself.
No more pretending you are someone else just to get someone to like you. No more aiming to please others or some stupid stereotypes. No more worrying and obsessing about how others view you. No more hiding in a shell just because you’re afraid of rejection.
All those overwhelming feelings and things disappear once you’re loved in the right way. You finally feel free to accept and love yourself. Your TRUE self.
Accepting without the need to change anything
Complete acceptance is the key to unconditional love. The biggest difference between unconditional and conditional love lies exactly in the ability to accept another person as who they really are.
It is the ability to accept and love someone without wanting to change a single thing about them… without setting any conditions or ultimatums.
Demanding your partner to change some things you don’t like about them is a purely ego-driven and very selfish act. Before you request your loved one to change, think about how it’ll make them feel first.
Placing confidence in the other person
Trust… No matter how many times I mention in my articles how truly important trust is for building any kind of healthy relationship, I always get the feeling that it’s not enough.
The truth is that without trust, there is no true connection. And, I think it’s perfectly clear to all of us that without a genuine connection, there is no true love.
You see, when you love someone without any limits, you also trust them under all conditions. Even if the whole world tries to make you think that your partner isn’t being honest with you, you choose to trust that one person whom you love.
Baring your deepest feelings, fears and secrets may seem as scary as hell. However, once you’re sure about the person you’re confiding in, all those fears stop and you simply open up to them, knowing that you can trust them with your whole heart.
Being respected and understood
Do me a favor… close your eyes. Now, think about a simple question; what is love? And no, don’t give me some ‘general definition’ or something you’ve read in some romantic love novel or book.
Think about what real love means to you. Try to think about your current romantic relationship and your partner. How do they behave towards you? How do they treat you?
Do they respect you? Are you feeling understood and appreciated the way you think you deserve? Do they make you feel like the happiest person alive? Do you feel loved every single day even if they sometimes deeply annoy you?
If your answer to all of these questions is YES, then you have nothing to worry about. If respect and understanding are a part of your relationship from day one, it’s more than obvious that your partner loves you honestly and, of course, unconditionally.
Constant emotional labor
You put a lot of effort into making your relationship work. You take care of your loved ones because their well-being is your major priority.
You try to fulfill all of their emotional needs while you’re paying attention to your own needs as well.
Your partner knows they can rely on and unload their problems on you. You make it safe for them to fully express themselves. Above everything else, you want to make that other person feel heard, validated, and understood.
RELATED: 10 Steps To Manifesting Love With A Specific Person Using The Law Of Attraction
Sharing happiness as well as sorrows
This kind of love is the most perfect example of mature love. You’re aware that relationships are not all sunshine and roses… You know very well that there will be some nasty storms, but you prepare for them, together.
You’re holding hands when the sun shines brightly, and you don’t let go even when it starts to rain heavily.
If happiness is shared double and sorrow only halved, then it’s not true love. Actually, it’s not love at all…
Holding on to each other through hardships
You need to think of life as a great and incredibly challenging journey. You’re traveling on a road full of complicated crossroads, dangerous peaks, and wonderful valleys.
And, the most important thing – the one and only thing that can keep you safe on that journey – is to find a person to travel with. That’s the only way you can make those good and bad times work for you.
Of course, your friends and family members are a huge part of that journey. But, one day, and it’s just a matter of time when it’ll happen, you’ll split paths and go in different directions.
That’s why we all need to find that one person who’ll be with us through all that mess till the very end. That one person who’ll stick by our side, loving us in the same unconditional way, no matter how bad that journey becomes.
Because letting go is never an option
Even if your mind says that you should let go, you can’t. You can’t give up on that person because your heart got attached to theirs. No matter what, you can’t give up on love.
Even when there are a million reasons for you to let go, you stay and fight for your love. You stand up to every single one of those reasons and find a way out. You find a way to save your relationship.
Unlimited love is a constant battle between mind and heart; between reason and emotions. Yet, the heart always wins, and that is the whole point of this type of love.
Prioritizing love above everything else
Prioritizing your love over everything and everyone else is truly a selfless act, no matter how many people try to convince you otherwise.
Real love is so rare, and rare things are precious, right? It’s the most valuable thing you’ll ever possess in life, and it really deserves the very first place on your priority list.
How To Find & How To Practice Unconditional Love
You’ll never be able to receive this type of love until you’re ready to give it to others. (Re)Open your heart to love and remember the following… ?
• Love yourself first, so others can love you
It all starts and ends with self-love. The way you treat and love yourself is the way you show others how they should treat and love you.
If you don’t love yourself unconditionally, nobody else will be able to. Even if they try, you’ll push them away instantly. Self-love has a significant influence both on your emotional and mental health.
Also, you can’t be loving people in this unconditional way if the love you feel for yourself has conditions and limitations. Only when you fall deeply in love with yourself will you be able to receive this type of love from another human being.
• Love unselfishly to be loved unconditionally
Conditional love is too damn selfish. You set high expectations for your partner and expect them to fulfill all of them. That’s unrealistic and way too unfair.
Don’t fall for the common misconception that selfless love is too pompous, unfair, and toxic. Then, it would mean that a parent’s love for their child is unhealthy, right?
Loving someone unselfishly doesn’t mean you’re giving up everything for them; it simply means that you accept your partner’s opinion and are willing to sacrifice some things for the sake of your love.
• Give as much as you take
Just as a healthy relationship is a two-person job, so is unconditional love. You can’t give nothing and expect everything in return.
The more effort you put into the relationship, the better it will become. The more love you give to your partner, the more it will be reciprocated to you. It’s the only way this type of love functions.
• Share and serve
A healthy relationship is all about sharing your deepest emotions and thoughts, and helping each other to get through some difficult times.
You need to open yourself to the other person completely and be ready to get emotionally naked. As long as you’re sharing and helping each other, your bond will be strong and unbreakable.
• Sacrifice some things in order to get everything
Sometimes, you need to sacrifice and compromise in a relationship to prove your unlimited love to your partner. It doesn’t mean giving up on your ideals and values; it simply means that you’re ready to let go of some things in order to make your loved one happy.
Just think of those little sacrifices as willing acts of selfless love. For example, the first and sweetest sacrifice both partners need to make is transforming ‘you’ and ‘me’ into one powerful ‘WE’.
• Validate others’ feelings so yours can be acknowledged, too
Keep in touch with your partner emotionally. If you want your feelings to be validated, you need to pay attention and accept your partner’s feelings, too.
Emotional validation is the strongest connecting power between partners. It’s the first and most important step to unconditional positive regard in a relationship.
• Less judgment means more acceptance
The fact is that all human beings are extremely complicated. We all want to be heard and understood, but only a few of us are ready to listen to others actively and without judgment.
Just try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes at least once. You’ll realize there is so much more to their story than you were able to see before.
Imagine what you would do and how you would react in their situation. That will open the amazing doors of empathy to you and teach you the incredible art of nonjudgmental listening.
Unconditional Love Quotes
For an even better understanding of this type of love, I’ve compiled this list of the best unconditional love quotes and sayings. And, oh, number 3 is my absolute fav!?
1. “My love for you overflows like a stream of waterfall. You may make mistakes and we may fight, but I will always love you unconditionally just as you are.” – Tanisha Lakes
2. “Unconditional love really exists in each of us. It is part of our deep inner being. It is not so much an active emotion as a state of being.” – Ram Dass
3. “Love is not a temporary feeling or emotion. Emotions and feelings change, sometimes daily. But, true unconditional love is everlasting.” – Unknown
4. “When we make the choice to fill our heart space with unconditional love, our worlds blossom into a beauty far greater than we have known.” – Rio Godfrey
5. “To be brave is to love someone unconditionally without expecting anything in return.” –Madonna
6. “The only way love can last a lifetime is if it’s unconditional. The truth is this: love is not determined by the one being loved, but rather by the one choosing to love.” – Stephen Kendrick
7. “The only love worthy of a name is unconditional.” – John Powell
8. “The ultimate lesson all of us have to learn is unconditional love, which includes not only others, but ourselves as well.” – Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
9. “Once you learn to accept and love them for who they are, you subconsciously learn to love unconditionally.” – Unknown
10. “Almost all of you misunderstand what unconditional love is. It is holding vibrational alignment with who you are no matter what is going on around you.” – Abraham Hicks
11. “The rewarding nature of unconditional love facilitates the creation of strong emotional links. Such robust bonds may critically contribute to the survival of the human species.” – Mario Beauregard
Unconditional Love Mother-Daughter Quotes
To be honest, the only unconditional love a man can never doubt is the love a mother has for her children. And, it’s not like I’m underestimating the bond between mother and son, but we all know that the connection between mother and daughter is the most powerful one.
It’s simply unbreakable. It’s the purest, deepest, and strongest type of love. And, in honor of that true love and special bond, here are some of the most touching mother-daughter quotes.
1. “The relationship between parents and children, but especially between mothers and daughters, is tremendously powerful, scarcely to be comprehended in any rational way.” – Joyce Carol Oates
2. “A mother and a daughter always share a special bond, which is engraved on their hearts.” – Unknown
3. “Words are not enough to express the unconditional love that exists between a mother and a daughter.” – Caitlin Houston
4. “A mother’s treasure is her daughter.” – Unknown
5. “My mother’s love has always been a sustaining force for our family, and one of my greatest joys is seeing her integrity, her compassion, and her intelligence reflected in my daughters.” – Michelle Obama
6. “My mother wanted me to be her wings; to fly as she never quite had the courage to do. I love her for that. I love the fact that she wanted to give birth to her own wings.” – Erica Jong
7. “A daughter is God’s way of saying, “thought you could use a lifelong friend.” – Unknown
8. “Mother and daughter from the start. Best friends forever from the heart.” – Unknown
9. “Sometimes, when I feel so down and out, I only need to look at you and be reminded that you are my miracle. I love you, baby girl.” – Unknown
10. “We mothers are learning to mark our mothering success by our daughters’ lengthening flight.” – Letty Cottin Pogrebin
In A Nutshell
One thing is for sure… there is no room for words when it comes to unconditional love. I guess love, in general, is the only feeling that really needs to be proved through actions.
Unconditional love means being in an ‘all in’ relationship. It means having someone by your side who loves and accepts you just the way you are. It is having that one person who is your greatest support, your shelter in need and, above everything else, the ruler of your heart.
It is having someone who’ll take your hand and won’t let it go even if the whole universe is trying to make them let go of it. It is having a person who’ll love you unselfishly, unlimitedly, unconditionally and, most importantly, eternally.
And, if you’re still wondering if you have ever loved or been loved unconditionally, just take a peek into your own heart.
You’ll find all the answers there. And, even if it’s not there anymore (although it’s almost impossible for this kind of love to end), there will be traces of it. Because… The heart always remembers.