You can't love until you love yourself.
You can't love until you love yourself.
Meaning in plain English
The saying makes self-love a prerequisite for loving someone else. A qualified reading encourages self-respect, while its cannot claim is too absolute to serve as a rule.
Example
Someone considers their own needs alongside those of a partner rather than dismissing the affection they already share.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
Until presents care for oneself as a gate that must be passed before any care for others is possible. A useful application can ask whether someone’s own needs are being neglected in a relationship. It should not deny the love a person already gives while struggling with self-worth, or suggest they must reach a perfect state before forming connections.
When to use it
Use it to encourage self-respect without making it a test of eligibility for love.
Keep in mind
Difficulty with self-worth does not establish an inability to love others.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-05. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 20; PDF page 7
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