1 Corinthians 13:4 Quotes
Shmoop will make you a better lover...of quotes
ALL QUOTES POPULAR BROWSE BY AUTHOR BROWSE BY SOURCE BROWSE BY TOPIC BROWSE BY SUBJECT
Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.
Context
Paul drops this über-famous theological gem in one of his letters to the Christians living in Corinth. Apparently, there's a bit of discord in that church, so Paul is trying to smooth things over by explaining that everyone has different gifts and a part to play in the community. Yup, Paul's like the president of the Get Along Gang.
Anyway, after going over all the different types of spiritual gifts that God might bless people with, Paul points out that the greatest gift in the entire world is love. (Yeah, we totally thought it was cash, too, but we were wrong). If you have love in your heart, then you basically have everything you need to live a happy life.
And what is love? Paul's glad you asked.
Basically, a loving person is tolerant and understanding and gracious and thoughtful to everyone they meet. It's most certainly not loving to act greedy or cocky or jerky to your friends and neighbors.
Let's all hold hands and love each other, people.
Where you've heard it
If you've ever been to a wedding, you've heard this one.
1 Corinthians 13 is all about the big amore. Of course, Paul isn't talking about romantic love—he thinks that Christians should love everyone all the time.
But we won't tell the bride and groom if you won't.
Additional Notable References
- The song "Same Love" ends with a Mary Lambert repeating the words "Love is patient, love is kind…" as the tune fades out.
- In Wedding Crashers, Owen Wilson wins $40 from Vince Vaughn when the reading at the wedding they're crashing turns out to be 1 Corinthians 13.
- Mandy Moore's wedding in A Walk to Remember features this quote.
- Robert Di Nero reads from 1 Corinthians 13 in the movie The Mission.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
Let's face it—doling out love advice can make anyone sound kind of pompous. It helps that you're dealing with one of the best known quotes from the Bible, but you can expect a few eye rolls if you break this one out while trying to calm a squabbling couple at a dinner party.