Inspiring Words and Inspirational Stories about Love that Make You Smile or Laugh

This page of inspirational stories and words is all about love. It is written for those in love, those who are already in a mature love relationship, those looking for love, and those who fear they will never know love. 

Do you remember your first love? Is she still fresh in your mind? Does his name still make goose bumps cover your arm? Better yet, does your father still curse him or does your mother still refuse to speak of her? If so, then you have probably experienced first love for all it is worth.

First love is only a little foolishness and a lot of curiosity.
~ George Bernard Shaw ~

How on earth are you ever going to explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love?
~ Albert Einstein ~

First love is the most likely to break your heart, and the most likely to detour you from loving anyone else.

I know they say that first love is the sweetest, but that first cut is the deepest.
~ Drake ~

The magic of first love is our ignorance that it can ever end.
~ Benjamin Disraeli ~

While most people move on from first love to find deeper, more passionate love that comes from a place of experience with the world, they never forget their very first lover. You will always remember that very first person who showed you that you are lovable. That person just stays with you forever.

First romance, first love, is something so special to all of us, both emotionally and physically, that it touches our lives and enriches them forever.
~ Rosemary Rogers ~

First love is where you do the exploration that will later allow you to open up and be vulnerable to someone else. First love seems made for heartache and pain. It seems like it was never made for joy, peace, contentment, or old age.

With your first love you tend to over-idealize the other person as well as the relationship you have with them - everything seems to be a fairytale of sunshine, rainbows and happy-ever-afters - and then ... surprise, surprise ... at some point the relationship ends, because odds are you are both immature. Reality kicks in and all your rainbows collapse.

What happened? You experienced the absolute truth of love but got it mixed up with the very relative truth of needs - both your needs and the needs of your partner.

Love and needs have very little to do with each other, but we keep mixing them up - hence all our pain, misunderstandings and jealousy.
~ Soren Lauritzen ~ , the Personal Development Guy

You could say first-time lovers are the soldiers out on the front lines, fighting for the right of everyone the world over to fall in love, and, more importantly simply to feel love.

Fortune and love favor the brave.
~ Ovid ~

These daring soldiers of love are serving their time, but most will later leave the battle and settle down with less hurtful, more mature love; love that has a chance of survival.

Our love has been the thread through the labyrinth, the net under the high-wire walker, the only real thing in this strange life of mine that I could ever trust.
~ Audrey Niffenegger ~ (from: 'The Time Traveler's Wife')

Some of love's brave soldiers will be lost in war and never make it back. Others will be buried before they have the chance to claim their love. And some lucky few will be with their first love for most of the rest of their lives.

They will all forever stand proud that they stood up for the right to love. This page of inspirational stories and inspiring words is for all of the soldiers braving the front lines so love can be enjoyed by the masses back home. Soldiers of love unite ... love is worth it!

If you want to be loved, be lovable.
~ Ovid ~

Stupid-in-Love Inspirational Stories for Lovers #1

How many times have you been told "It's not you, it's me" at the end of a relationship?

Sometimes it is true. But most people know by now that those words are often meant a soft let down because, sadly, no one wants to say what they really think or feel is 'not-quite-right' about you.

Most of us have heard the line (or a similar soft let down) a time or two, but hearing let downs more than occasionally should make you pause and think. Is there something about you that is just not all that lovable?

If you are busy defending yourself and your perceived needs all the time (in short, identifying with your ego) this might come across as ... tiring.

We are all extremely lovable in our own way, we really are, but some of us need to learn to let go of that which we thought defined us but which was really just a weird idea, one of those self imposed limiting beliefs that make us seem less loveable (including to ourselves).

The hardest things to let go of are the things you never really had.
~ Inspiring Words about Love ~

If you recognize that there may be things about you pushing others away, the inspirational stories on this page should nudge you in the direction of introspection and change. There is something lovable in you ... that is guaranteed! It is just a matter of overturning the personality 'flaws' that may not be quite so lovable to the majority of people and moving on with grace, trust and good cheer.

When we do this necessary self examination and let go, the result is self growth, self love and a much greater chance of finding some 'perfect' person who sees the lovable in us (and, mind you, there are many more than just one person in the world like that).

Why? Because when we start loving ourselves, others start loving us.

Here is a bit of funny, inspired poetry about a man who could really benefit from introspection and change. This is one of those tragic yet inspirational stories that can make you laugh ... while thinking, "That's not me, is it? Am I that bad?" If you see any part of yourself reflected in inspirational poems such as this one, you better, er, get to the preacher before your spouse does!

The Drunk and the Beautiful Teacher

There was an old drunk who lived in a trailer.
He was married to beautiful school teacher
and to him, she was the most beautiful creature,
because she never complained when he cussed like a sailor.

One day there was a call from the bailer
requesting money from the beautiful teacher
to once again collect the bail, but no one could reach her.
She came home to the quiet trailer, no drunken man cussing like a sailor.

She returned the call to ask for how much the bailer would nail her,
wondering: if it were her in jail, would he release her?
Papers to grade sat on the stool, she drove to get her foul creature,
thinking: she was getting tired of the man, and definitely the trailer.

When he sprung from the bars, she knew he was ready to nail her
worse than the bailer, and she was still a teacher
with piles of papers on the stool more important than this creature.
He followed her home, cussing like a sailor.

Rather than going together into the trailer,
the old man got out of the car, waited on his beautiful creature,
only to hear the tires squeal away, before he could reach her.
He stood alone on the step, still cussing like a sailor.

Back inside the old trailer,
he kicked his muddy boots up on the papers of the teacher,
and asked himself: "What did I do? I never beats or mistreats her!"
But the beautiful teacher ... well, she ran off with the preacher.

How about that, huh? :-)

... we're all crazy, immature, insecure lunatics sometimes. Especially when it comes to romantic love.
~ DEAR SUGAR, The Rumpus Advice Column, April 29, 2010

There is an extravagant exultation in being in love, living always at the extremes of emotion. The problem - which is never evident to the victim - is that this exultant state induces mental tunnel vision.
~ MK Wren ~ (from: 'A Gift Upon the Shore')

It's useless to hold a person to anything he says while he's in love, drunk, or running for office.
~ Shirley MacLaine ~

Oh, the things we are willing to do for love! You probably know a few hilarious yet inspirational stories that could teach a lesson on the misfortunes of love, but we wanted to try our hand at a few as well. All of the following inspirational stories of the stupid-in-love are true. They all happened to someone, somewhere in the world. It appears that getting drunk on love is a preferred pastime all over the world!

When you read the following, just remember ... you cannot hold these people to anything they did because, hey, they were in love. Shirley MacLaine says so!

Stupid-in-Love Inspirational Stories and Inspiring Words for Lovers #2

If you happened to venture down Interstate 4 in Orlando, Florida, in 2009, you might have seen an interesting billboard. This was a one-of-a-kind billboard offering $1,000 to the lucky person who could find someone named John a woman to love.

The billboard corresponded to a website, where John decided he would post the top candidates for his love and allow visitors to vote on who he should fall in love with.

The website has now been taken down, and it is unknown whether John met his match in his viewer's favorite pick. The odds are against him, since we all know love cannot be directed by mass voters.

If the heart worked that way, there would be a whole new meaning to arranged marriages - as well as some possible changes to the way we elect our leaders ...

I feel so miserable without you, it's almost like having you here.
~ Stephen Bishop ~

Stupid-in-Love Inspirational Stories for Lovers #3

In 2010, a Florida judge gave new meaning to creative justice when he ordered a Florida woman should never again take possession of lighters or matches. Why would he need such a creative sentence?

Well, the woman was charged with aggravated assault after lighting her boyfriend's crotch on fire as he slept on the couch.

A protection order was also issued to keep the woman away from her boyfriend, so it is pretty certain he won't be proposing to this girlfriend anytime soon.

She said she needed attention. He didn't give it but fell asleep instead. It is not certain what could be so urgent that she would need to get a man's attention in this particular manner. Perhaps he made the mistake of saying something like this before falling asleep, "I'm tired. Do not wake me up unless something is on fire!"

He was happily married - but his wife wasn't.
~ Victor Borge ~

This is one of those inspirational stories that make you smile, laugh, or perhaps cry, right? So what can we learn from it?

Well, obviously the woman, whose name is Belinda, by the way, knows something about being assertive. This is almost always a good thing, right? Furthermore we can learn something about attention. Giving attention is almost always a good thing while craving attention is not (you really need to give yourself the attention you deserve).

I could never learn to like her, except on a raft at sea with no other provisions in sight.
~ Mark Twain ~

Finally, perhaps the best thing we can take away from this inspirational story is this: When you read it you realize that you yourself may have challenges, but you are not that far off the deep end. You just never know if your lover is, so you might want to hide the lighters and matches. Especially if you live in Florida!

Stupid-in-Love Inspirational Stories for Lovers #4

Do you remember Lorena Bobbitt and John Bobbitt?

A lot of time has passed since this inspirational story graced (or: disgraced) the newspapers back in 1993, but it is worth mentioning again. Lorena made headlines when she brought the old Popeye song to real life:

"Popeye the sailor man,
lived in a garbage can,
he turned on the heater,
burnt off his wiener,
he's Popeye the sailor man!"

The twist is that Lorena was Olive Oil and she was the one who turned on the heat(er). Oh, and of course, it was a kitchen carving knife rather than heat. Plus, it wasn't just a burn, but a completely severed wiener which she proceeded to throw out in a field to feed the mice! Urgh, to be John Bobbitt!

On the other hand, the reason why Lorena cut off John's dick was a history of domestic violence, marital rape and general spouse abuse. She was declared momentarily insane while she did it, and in her defense she did call 911 when she realized what she had done.

An extensive search of the field recovered John's missing wiener and he then had his member surgically re-attached and went on to ... star in porn movies, no less. He was later convicted of several crimes, including grand larceny and more domestic violence to his next wife and the one after that as well.

As inspirational stories go, this one is obviously in the heavy end. There are indications that John may be pretty far from the ideal husband, and Lorena undoubtedly took the idea of 'taking matters into your own hand' (and keeping them there until you throw them out) a bit too far. On the plus side the small family's public disclosure of dysfunctionality did help raise public awareness about domestic violence, marital rape and spouse abuse.

There are two dogs inside me. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is helpful and good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time. Which dog usually wins? The one I feed the most.
~ Native American Tribal Leader ~

Stupid-in-Love Inspirational Stories for Lovers #5

Obviously inspirational stories don't always have to be heroic; there is a lot you can learn from the craziness of others.

Apart from John and Lorena's story there are the more or less inspirational stories of old, such as good old Bonnie and Clyde.

Bonnie and Clyde were the lovers of the century back in 1930. Madly in love and passionate about leaving the world together, they went on a crime spree in the United States.

They committed everything from robbery to murder and eventually went down in a flurry of bullets.

There is no better story to exemplify the undying devotion of love ... or perhaps to exemplify the stupidity of devotion to a twisted kind of love.

Love is the self-delusion we manufacture to justify the trouble we take to have sex.
~ Daniel S. Greenberg ~

Maybe Daniel S. Greenberg's words would have applied a century or so ago, but it doesn't fit in most modernized nations today. Why? Because everything is all mixed up when it comes to dating and finding love in our modern world:

1. Most men no longer have to fake love, just as women are no longer content to fake orgasms. Sex without marriage, and even without love, is commonplace. In fact, it is pretty much expected by the time you get out of high school. Virtue is no more, and that is a fact - sad or not.

2. Many women do not want to be loved. They just want to be screwed. Or maybe they do want to be loved but have given up on it and now just want their itch scratched instead. Again, virtue is no more, and having people give up on love is really sad - though odds are that there are a lot of men out there who probably don't mind doing the itch scratching.

3. A shot or two (or: a bottle of nice red wine) will sometimes go much further to getting laid than the words "I love you." Thus popular song lyrics like "Tequila makes her clothes fall off." Thanks for telling the world about that, singer Joe Nichols. We are sure the shots will be lining up for your wife next time she goes out with the ladies ...

Love may no longer be something you have to fake in order to get laid, but it is something you will hopefully feel at some point in your life. You may mix it up with the desire to have sex, but eventually you will figure out that it is a completely different game. And that the very best game in town is when you choose to feel the most unconditional love you can and then have sex to boot.

But until you get to that mature understanding of love and sex, you might find the following bit of knowledge inspirational:

Love is the delusion that one woman differs from another.
~ H. L. Mencken ~

Inspirational Stories with a Twist:
First Time Lovemaking

On that note, let's move on to the next of our inspirational stories with a funny twist. Here is the true story of Jon, one man who learned the hard way that you don't need love to get laid:

The first night away at college, Jon went to a pool hall frequented by students and sat at the dark bar nursing a beer. He was waiting for his girlfriend of three years, hoping she had not changed her mind, for they had something very special planned.

As the late evening hours ticked into the early morning hours and she didn't show, he figured he had been turned down. He downed a few shots, wondering why she had gone back on her word.

Two years before this college meeting, the couple had sat together on a cheap motel bed, staring into one another's eyes. He was hoping to lose his virginity, but she was not ready for that step.

After a few passionate kisses and fondles that ultimately went nowhere, she promised that once they left home and went off to college she would be ready. They agreed that their first night away would be the night.

They had texted excitedly about this meeting for months leading up to their departure from home, so it was shocking to Jon that she did not show up at the agreed upon time. As the bar closed down, he headed for the door.

Then he saw her long blond hair, curvy waist, and that butt squeezed into blue jeans ... yeah, that butt could be no one's but hers. She was standing in the doorway to the women's bathroom, leaning on the frame with her back to him. He went up behind her, slipped his arm around her waist, kissed her, fondled her and started turning it into the best drunken night away from home he or she had ever had.

They were more than half undressed inside the cramped bathroom when he happened to look into her eyes.

In that moment, just before the much coveted act, he opened his eyes and saw the eyes of a stranger looking back at him. These eyes were half closed and just as drunk as his own. He stopped momentarily, and then ... carried on.

When his girlfriend texted him more than an hour later to say she was not ready and had changed her mind, guess what? It no longer mattered.

He told her he was willing to wait however long it took. That's true love for you. Of course what he really meant to say was, "Now that I know there are others who are ready whenever and wherever, I can wait for you to be ready."

What? Feeling a bit offended - or miffed? Don't be - he got what he wanted and she got what she wanted. They both got their perceived needs fulfilled, and what more can you ask for? Well, love, obviously, but then they had that, too, didn't they?

Inspirational Stories and Inspiring Words with a Twist: Boys Will Be Boys - Or?

Come live in my heart, and pay no rent.
~ Samuel Lover ~

One of the modern dilemmas in the dating world is how long you should let someone live with you without paying rent, bills, or buying at least part of the food they wolf down on a daily basis.

Roommates who sleep on the couch and go to work by day are one thing, but what about lovers who seem content to just live with you and accept your generosity without any motivation to get up and make something of themselves?

Some modern men would argue that women have been doing this for years, but many others would disagree. If you are wondering whether to move forward with a relationship in which you are the main breadwinner and will probably always be so, you may appreciate the next of our inspirational stories on love:

Kimberly was sick and tired of paying all of the bills, struggling to keep food in the kitchen, and then going into the bedroom to pretend her man was a man. She was raised to believe that men took care of women.

Men worked hard so that women could raise the babies. That was the proper division of labor, according to this belief, and every time her mother came to visit she reminded Kimberly of this.

One night, after waiting a few hours for her boyfriend to come home from the golf club - without the bread he was supposed to pick up for dinner, she lost it.

While he was in the shower she threw all of his clothing out the bedroom window and doused it with lighter fluid. As he came into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and thoughts of a "happy ending" in mind, she dropped a lit match out the window.

The match went out before reaching the clothing, but in that time the boyfriend figured out the game. He dug up some other clothes and voluntarily left, leaving his clothing doused in lighter fluid on the ground beneath the window.

Throughout the night, Kimberly sat and absorbed the quiet of her home. Rather than finding it peaceful as she remembered it being before she met the boyfriend, she found it to be depressing. She found herself crying rather than celebrating. She found her appetite gone, rather than enjoying the meal she thought she was making for herself.

After a week of missing her boyfriend, and crying over the silence of her depressing house, she called the boyfriend back home. The rain had washed the lighter fluid from his clothes, and together they took them to the Laundromat and rinsed them out in the large sinks.

Later they tossed them all in the trash cans outside the Laundromat, because the scent of the fluid just wouldn't go away.

Guess what happen next? Well, Kimberly found herself purchasing the boyfriend all new clothes, and living happily ever after (or, at least they're still together) with the nagging of her mother in the background, but completely overshadowed with the very real feeling of love for her boyfriend and acceptance of him, just the way he is.

Food for Thought: Obviously, traditional roles for men and women don't necessary have to be the standard today. A lot of things have changed, and men are now just as capable of being stay-at-home parents as women are capable of being CEOs and traveling salespeople.

Before you toss the lover out with the trash, question whether they are worth taking care of. In many cases, you can work things out in a similar fashion to what you saw right here in these inspirational stories. Though you might want to go easy on the lighters and knives ...

Final Words on the Inspirational Stories about Love

We cannot leave without some funny inspirational words from Nietzsche.

A pair of powerful spectacles has sometimes sufficed to cure a person in love.
~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~

And note that he was talking about being in love, which (as we hinted at the beginning of this page) is only partially the same as actually loving, because being in love has your needs mixed up in it, whereas true love just IS, no questions asked, no demands made.

That is why being in love passes, whereas true love never does (though it can be overshadowed by negative feelings).

True love stories never have endings.
~ Richard Bach ~

Love will surely bust you wide open
Into an unfettered, blooming new galaxy ...
~ Hafiz ~ (from: 'In a Tree House')

Eventually you will come to understand that love heals everything, and love is all there is.
~ Gary Zukav ~

Take a moment to look at the person you love. Or, simply think of them. Remember all the reasons you fell in love with them and, more importantly, all the reasons you love them now.

Picture their face the very first time you laid eyes on them. Try to remember what they smelled like and tasted like the first time you came together for a kiss.

... we kiss. And it feels like we have just shrugged off the world.
~ Jim Shahin ~

Recall, if you can, that swelling, expansive, all-accepting feeling inside your chest. The light that clicked on inside your head so that you saw more beauty than ugliness in world; and felt more love than fear.

All jokes aside, this is what love is about!

Love unlocks doors and opens windows that weren't even there before.
~ Mignon McLaughlin ~

Inspirational stories can make you laugh and inspiring words can make you smile ... but they can also make you appreciate what you have.

I want to do with you what spring does with the cherry trees.
~ Pablo Neruda ~ (from: 'Twenty Love Poems: XIV')

People do crazy things for love, and that is for a reason. Love is the most intense emotion humans can feel, and it has incredible power. It can change your life for the (much) better, and that starts with you; which means that you alone hold all the power. It is your choice if you want to open up so you can feel love or not.

The love you desire and crave - it is a feeling, and feelings take place inside you. This is good news, because it means that you are in charge. It is for you to open up allow love - or not. It also means that loving is much more important than being loved.
~ Soren Lauritzen ~ , the Personal Development Guy

Be quick to accept love into your world, quicker than accepting sex perhaps, and don't be so quick to toss it out the door. Living with love can difficult, but so is living without it.

Hopefully these inspirational stories about love have touched you in some way. If nothing else, hopefully you got a good laugh or a smile.