“I think anybody who falls in love is a freak. It’s a crazy thing to do. It’s kind of like a form of socially acceptable insanity,” says Amy Adams’ Amy to Joaquin Phoenix’s Theodore in Spike Jonze’s Her. And yet, the world is full of people fixated on finding that one true love — if the number of movies on the subject is any indication. With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, we looked to the annals of cinema for a few lessons on love. This is what the movies have to say about dating, loving, and what it means to be helplessly devoted to someone else.
“It’s not the men in your life that count, it’s the life in your men.” — I’m No Angel
“Be the flame, not the moth.” — Casanova
“Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while.” — The Princess Bride
“Love is passion, obsession, someone you can’t live without. I say, fall head over heels. Find someone you can love like crazy and who will love you the same way back. How do you find him? Well, you forget your head, and you listen to your heart. And I’m not hearing any heart. Cause the truth is, honey, there’s no sense living your life without this. To make the journey and not fall deeply in love, well, you haven’t lived a life at all. But you have to try, cause if you haven’t tried, you haven’t lived.” — Meet Joe Black
“Love is not a feeling, it’s an ability.” — Dan in Real Life
“Constantly talking isn’t necessarily communicating.” — Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
“There’s nothing wrong with letting the girls know that you’re money and that you want to party.” — Swingers
“When you’re out with a lady, you should act special.” — Requiem for a Heavyweight
“Never trust a guy who fumbles for the check.” — Anything Else
“There are three rules that I live by: never get less than twelve hours sleep; never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city; and never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body.” — Teen Wolf
“If a relationship can be summed up in a single sentence, it will never survive.” — Lucky Them
“Isn’t the most important thing finding someone who sees you exactly as you are?” — Jeff, Who Lives at Home
“The best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, what have you, the right person will still think the sun shines out of your ass. That’s the kind of person that’s worth sticking with.” — Juno
“When you knock on a lady’s door as if it was a tavern, you deserve to wait.” — The Adventures of Robin Hood
“You are what you love not what loves you.” — Adaptation
“Loving someone, and being loved means so much to me. We always make fun of it and stuff. But isn’t everything we do in life a way to be loved a little more?” — Before Sunrise
“You can never replace anyone because everyone is made up of such beautiful specific details.” — Before Sunset
“Romance is when a man runs after a woman until she catches him.” — The Arizona Raiders
“We accept the love we think we deserve.” — The Perks of Being a Wallflower
“When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.” — When Harry Met Sally
“Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” — Love Story
“It doesn’t matter if the guy is perfect or the girl is perfect, as long as they are perfect for each other.” — Good Will Hunting
“Hearts will never be practical until they are made unbreakable.” — The Wizard of Oz
“Only unfulfilled love can be romantic.” — Vicky Cristina Barcelona
“You don’t have to understand. You just have to have faith… faith in destiny.” — Serendipity