--- title: "When Did Love Become Uncool?" url: https://www.sidekickstrategies.com/blog/when-did-love-become-uncool description: "When did love become uncool? George and Liz talk about why love matters and why we avoid admitting it. Then they share how to make love part of everyday life." type: article updated: 2026-11-15T03:42:47Z canonical: https://www.sidekickstrategies.com/blog/when-did-love-become-uncool --- # When Did Love Become Uncool? Let’s be honest, talking about love isn’t always easy. It’s one of those topics that can make even the most open-hearted of us squirm in our seats a little. But today, George and I are diving headfirst into it because, frankly, it’s about time we did. Love is everywhere—it’s in the stories we tell, the music we listen to, and the lives we live. And yet ... well, we've got a big problem, folks. Leading with love as human beings, outside of songs and in the real world? We're thought of as cheesy and silly. But when did love, real love, become so uncool to talk about? 🌶️ Spice up your inbox: [Subscribe to the Beyond Your Default newsletter](https://www.beyondyourdefault.com/newsletter) In this episode, we’re exploring why love is often sidelined, especially in conversations that matter most. We’ll talk about how love is more than just a feeling; it’s an action, a choice, and the very foundation of everything we do. Whether it’s self-love, love for others, or the love that drives us to create better communities, this conversation gets to the heart of why love is the reason behind so much of what we strive for, even if we’re too shy to admit it. We also unpack why love didn’t make it into the [Superhuman Framework](https://www.sidekickstrategies.com/blog/superhuman-framework-beyond-your-default-george-b-thomas) until now and how embracing love can transform the way you approach your life, your work, and [your relationships](https://www.sidekickstrategies.com/blog/quality-importance-of-relationships). Plus, we’ll have a bit of fun with our usual banter, but trust me, by the end of this episode, you’ll be thinking about love in a whole new way. 🌱 Related Episodes: - [How to Make Vulnerability Your Superpower](https://sidekickstrategies.com/blog/being-vulnerable-and-the-power-of-vulnerability) - [Is Self-Care Selfish, Bullsh\*t, or Something Actually Valuable?](https://www.sidekickstrategies.com/blog/what-is-self-care-self-indulgence-examples) ## Personal Growth Topics We Cover love in life, superhuman framework, agape love, love and community, self-love, love as action, emotional well-being, love and relationships, making love cool, true love ## Highlights from Our Conversation - **When Did Love Become Uncool?:** We kick off by tackling the big question: Why do we shy away from talking about love? George shares his personal journey from preaching about love as a teenager to hesitating to even mention it on the podcast, and we explore how societal perceptions have shifted to make love feel almost taboo in serious conversations. - **The Many Faces of Love:** We delve into the different types of love, from agape to pragma, and discuss why understanding these distinctions can help us better navigate our relationships and personal growth. George revisits a pivotal moment in his life when he first began to see love as more than just a word, but as a multifaceted force that drives us all. - **Love as a Choice and Action:** We explore how love is not just a feeling but an active, daily choice. Whether it’s the love we show to ourselves through self-care or the love we express to others through loyalty and compassion, we discuss how making love an active practice can transform your life. - **The Hidden Power of Self-Love:** Liz opens up about her journey of learning to love herself after a significant life change and how this shift has impacted her relationships and overall happiness. We talk about how self-love isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the foundation for being able to genuinely love others. - **Pop Culture’s Funhouse Mirror of Love:** We take a critical look at how pop culture distorts our understanding of love, often portraying it as infatuation or obsession rather than the deep, enduring connection it really is. From rom-coms to social media, we dissect how these portrayals influence our expectations and behaviors in real life. - **Love in the Superhuman Framework:** George finally reveals why love didn’t make the initial cut in our superhuman framework and how we’ve both come to realize that it’s the invisible thread that ties all the other pillars together. We discuss how love, whether acknowledged or not, is at the heart of everything we do and why it’s time to make it explicit in our framework. - **Making Love Cool Again:** We wrap up by challenging the notion that love is cheesy or uncool. Instead, we argue that love is the most radical, transformative force we can embrace. By making love central to our lives—whether in personal growth, our relationships, or our communities—we can redefine what it means to live beyond our defaults. ## Quotes About the Importance of Love _“Love is the only reality, and it is not a mere sentiment. It is the ultimate truth that lies at the heart of creation.” -_ **_Rabindranath Tagore_** _“The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.” -_ **_Morrie Schwartz_** _“Love is the greatest refreshment in life.” -_ **_Pablo Picasso_** _“Love is not only something you feel, it is something you do.” -_ **_David Wilkerson_** _“The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart.” -_ **_Helen Keller_** _“Where there is great love, there are always miracles.” -_ **_Willa Cather_** _“Love is the only thing that can fill that giant void in your heart.” -_ **_Unknown_** _“To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.” -_ **_David Viscott_** _“Love is the bridge between you and everything.” -_ **_Rumi_** _“There is no greater gift you can give or receive than to honor your calling. It’s why you were born. And how you become most truly alive.” -_ **_Oprah Winfrey_** _“Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.” -_ **_Aristotle_** _“The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.” -_ **_Audrey Hepburn_** _“Where there is love, there is life.” -_ **_Mahatma Gandhi_** _“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” -_ **_Martin Luther King Jr._** _“To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.” -_ **_David Viscott_** _“Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.” -_ **_Robert A. Heinlein_** _“There is no remedy for love but to love more.” -_ **_Henry David Thoreau_** _“You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” -_ **_Dr. Seuss_** _“The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves.” -_ **_Victor Hugo_** _“To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.” -_ **_Oscar Wilde_** _“Love is not about how much you say ‘I love you’, but how much you prove that it’s true.” -_ **_Unknown_** _“We accept the love we think we deserve.” -_ **_Stephen Chbosky_** _“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” -_ **_Lao Tzu_** _“Love is like the wind, you can’t see it but you can feel it.” -_ **_Nicholas Sparks_** _“The best love is the kind that awakens the soul; that makes us reach for more, that plants the fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds.” -_ **_Nicholas Sparks_** _“Love does not dominate; it cultivates.” -_ **_Johann Wolfgang von Goethe_** _“A loving heart is the truest wisdom.” -_ **_Charles Dickens_** _“Love is when the other person's happiness is more important than your own.” -_ **_H. Jackson Brown Jr._** _“The first duty of love is to listen.” -_ **_Paul Tillich_** _“Love cures people—both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it.” -_ **_Karl Menninger_** _“The best proof of love is trust.” -_ **_Joyce Brothers_** _“Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.” -_ **_James Baldwin_** _“Love is a friendship set to music.” -_ **_Joseph Campbell_** _“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.” -_ **_Maya Angelou_** _“Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.” -_ **_Robert Frost_** _“The giving of love is an education in itself.” -_ **_Eleanor Roosevelt_** _“Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.” -_ **_Mother Teresa_** _“Love in its essence is spiritual fire.” -_ **_Lucius Annaeus Seneca_** _“There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved.” -_ **_George Sand_** _“Life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit.” -_ **_Khalil Gibran_** ## Related BYD Episodes - [Redefining Hustle in a Culture That Celebrates Destructive Levels of Busy-ness](https://www.sidekickstrategies.com/blog/redefine-healthy-hustle-culture-hard-work-tips) - [Genuine Positivity vs. Toxic Positivity and the Movement to Criminalize Emotions](https://www.sidekickstrategies.com/blog/genuine-optimism-vs-toxic-positivity) - [Adopting an Owner's Mentality in Your Own Life](https://www.sidekickstrategies.com/blog/owners-mentality-in-your-own-life) - [Fact vs. Fiction: What Is a Growth Mindset, Really?](https://www.sidekickstrategies.com/blog/what-is-growth-mindset-vs-fixed-mindset) - [Victim vs. Victor Mentality: Knowing + Living the Difference](https://www.sidekickstrategies.com/blog/what-is-a-victim-mentality-vs-victor-mentality) - [How to Set Healthy Expectations that Cultivate Growth, Confidence, + Self-Trust](https://www.sidekickstrategies.com/blog/how-to-set-healthy-expectations) - [The Power of Language: Choosing Your Words to Shape Your Destiny](https://www.sidekickstrategies.com/blog/the-power-of-language-self-talk-to-shape-destiny) ## Key facts - **Format:** Article - **Author:** George B. Thomas - **Published:** August 28, 2024 --- Source: https://www.sidekickstrategies.com/blog/when-did-love-become-uncool Sidekick Strategies · HubSpot consulting and content operations