Writer Leo Buscaglia, who began teaching a course on love, titled Love 1A, at the University of Southern California in the late 1960s, has come up in a few conversations I’ve had recently with like-minded thinkers. I remember reading several of Buscaglia’s books many years ago when I first set out on this journey of self-discovery that I’ve been attempting to navigate (often futilely, I might add) ever since. Despite the inevitable and varying degrees of heartache and confusion I’ve encountered and continue to encounter to this day, I’ve come to realize and accept that I’m simply too stubborn a romantic to even consider abandoning it anytime soon. And for that, I’m grateful, for I’ve also experienced a great deal of personal growth and satisfaction, as well as a sense of purpose along the way.
Below are a handful of Buscaglia’s thoughts on human existence that particularly resonate with me and in which I find not only comfort but validation as well.
“The hardest battle you are ever going to have to fight is the battle to be just you.”
“Only the weak are cruel. Gentleness can only be expected from the strong.”
“It’s not enough to have lived. We should be determined to live for something.”
“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”
“Man must never be satisfied with his ability to love. No matter where he is, it is always just the beginning.”