Our society is rather cynical when it comes to love, and it’s a real shame. Not a week goes by where I don’t see an article in my Facebook feed about how romance is dead, which is simply not true. Romance is still very much alive, even though it can be hard to find. That is why I have put together 21 quotes--five fictional and fifteen by real people, ranging from musical artists of today to philosophers of 2000 years ago, as well as my all-time favorite Bible quote--as a list of quotes to help you believe in love.

So next time you feel like this:

Take a quick read of these quotes and you’ll feel like this in no time

1. “I think the perfection of love is that it’s not perfect.” – Taylor Swift

Why: There is no such thing as perfect, but love comes pretty close, because it’s far from perfect.

2. “People don’t write songs about being compatible, or novels about shared life goals and stimulating conversation. The great loves are the crazy ones.” – Gossip Girl

Why: Every love has ups and downs.

3. “Life is cruel. If we cease to believe in love, then why would we want to live?” – The Vampire Diaries

Why: Life without love is nothing.

4. “To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love.” – Jane Austen

Why: The real reason “Shut Up and Dance” is more than just a song.

5. “A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous.” – Ingrid Bergman

Why: Sometimes actions speak much louder than words, kissing is no exception to this rule.

6. “Love is composed by a single soul inhabiting two bodies.” – Aristotle.

Why: In love, you become one.

7. “I love that feeling of being in love, the effect of having butterflies when you wake up in the morning. That is special.” – Jennifer Aniston

Why: Nothing beats the greatest feeling in the world: being in love.

8. “Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.” – Lucille Ball

Why: You must love yourself before someone else can love you.

9. “In every living thing there is the desire for love.” – D.H. Lawrence

Why: A beating heart = a desire to love. No wonder hearts represent love.

10. “Romance is thinking about your significant other when you are supposed to be thinking about something else.” – Nicholas Sparks

Why: True love never leaves one’s mind.

11. “They say love is the best investment, the more you give, the more you get in return.” – Audrey Hepburn

Why: The best things in life are free.

12. “The human heart has hidden treasures, in secret kept, in silence sealed; the thoughts, the hopes, the dreams, the pleasures, whose charms were broken if revealed.” – Charlotte Bronte

Why: The beauty of the heart is that it’s a mystery.

13. “If so many men, so many minds, certainly so many hearts, so many kinds of love.” – Leo Tolstoy

Why: Every love is unique.

14. “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” – Emily Bronte

Why: There is a reason you call your true love your soulmate.

15. “You should be kissed, and often, and by someone who knows how.” – Gone With The Wind

Why: Nothing beats sweet kisses.

16. “The best love is the kind that awakens the soul; that makes us reach for more, and brings us peace to our minds. That’s what I hope to give you forever.” – The Notebook

Why: If you’re a bird, I’m a bird.

17. “I refuse to let what happened to me make me bitter. I still completely believe in love and I’m open to anything that will happen to me.” – Nicole Kidman

Why: Even when the heart is broken, there is still hope. Love is the only thing that can heal a broken heart.

18. “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.” – Moulin Rouge

Why: I have never heard, “I love you too,” from someone romantically, but I’m sure it’s pure magic.

19. “Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead.” – Oscar Wilde

Why: Love is the most beautiful thing in life.

20. “Love is like a beautiful flower which I may not touch, but whose fragrance makes the garden a place of delight just the same.” – Helen Keller

Why: Love makes everything beautiful.

21. “And now abide faith, hope, and love, these three, but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13

Why: Love is the greatest thing in the world.

I was going to add song lyrics, but that can be an article itself. Enjoy your day, lovebirds!