Erich Fromm is one of my favourite thinkers. The main thesis of this book is that love is an art: as such, it can be learnt and it must be practiced. Love is an activity, not something that "happens". Love is something that is built, not something that easily comes and easily goes. As Fromm puts it, "love and labor are inseparable. One loves that for which one labors, and one labors for that which one loves." Love is an attitude towards life and towards other human beings, not just a feeling toward another person.