Who can forget love quotes such as "Soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun" from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The romantic balcony scene has been played by hundreds, perhaps even thousands of actors since first performed on London's theater scene.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning's work "Sonnets from the Portuguese" is nothing less than a love letter to her husband Robert Browning. The poems are full of love quotes that bear memorizing. Listen as she questions: "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach ..."

The tragic themes associated with love gone wrong or forestalled by circumstances are responsible for many of the love quotes we see today. We can be cynical, sad, happy, or amused by our favorite love quotes. It is rare, though that we fail to be enlightened and uplifted by serious quotes on the the subject of love.

Other love quotes are more humorous. Many of the Valentine Day quotes fall into the category of comic relief, but they can also be sweetly sentimental. Valentine Day quotes are useful for defining sentiments that may be hard for some people to express. It may be that sentimental emotions are just new to the person. making use of love quotes from a famous source, the person can gradually 'ease into' expressing deep and heartfelt emotions on their own.

Valentine Day quotes about the emotion of love are especially helpful, because the variety of quotations on the subject is so great. If you are looking for the light touch, try "Roses are red, Violets are blue. Sugar is sweet and so are you." Trite? without a doubt, but also guaranteed to melt the recipients heart, if said with sincerity.

If you are a little uncertain about how to use love quotes when it is not Valentine's Day season, try adding a note in a lunch pail or tucked into the suitcase of the spouse who is on a business trip.

Don't worry if the quotes you use to your life partner or children are famous because they were first said by someone else. Don't be embarrassed because the words sound strange to recite to someone. There is a certainty that the hearer will appreciate the effort you have made to learn the words and repeat them in a meaningful way.

Of course, there are other types of love than romantic love. You love your children, you love your parents and friends, and you love hitting the malls after a dry spell. You even love Rocky Road Ice Cream. If the occasion arises, you can find serious or humorous quotes about all these types of love.