Engines of Emotion: Why Our Hearts Keep Making Love

Even I’m amazed at how a single thought can wedge itself in my mind—refusing to let go, refusing to just be. Last night, I finished reading Dan Brown’s Origin. Near the end, a line struck me like lightning:

“Love is not a finite emotion. We don't only have so much to share. Our hearts create love as we need it.” — Dan Brown

That simple passage unraveled a thread of reflection. Why do some people believe love should be rationed or held back? Why do others feel they aren’t worthy of it? The idea that love is limited—that it must be earned, measured, or deserved—is a myth that quietly shapes how we live and connect.

This morning, on my drive to school, the first few songs that played were all about love. So, in classic Greg fashion, I asked my girlfriend Siri: “How many songs have the word ‘Love’ in the title?”

Her answer? Essentially endless. Since 2020 alone, 365 songs with love in the title have landed on top 100 charts. Love has inspired artists for generations. Just consider this sampling across 70 years:

• Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing – The Four Aces (1955)
• Love Me Tender – Elvis Presley (1956)
• Can’t Help Falling in Love – Elvis Presley (1961)
• Love Me Do – The Beatles (1962)
• You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ – The Righteous Brothers (1964)
• L-O-V-E – Nat King Cole (1965)
• When a Man Loves a Woman – Percy Sledge (1966)
• All You Need Is Love – The Beatles (1967)
• Everlasting Love – Robert Knight (1967)
• To Love Somebody – Bee Gees (1967)
• Whole Lotta Love – Led Zeppelin (1969)
• I Will Always Love You – Dolly Parton (1974) Whitney Houston (1992)
• Love Hurts – Nazareth (1975)
• Lovin’ You – Minnie Riperton (1975)
• Silly Love Songs – Wings (1976)
• How Deep Is Your Love – Bee Gees (1977)
• Crazy Little Thing Called Love – Queen (1979)
• Endless Love – Diana Ross & Lionel Richie (1981)
• Tainted Love – Soft Cell (1981)
• What’s Love Got to Do with It – Tina Turner (1984)
• The Power of Love – Huey Lewis & The News (1985)
• Addicted to Love – Robert Palmer (1985)
• What About Love – Heart (1985)
• You Give Love a Bad Name – Bon Jovi (1986)
• Love Shack – The B-52’s (1989)
• Love Without End, Amen – George Strait (1990)
• Vision of Love – Mariah Carey (1990)
• Love, Me – Collin Raye (1991)
• Friday I’m in Love – The Cure (1992)
• I Love You Always Forever – Donna Lewis (1996)
• Crazy in Love – Beyoncé ft. Jay-Z (2003)
• Bleeding Love – Leona Lewis (2007)
• Make You Feel My Love – Adele (2008)
• Love Story – Taylor Swift (2008)
• We Found Love – Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris (2011)
• Love Me – Lil Wayne ft. Drake & Future (2013)
• Love Yourself – Justin Bieber (2015)
• Love on the Brain – Rihanna (2016)
• Someone You Loved – Lewis Capaldi (2018)
• Stupid Love – Lady Gaga (2020)
• Love Again – Dua Lipa (2021)
• Love Me More – Sam Smith (2022)
• Love Thief – Suzanne Vega (2025)
• Love Is Love – Kim Wilde (2025)

From ballads to pop anthems, love refuses to be boxed in.

And yet—we often treat it like a resource, something to be portioned out carefully, afraid it might run dry. But love doesn’t work that way. It isn’t a currency to be spent or a tank to be emptied. Love is renewable, spontaneous, and mysteriously abundant. It can be sparked by a glance, a memory, or even silence.

Our hearts aren’t vaults with limited reserves—they’re engines of emotion, capable of creating love as we need it. The more we give, the more we seem to have. Love expands with use, like a flame that grows brighter when shared.

Love also evolves. Infatuation may deepen into devotion. Friendship can blossom into romance. It adapts to the seasons of our lives, changing form but never losing essence.

And love is never payment. It isn’t a prize for good behavior or a debt to be repaid. True love is freely given; its power lies in that freedom. When it becomes about ownership or control, it ceases to be love at all.

Love is mysterious. It doesn’t always make sense. It leaps over logic, ignores boundaries, and often arrives without warning. That unpredictability is part of its magic—it reminds us that we are more than rational beings.

Love is creative. It fuels music, art, poetry, sacrifice, and tenderness. It drives us to build and to heal.

Love is also a practice. Not just a feeling, but a daily choice: to show up, to forgive, to listen, to grow.

So no, love is not finite. It is infinite in its capacity, unpredictable in its arrival, and quietly transformative in its power. Our hearts don’t run out—they rise. And maybe that’s the miracle: we are not just vessels for love, we are its source. We create it, even when we feel empty. Especially then.

If love is truly limitless, then we don’t need to ration it. We don’t need to wait until we feel “ready” or “worthy.” We can be generous with affection. We can love without keeping score, without guarding the exits.

Let your heart be a place where love is made, not measured. Let it be messy, overflowing, and real.