Love means never having to say you're sorry

"Love means never having to say you're sorry" is a catchphrase based on a line from the Erich Segal novel and was popularized by its 1970 film adaptation Love Story starring Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal. The line is spoken twice in the film: once in the middle of the film, by Jennifer Cavalleri (MacGraw's character), when Oliver Barrett (O'Neal) apologizes to her for his anger; and as the last line of the film, by Oliver, when his father says "I'm sorry" after learning of Jennifer's death. In the script the line is phrased slightly differently: "Love means not ever having to say you're sorry."

The line proved memorable, and has been repeated in various contexts since. In 2005 it was voted #13 in the American Film Institute's list AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes.^[1][2] The band Sounds of Sunshine had a Top 40 hit in the United States with a song titled "Love Means You Never Have to Say You're Sorry" in 1971. "Love means never having to say you're..." is the opening sentence in the popular song "Can't Help but Love You" by The Whispers, from their album named after the movie, issued in 1972.

The line has also been criticized or mocked, for suggesting that apologies are unnecessary in a loving relationship. Another character played by O'Neal disparages it in the 1972 screwball comedy What's Up, Doc?: Barbra Streisand's character coos that "Love means never having to say you're sorry" while batting her eyelashes, and O'Neal's character responds, deadpan, "That's the dumbest thing I ever heard."

In 1986, Season 2 of Small Wonder Episode 34 titled "You Gotta Have Heart," little robot girl Vicki's parents explain love to her as "love means never having to say you're sorry."

In a 2004 episode of The Simpsons ("Catch 'Em If You Can"), the Simpson family watches the film, and Lisa retorts, "No it doesn't!" The line has also been parodied countless times, usually substituting another word or phrase for "love" and/or "you're sorry," especially the latter. The quote is also shown in TV series Love Rain.

On iZombie Season 2, Episode 19, titled "Salivation Army", Liv says, "A massive zombie outbreak means never having to say you're sorry."

On Weeds, Nancy Botwin, after the death of her drug dealer mentor, U-Turn, explains to the tattoo artist her reason for getting a U-Turn traffic sign tattoo is that "It just reminds me that Thug means never having to say you’re sorry." When asked by the tattoo artist if she doesn't mean "love", Nancy replies, "Absolutely not. Love means you’re constantly apologizing."

References

External links

• "Ali MacGraw's Definition of Love (Love Story Reunion Show)". The Oprah Winfrey Show. October 11, 2010.