There are more than 8 billion humans on Earth, but as we all know, it takes just one genuine connection with another person to reaffirm our faith in humanity. That’s because human connections are what tether us to others and help us form the bonds we celebrate as community, family, and kin.
Sometimes our strongest connections are the ones we share with our parents, our children, our siblings, or our relatives. These are the people who often know us best, having watched us evolve and grow over the years. But blood relations aren’t a prerequisite for deep connections; we can also seek them out among friends, lovers, coworkers, and even strangers.
So what constitutes a strong bond? Good signs include feeling seen, heard, capable, appreciated, and loved unconditionally. We can recognize the positive effects of these deep connections when we feel secure in our relationships and safe to be as wild, messy, or uncertain as we need to be.
Because for many of us, what draws us to others is not just who they are as individuals, but also how they make us feel. And therein lies the importance of building genuine, lasting relationships with people who really “get” us on a foundational level — they help make us better people, and vice versa. May the 13 quotes below serve as a reminder of those beautiful, magical, life-affirming moments of mutual recognition and connection.
Pay attention. It's all about paying attention. Attention is vitality. It connects you with others. It makes you eager. Stay eager.Susan Sontag
We are each other’s / harvest: / we are each other’s / business: / we are each other’s / magnitude and bond.Gwendolyn Brooks
I define connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.Brené Brown
The best relationships aren’t built on partners mostly telling each other what’s wrong. They’re built on partners mostly telling each other what’s right.Dr. John Gottman and Dr. Julie Schwartz Gottman
People leave traces of themselves where they feel most comfortable, most worthwhile.Haruki Murakami
Ye cannot live for yourselves; a thousand fibres connect you with your fellow-men, and along those fibres, as along sympathetic threads, run your actions as causes, and return to you as effects.Henry Melvill
There's a marked difference between acquaintances and friends. Most people really don't become friends. They become deep and serious acquaintances. But in a friendship you get to know the spirit of another person; and your values coincide.Maya Angelou
I believe the greatest gift I can conceive of having from anyone is to be seen, heard, understood and touched by them. The greatest gift I can give is to see, hear, understand and touch another person. When this is done, I feel contact has been made.Virginia Satir
Know the ways of the ones who take care of you, so that you may take care of them.Robin Wall Kimmerer
A man's friendships are one of the best measures of his worth.Charles Darwin
Anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you.Misty Copeland
Align yourself with the right people, forge the right relationships and you’ll set yourself up for the long run.Daymond John
One friend with whom you have a lot in common is better than three with whom you struggle to find things to talk about.Mindy Kaling
Featured image credit: wenmei Zhou/ iStock
