I'm a romantic and will only marry for love where there's respect

The words of Cherie Lunghi—“I’m a romantic and will only marry for love where there’s respect and compatibility. I’d like to be with someone if the right person came along. I really like male company. I like the male mind.”—speak with the clarity of one who knows her heart and refuses to bind it to anything less than truth. In them we hear the voice of a woman unafraid to declare that marriage, to be sacred, must be rooted not in convenience, not in duty, not in wealth or pressure, but in love, respect, and compatibility. This is the creed of a romantic, but also of a realist, for love without respect is fleeting, and respect without compatibility is a brittle bond.

To say she will “only marry for love” is a declaration of freedom. In many ages past, marriage was not chosen for love, but for alliance, for property, for security. Women especially were often denied the right to wait for affection and had their fates sealed by arrangement. Lunghi’s words carry the strength of a new age, where love is no longer a luxury but a rightful foundation. Yet she does not speak of love alone—she adds the pillars of respect and compatibility, for passion without these is like fire without wood, bright for a moment but doomed to vanish.

Her acknowledgment that she would “be with someone if the right person came along” reveals patience and wisdom. She does not hunger desperately for companionship, nor does she settle for less than what her soul requires. This is the path of discernment, the refusal to let loneliness drive one into bonds that diminish rather than uplift. It is a reminder that it is better to walk alone in truth than to walk with another in falsehood. Herein lies her strength: she waits not for any companion, but for the right one, guided by the values she holds sacred.

When she says, “I like **male company. I like the male mind,” she honors difference without diminishing herself. She admits the joy of companionship, the richness of dialogue, the pleasure of sharing thoughts with those whose minds are shaped by other patterns. This is not submission but appreciation, not dependence but admiration. To value the other is the seed of respect, and to delight in their presence is the root of true compatibility. She reveals that romance is not only passion but also companionship of the mind, the weaving together of thoughts as well as hearts.

History gives us shining examples of such unions. Consider the marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Though crowned with the burden of empire, Victoria insisted that her marriage be one of both passion and respect. She adored Albert, yet also honored his intellect and counsel, even when it challenged her own. Their union, though not without struggle, became a model of love rooted in respect and compatibility, producing not only children but also a partnership that shaped a nation. In their story we see the truth of Lunghi’s words: love flourishes when it is bound to respect and enriched by the meeting of minds.

The lesson here is simple yet profound: do not bind yourself to any bond that lacks love, respect, and compatibility. Romance is not mere fleeting emotion—it is a sacred vow to walk in harmony with another, in heart and in mind. To compromise these values is to invite sorrow, but to honor them is to build a union that endures storms and celebrates joys.

Practically, this means examining the foundations of our relationships. Ask yourself: Does love dwell here? Is there respect between us? Do our minds meet as well as our hearts? If the answer is no, then walk with courage away; if the answer is yes, then guard that union fiercely. Let no one pressure you into bonds that do not serve your soul, but instead wait for the right person, the one with whom love is not forced but flows, with whom respect is mutual, and with whom compatibility makes the journey of life lighter.

Thus, the words of Cherie Lunghi shine as wisdom for generations to come. She teaches that to be a romantic is not to be naive, but to hold to the highest vision of love: a bond of passion, respect, and shared mind. Let this be the standard for all who seek companionship, so that love is not diminished to mere survival, but exalted as the meeting of two souls who walk together in freedom and truth.