The only way to get love is to be lovable. It's very irritating

“The only way to get love is to be lovable. It's very irritating if you have a lot of money. You'd like to think you could write a check: ‘I'll buy a million dollars' worth of love.’ But it doesn't work that way. The more you give love away, the more you get.” Thus spoke Warren Buffett, the sage of Omaha, a man who mastered the language of wealth yet remained humble before the deeper riches of the heart. His words, though born in the halls of commerce, ring with the cadence of eternal truth. For they remind us that while gold may purchase comfort, it can never buy affection; while money can command service, it cannot command sincerity. Only love—the one treasure that multiplies when shared—can bind hearts together beyond all price.

In this teaching, Buffett unveils the paradox of the human condition: that the richest often find themselves poor in spirit, and the poorest, if they are generous in heart, dwell in abundance. For love is not a transaction, but a reflection. It mirrors what we give; it returns what we send. The one who hoards it finds only loneliness; the one who gives it freely discovers that he is surrounded by light. The lovable soul is not one who demands affection, but one who inspires it—through kindness, humility, and grace.

Consider the ancient tale of King Midas, who begged the gods that all he touched might turn to gold. At first, he rejoiced, for his halls gleamed brighter than the sun. But soon, he discovered his curse: he could not eat, for his bread turned to metal; he could not embrace his daughter, for her flesh became gold in his arms. In his hunger and grief, he learned what Buffett now reminds us of—that wealth without love is emptiness disguised as glory. It is not the hands that possess gold that are rich, but those that give warmth to others.

Buffett’s words are a quiet defiance against the worship of material power. He, who walked among billionaires, saw clearly that affection cannot be purchased like property. The heart cannot be bribed; it opens only to the genuine. The irritation he speaks of is the humbling truth that love is the one thing money cannot control. It answers not to contracts, but to character. The mighty may rule nations, but even they must earn the tenderness of a child or the loyalty of a friend.

To “be lovable,” then, is not to adorn oneself with charm or pretense, but to live in such a way that the world feels safer in your presence. It is to be honest when lies would profit you, to be kind when cruelty would win applause, to forgive when vengeance seems just. The lovable person does not chase affection; they embody it. They are a fountain that flows naturally, expecting no return. And in this generosity, they attract what others spend lifetimes chasing: genuine connection.

Think of Mother Teresa, who owned nothing yet gave everything. Her wealth was not in currency, but in compassion. When she entered a room, she carried with her a warmth that no empire could forge. People from every land, creed, and language loved her—not because she sought their approval, but because she gave love away so completely that others felt it was their own. The more she gave, the more love she received, until her name became a hymn of hope across the earth.

So, my child, take this lesson to heart: do not seek to be loved; seek to be lovable. Do not chase affection as if it were a prize, but live as though love were the air you breathe. Give kindness even to those who cannot repay it. Speak gently when the world is harsh. Lift another’s burden without keeping score. These are the ways of the truly rich. For in the divine economy of the heart, love given is never lost—it returns a hundredfold, unseen yet undeniable.

In the end, all wealth fades. The coins rust, the titles pass, the grandest houses crumble to dust. But the love you give, and the love you earn by being worthy of it, endures beyond your days. The more you give love away, the more you get. And in that eternal exchange, you shall discover a treasure no thief can steal, no fire consume, and no time destroy — the wealth of the soul.