Claim. Love does not begin from the self but from the partner, so receiving love requires service and sacrifice.
Elaboration. SMM says, “Love cannot be realized by oneself” and asks where love comes from: “Love does not come from me but from my spouse” (CSG 4.5 §4, 143-277, 1986.3.30). Because love comes through the partner, one must bow, serve, and live for the sake of others. He names self-originating love as satanic language: “Love comes from me” is the mindset that destroys relationships (46-35, 1971.7.18). Genuine love is reciprocal, patient, and sacrificial because its base is not the self. The spouse is called “the owner of love,” not as domination but as the one through whom love can be received.
See also. give-and-take-action