Quotes / Love Martyr

"Why are you protecting a psychotic clown who treats you like garbage?"

— Batman, Harley Quinn (2019)

There is a vision of the Orient that I have. Of slender women in cheongsams and kimonos who die for the love of unworthy foreign devils. Who are born and raised to be perfect women. Who take whatever punishment we give them, and spring back, strengthened by love, unconditionally. It is a vision that has become my life. My mistake was simple and absolute: the man I loved was not worthy. He didn't deserve even a second glance. But instead, I gave him my love. All of my love. Love warped my judgment, blinded my eyes, so that now, when I look into the mirror, I see nothing but... I have a vision of the Orient. That, deep within her almond eyes, there are still women. Women willing to sacrifice themselves for the love of a man. Even a man whose love is... completely without worth. Death with honor is better than life with dishonor. So, at last, in a prison, far from China, I have found her. My name is René Gallimard... also known as... Madame Butterfly.

— René Gallimard, M. Butterfly

Well, I guess I should stick up for myself
But I really think it's better this way
The more you suffer
The more it shows you really care
Right? Yeah-eh-eh!

— The Offspring, "Self-Esteem"

I was a Fool for Love, I was a fool for love, I was a fool.

— Tegan & Sara, "I Was A Fool" (also contains the lyric "Love like ours is never fixed")

You say when he hits you, you don't mind
Because when he hurts you, you feel alive
Oh no, is that what it is?

— U2, "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)"

Were you telling lies?
(Ahhhh, the night before)
Was I so unwise?
(Ahhhh, the night before)
When I held you near, you were so sincere
Treat me like you did the night before

—"The Night Before", The Beatles

I try to discover
A little something to make me sweeter
Oh baby refrain from breaking my heart
I'm so in love with you
I'll be forever blue
That you gimme no reason
Why you make-a-me work so hard

— Erasure, "A Little Respect"

You ever love someone so much you thought your little heart was gonna break in two?
I didn't think so
You ever tried with all your heart and soul to get your lover back to you?
I wanna hope so
You ever pray with all your heart and soul just to watch her walk away? Yeah

— Chris Isaak, "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing"

I'd cry like a baby if you told me goodbye
I'd feel like a snowball on the 4th of July
If you ever said you were leaving for good
I'd weep like a weeping willow, honest I would
I'd cry like a baby with a busted balloon
I'd let out a wail that would be heard to the moon
Our love was so splendid don't end it so soon
Don't leave me here sighing, sobbing and a-sighing
Crying like a baby for you

— Dean Martin, "I'd Cry Like A Baby"

She cuts you once
She cuts you twice
But still you believe
The wound is so fresh you can taste the blood
But you don't have strength to leave.

— Billy Joel, "Stiletto"

I've been a martyr for love
I need to be by your side
I have knelt at your feet
I have felt your deceit
Couldn't leave if I tried

— Depeche Mode, "Martyr"

My church offers no absolutes
She tells me 'worship in the bedroom'
The only heaven I'll be sent to
Is when I'm alone with you
I was born sick, but I love it
Command me to be well
Amen. Amen. Amen

— Hozier, "Take Me to Church"

Well, I'm so tall, I'm so tall
You raise me and then you let me fall
And I'm so small, I'm so small
Wrap me round your finger, seen before

— Blancmage, "Living on the Ceiling"

Hermione you're so lovely
I shiver and I shake
Even when you shove me
Into the Great Lake
And hold me under water
With your dainty foot
If you were any hotter
I would turn to soot!

— Ron from the Potter Puppet Pals musical

If loving her is a heartache for me
And if holding her means that I have to bleed
Then I am the martyr and love is to blame
[...]
If right is leaving, I'd rather be wrong.

— Trading Yesterday, "She Is the Sunlight"

You are my princess and I am your servant
Fate divided these pitiful twins
If it means that I can protect you
Then I too will become evil

— Allen, "Servant of Evil", Evillious Chronicles

I am your spaniel, and, Demetrius, The more you beat me I will fawn on you. Use me but as your spaniel: spurn me, strike me, Neglect me, lose me; only give me leave (Unworthy as I am) to follow you. What worser place can I beg in your love (And yet a place of high respect with me) Than to be used as your dog?

— Helena, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 2, Scene 1

Senna the witch was selfish and cruel and manipulative, but I would always love her, always try to protect her.

— David Levin, Understand the Unknown.

I may be love's bitch, but at least I'm man enough to admit it.

— Spike, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

We’ve seen the words “Karreuche Tran breaks up with Chris Brown again” more than we’ve seen the words “Chris Brown fucked up again” and that’s saying a lot. For the 4,567,910th time (I’m underestimating) in her life, Karmachameleon Tran says that she’s washing her hands clean of Chris Brown’s bullshit and will never go back to him. We’ve heard that all before and we’ll hear it again. Karreuche isn’t leaving Chris Brown because she finally woke up from the dickmatized haze she was in and realized she’s been dating Chris Brown for years. She’s leaving him because she can’t deal with him putting a baby into a uterus that doesn’t belong to her...We all know that in a few months, the paps will take pictures of her babysitting Chris Brown’s kid at Chuck E. Cheese while he’s off bareback boning another trick.

— Michael K., "In 'Sure, Jan' News..."

Back to Ma Kent and Clark, talking about how he could never love anyone outside of Lana, or couldn't perceive it, anyway. I think he could, if he'd only just imagine constantly hugging a doll called "Knife pain man" filled with broken glass and saline solution that crushed as the blades penetrated.

— Neal Bailey on Smallville ("Lockdown")

And I will pray for her.
I will call her name out loud.
I would bleed for her.
If I could only see her now.

— Iron Maiden, "The Evil That Men Do"

Let me feel fire
Let me drink poison
Tell me to tear my heart in two
If that's what you want me to do...

— "Unworthy Of Your Love", by Stephen Sondheim

[Abuse] victims consistently decide that we will love unconditionally, which is lovely. But too many of us decide to love unconditionally while also remaining in harm’s way.

— Kellie Holly, Verbal Abuse in Relationships

We always hear that it's our fault, that we should have known better. [...] We women blame ourselves so much, because we think that it's our fault and we already lost all self-confidence after all those years of violence. My husband could punch me in the stomach, even though I was pregnant, because I didn't serve him the food he wanted. [..] You may ask: How can you be in love with such a man? How sick is this woman who is in love with such a man? He's a very important person in your life and you have lived with him for ten years and you have also children with him, then it's not that easy. You hope all the time that he'll change, that's what you pin all your hopes on, all the time.

— Carina, When Darkness Falls

For so long, all I wanted was you to love me, to accept me. I thought it was my honor that I wanted but really, I was just trying to please you. You, my father, who banished me just for talking out of turn. My father, who challenged me, a 13-year-old boy, to an Agni Kai.

— Prince Zuko, Avatar: The Last Airbender

We accept the love we think we deserve.

— Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Give me your disrespect,
give me your pain and loneliness,
and I'll love you the best.
Promise I'll love you the best.
Give me no peace of mind,
give me distrust, give all your lies,
and I'll love you for life.
Promise I'll love you 'til I die.

— Muna, "Crying on the Bathroom Floor"

She put my tender heart in a blender, and still, I surrendered.

— Limp Bizkit, "Nookie"

Y'know, people say Henry was... stone-hearted. Uncaring. And I'm not sure that's right. I—I mean, don't get me wrong, I know his times with the queens before me had been hard. But... they were also full of fire. He—he raged and he stormed at them, and because they were both absolute badass monarchs, they raged and stormed right back. But I didn't do any of that. Instead... I stood by him. I stood firm, no matter his flaws, no matter my doubts or fears. I stayed there. By his side. And that's not because I was scared or naïve or weak! It's because I loved him.

— Jane Seymour, Six: The Musical

[John] didn't want to see Lizzie hurt and hated the idea of her going to prison, despite what she was doing to him. Despite the situation, he still thought of her as a sweet girl who wasn't entirely well. She deserved help, not punishment. Was this Stockholm Syndrome? Was she wearing him down, just like she'd planned to? The idea disturbed him, but it didn't change how he felt. He needed to find another way.

—Crimson Gray

When you come to love a man, you love even his vices. It was torture to be with him, but I was happy...

—Yoo-lan, Poets and Murder

[My mother] was but a poor fisherman's girl who lived on the remote world of Far Port. And just like the fish she cleaned and gutted every day, she was hooked by the young Ryuvian prince to be his plaything of the night, then tossed back into the big black ocean. When I was a little girl, she spoke of his valor. Of his heroic exploits. Of how he would one day return and make her into a princess. Hah! Such a fool, she was! A fool! She wasted away, always looking far, far away into the heavens... her eyes forever searching for where Ryuvia Prime would be in the black night. She would never find it. My only memories of childhood were watching her... She waited... and waited... I never once saw her smile – never to care about anything but her prince. And she finally passed on, still staring into the black night sky.

—Sola di Ryuvia, Sunrider 4: The Captain's Return

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