# I Love You

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-you/56281>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [February 28, 2001, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-you/56281 "2001-02-28T22:39:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Delila](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Delila](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delila)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2001, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-you/56281/1 "2001-02-28T22:39:18Z")

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When someone says “I Love You” do you have to respond in kind? What else could you say…especially if you don’t feel “love” for that person.

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**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2001, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-you/56281/2 "2001-02-28T22:45:08Z")

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Say “Thank you.” If they press the matter, give them the “let’s be friends” speech.

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**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2001, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-you/56281/3 "2001-02-28T23:11:42Z")

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My opinion: never tell someone you love them unless you mean it.

People who scare off a potential partner by moving too fast will learn to play it cool in the future. So, if someone “I loves you” way too early and you don’t reciprocate and it gets awkward until you finally can’t even look at each other without your stomachs clenching into fists, well then he/she will maybe learn something for the future.

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**Author:** ![sk8rixtx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/858c86/32.png) [@sk8rixtx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sk8rixtx)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2001, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-you/56281/4 "2001-02-28T23:25:25Z")

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When that person tells you that he loves you, just say this;

“Naww ya’ don’t. C’mon… you really do? Well come here handsome.”

Then kiss him or something. He’ll forget about you saying “I love you too”.

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**Author:** ![Eo\_Echo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ebca7d/32.png) [@Eo\_Echo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eo_Echo)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2001, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-you/56281/5 "2001-03-01T04:48:52Z")

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Back when I was young and stupid I had a girlfriend who was just a bit, shall we say, obsessive. I liked her (she was also a hottie) but I didn’t love her and I wasn’t in love with her. She couldn’t accept that and was constantly telling me she loved me. At first I tried to explain myself, but when that proved fruitless I became a master at changing subjects (in a manner not unlike what **sk8rixtx** suggested. For over a year I did this, but I never told her I loved her. Because I didn’t. That was dumb and selfish. I was leading her on, though unintentionally. Now that I’m older and still just as stupid, I’d handle it differently. I still do it wrong, but it’d be a different kind of wrong.

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**Author:** ![Montfort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Montfort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montfort)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2001, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-you/56281/6 "2001-03-01T04:55:49Z")

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Me: I love you.

**Anniz** : I love you, too.

Seems to work for us. 😉