The first duty of love is to listen.

Tillich’s aphorism frames love less as sentiment or possession than as attentive presence. To “listen” is to grant the other person reality and dignity—to receive them as a subject rather than treat them as an object to be managed, corrected, or used. In this view, love begins with receptivity: suspending one’s own agenda long enough to hear another’s fears, hopes, and meaning. The line also implies an ethical priority: before advice, judgment, or action, love requires understanding. Listening becomes a spiritual discipline, aligning with Tillich’s broader concern for authentic encounter and the depth-dimension of human relations.