Which is, I’m an optimist that two people can be together to work out their conflicts. And that commitment, I think, might be what love is, because they both grow from their relationship.

Shandling frames love less as a feeling than as a practice: an ongoing decision by two people to stay engaged when friction arises. The emphasis on “working out their conflicts” suggests that disagreement is not a sign of failure but a normal feature of intimacy, and that optimism is the belief that conflict can be metabolized into understanding. By linking commitment to mutual growth, he defines love as a relational ethic—showing up, negotiating differences, and allowing the relationship to change both partners. The quote also reflects Shandling’s characteristic introspection: a comedian known for self-analysis treating romance as a developmental path rather than a romantic ideal.