I would rather have eyes that cannot see; ears that cannot hear; lips that cannot speak, than a heart that cannot love.

The speaker ranks the capacity to love above the body’s most basic faculties. By imagining life without sight, hearing, or speech—losses typically feared as profound disabilities—the line argues that emotional and moral incapacity is worse than physical impairment. The parallel structure (“eyes… ears… lips… than a heart…”) builds a hierarchy: perception and expression matter, but they are ultimately secondary to the inner power that gives human relationships meaning. The quote also implies that love is not merely a feeling but a defining human function; without it, the self becomes spiritually inert, regardless of how intact the senses remain.