It's better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all. This is a line from a 19th century poem by Tennyson in memory of his friend A. H. Hallam, who died at the age of 22. This idea that experiencing love, even if it ends in heartbreak, is worthwhile, ties to the bigger message that we should live fully even if it means getting hurt sometimes. This is a theme that runs deep in The Lady of Shalott, another Tennyson poem.
