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I searched for an English proverb for about this subject:

you should want (love) a person who he wants (loves) you, too

In Persian, the phrase is this:

خواهی که جهان در کف اقبال تو باشد خواهان کسی باش که خواهان تو باشد

and the words mean:

if you want world be in your chance, want one person who wants you too

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3 Answers 3

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In my first language (Thai), there is a saying, (we even have a song for that!)

"Love the one who loves you, not the one whom you love."

In English, there is a similar and well-known song lyric:

"If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with"

Sometimes it's shorten to just "Love the one you're with".

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    +1 It's a song by Steven Sills, but he got the phrase from Billy Preston. Commented Mar 8, 2014 at 15:58
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    There's also the lyrics from "Nature Boy"- The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.
    – Jim
    Commented Mar 8, 2014 at 22:25
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    I just don't think this phrase is at all equivalent to OP's saying. OP's essentially boils down to "make sure you pick someone who loves you back" while "Love the one you're with" is more like, "Go ahead. Cheat. It's only while you're away from the one you really love, so it's okay."
    – Jim
    Commented Mar 8, 2014 at 22:32
  • What @Jim said. That "well-known phrase" may be similar – sure, the words are similar words – but it's a song lyric, not a proverb, and people still debate about whether the song is about free love and adultery, or getting over recently-ended relationships. Neither interpretation seems to fit the O.P.'s question. Shame this answer was accepted so quickly.
    – J.R.
    Commented Mar 9, 2014 at 0:03
  • @J.R. and Jim - When I heard the phrase the first time in the movie Prometheus (2012), I thought that it was twisted into adultery or a one-night relationship, because I equated the two phrases as something similar. (the Thai's version has a very sincere meaning; it hints that we shouldn't chase after a person who doesn't care about us, which of course won't stay with us.) I will research into the original intention of the phrase, to see which one was the likely intention, and revise or delete this answer accordingly. Commented Mar 9, 2014 at 0:53
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This Biblical reference (the second Great Commandment) is widely known, and likely your best option:

Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Meaning "Treat others in a way you would like to be treated".

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If you want world be in your chance, want one person who wants you too

I understand the second part of that – in order for love to be successful, it must be reciprocated. The first part confuses me a little bit, but I assume the saying means something like:

If you want to get the most out of life, love a person who will love you back

(The phrase get the most out of is an idiom meaning “to achieve the greatest output of work, effort, production, etc., out of something”)

I tried to find a suitable saying that roughly matches your request. I couldn't find any well-known sayings, but I did manage to find some clever quotes. In some way or another, they are about a life fulfilled by mutual love.

Love is just a word until someone comes along and gives it meaning!
  — Paulo Coelho

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.
  — Mignon McLaughlin

Love doesn't make the world go round; love is what makes the ride worthwhile.
  — Franklin P. Jones

That last one isn't a very good match with the Persian proverb, but I thought it was witty, so I decided to include it.

I also found this one:

You don't marry someone you can live with, you marry the person who you cannot live without.
  — Anonymous

However, to match the Persian proverb, I'd have to reword that:

You don't marry someone you want to live with, you marry the person who cannot live without you.
  — J.R.

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