A passionate man who celebrated the positive power of love, writer Leo Buscaglia (1924-1998) was born Leonardo Felice Buscaglia on this day in Los Angeles, California.

Buscaglia spent the first six years of his life in his family's hometown of Aosta, a village near the Italian Alps. He returned to L.A. and decided to become a teacher.

He once said: "Never idealize others. They will never live up to your expectations. Don't overanaylze your relationships. Stop playing games. A growing relationship can one be nurtured by genuineness."

The restless educator spent years seeking life's truths, traveling to Asia where he discovered that all religions "agree on the same principles for humanity...There is no religion that disagrees on the basic tenet being love."

"You can be a follower of Muhammad or Jesus or Buddha or whomever. Always they said that the most essential factor is to love your neighbor. And to love you."

Called "Dr Love" and the "hug therapist," Buscaglia spread his message of love and positive personal growth to American classrooms, in books, on television, and as an international lecturer.

"Only when we give joyfully, without hesitation or thought of gain, can we truly know what love means," he said.

More Leo BUSCAGLIA Quotations

Grow...Expand...Love!