Olivia Wilde shared a message about love on her Instagram Story on Valentine’s Day on Tuesday, February 14. The actress and director, 38, posted a quote, which speaks about both the good (and the “ugly”) sides of love, which was originally written by Of Mice And Men author John Steinbeck in a 1958 letter to his son Thom. The post comes nearly three months after she and Harry Styles, 29, split up after almost two years in November.
The post was shared by the Instagram account Letters of Note, and in the message, Steinbeck breaks down different types of love to his son. “There are several kinds of love. One is a selfish, mean, grasping, egotistical thing which uses love for self-importance. This is the ugly and crippling kind,” he wrote. “The other is an outpouring of everything good in you—of kindness and consideration and respect—not only the social respect of manners but the greater respect which is recognition of another person as unique and valuable.”
At the end of the quote, the author explained how the “ugly” and “selfish” love can be devastating, but the other is wonderful. “The first kind can make you sick and small and weak but the second can release in you strength, and courage and goodness and even wisdom you didn’t know you had,” he wrote.
Olivia didn’t provide any other context to the quote, and simply shared it on her Story. The cryptic quote hasn’t been the only time that the House star has shared reflecting on love on social media. She posted a scene from the film Tropical Malady with another romantic quote on her Story in January. “I’d hate to die without having loved,” the line said, per Us Weekly.
Since Harry and Olivia broke up, she has kept busy and been seen out and about on plenty of occasions, whether she’s hitting the gym, shopping in Paris, or bonding with her two kids: Otis, 8, and Daisy, 6, who she shares with her ex-husband Jason Sudeikis.
Shortly after the pair split, a source close to the situation revealed to HollywoodLife exclusively that the “As It Was” singer felt like they were “putting their relationship on pause.” The insider said that people close to the former couple weren’t sure whether they’d get back together. “No one thinks that they will resume the relationship after his tour, but Harry says that he does not know what the future holds,” they said.