it's great that you have a wonderful young friend but havent you kind of twisted the meaning without meaning to? Surely what the phrase means is that without love emanating from YOU, you are nothing. Many of us have no YF or anyone else who loves us very much, but none of that can stop us from loving in return. Isn't it love coming from ourselves that makes us free? If we always need to be loved by another person then many of us are quite doomed.