Like vs. Love?

"I love her, but I don't like her," said a man at a 12-step meeting the other day.

For some reason I take issue with this statement because I don't understand it.  To me it's difficult to love someone if you don't like them. The statement seems like pseudo-intellectual sophistry..

My attitude is "why bother?" I mean why split hairs about the amount of feelings you have for somebody. Is the speaker casting himself as a lofty spiritual being who loves everyone – but doesn't like some people? I'm not sure.  It would be difficult for me to be around someone whom I love, and not like most everything about them. Otherwise, I wouldn't be around them.

Is the speaker saying he doesn't like everything the person does but still loves him or her? We'll probably never know.

In the 12 step programs we learn that love and tolerance of others is paramount. We also learn about acceptance, as is explained on page 417 of the 12-step literature. Is this information compatible with loving but not liking?

So when I hear pontificating or splitting hairs about loving versus liking I'm simply confused.

And maybe it's only "listen to me I'm cool" ear wash designed to confuse unsophisticated people like me.