---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This is what we desire in intimate…"
description: "\"“This is what we desire in intimate relationships but this deep connection is often so frightful that most do not take advantage of the opportunities p..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not_chaos_this-is-what-we-desire-in-intimate-relat_570659.jpg"
---

#  This is what we desire in intimate relationships but this…

![“This is what we desire in intimate relationships but this deep connection is often so frightful that most do not take advantage of the opportunities presented for honesty.” quote by David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not_chaos_this-is-what-we-desire-in-intimate-relat_570659.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not_chaos_this-is-what-we-desire-in-intimate-relat_570659.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not_chaos_this-is-what-we-desire-in-intimate-relat_570659.jpg)

> ““This is what we desire in intimate relationships but this deep connection is often so frightful that most do not take advantage of the opportunities presented for honesty.””

[David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Intimate relationships crave deep honesty, but fear often blocks taking advantage of that honesty.

**In simple terms:** People fear deep honesty in relationships.

Key Takeaway

Embrace vulnerability to deepen connection.

Themes

relationships honesty vulnerability

Mood

empathetic thoughtful

Type

counseling philosophical

When to use this quote

- couples therapy
- relationship counseling
- personal reflection
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

psychology attachment communication

Questions to Reflect On

- What holds you back from being fully honest?
- How can you create a safe space for vulnerability?

A Different Perspective

Fear of intimacy can stall growth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Chaos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chaos/) [Dysfunction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dysfunction/) [Families](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/families/) [Honesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honesty/) [Intimate Relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimate-relationship/) [Intimate relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimate-relationships/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationships/)

## Related quotes

> [“People who are unwilling to talk about deep personal issues do not trust their own emotions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/people-who-are-unwilling-to-talk-about-deep-personal-issues-do-not/)

[David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/)

> [My only desire is an intimate infusion with nature, and the only fate I wish is to have worked and lived in harmony with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/my-only-desire-is-an-intimate-infusion-with-nature-and-the-only-fate/)

[Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/)

> [Friendship has made my life so rich and making things with people who are your friends... these are now decades-long relationships that are deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-reichardt/friendship-has-made-my-life-so-rich-and-making-things-with-people-who/)

[Kelly Reichardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-reichardt/)

> [I think if you look at the friends, the kinds of relationships I have, I am not the kind of guy who has many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ichiro-suzuki/i-think-if-you-look-at-the-friends-the-kinds-of-relationships-i-have/)

[Ichiro Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ichiro-suzuki/)

> [First you will feel your inner transformation in your outer relationships, and then you will go deep. Then only will you begin to feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/first-you-will-feel-your-inner-transformation-in-your-outer/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [“The more severe the dysfunction you experienced growing up, the more difficult boundaries are for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/the-more-severe-the-dysfunction-you-experienced-growing-up-the-more/)

[David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/)

> [“Chaos limits the free-flow of love and becomes a roadblock to what family members want most and sadly, it becomes the normal for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/chaos-limits-the-free-flow-of-love-and-becomes-a-roadblock-to-what/)

[David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/)

> [“It is very difficult to develop a proper sense of self-esteem in a dysfunctional family. Having very little self-worth, looking at one’s own character…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/it-is-very-difficult-to-develop-a-proper-sense-of-self-esteem-in-a/)

[David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/)

> [“Swirling in a squirrel cage of perpetual motion, the head-committee meets, argues, votes out the guidance available from emotions, and successfully keeps serenity at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/swirling-in-a-squirrel-cage-of-perpetual-motion-the-head-committee/)

[David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/)

> [“Change is threatening to the status quo.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/change-is-threatening-to-the-status-quo/)

[David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/)

> [“Boundaries represent awareness, knowing what the limits are and then respecting those limits.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/boundaries-represent-awareness-knowing-what-the-limits-are-and-then/)

[David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/)

> [“Families living in dysfunction seldom have healthy boundaries. Dysfunctional families have trouble knowing where they stop and others begin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/families-living-in-dysfunction-seldom-have-healthy-boundaries/)

[David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/)

> [“Teenagers can spot hypocrisy a mile away and here I was telling them how to cope when they witnessed the shambles of my own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/teenagers-can-spot-hypocrisy-a-mile-away-and-here-i-was-telling-them/)

[David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/)

> [“As a parent who raised his children in dysfunction, I know the parental wounds my children received were not intentional; often they were my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/as-a-parent-who-raised-his-children-in-dysfunction-i-know-the/)

[David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/)

> [When adults come together to form an intimate relationship, each person releases into it unresolved issues from their trans-generational pool of unconscious fantasies. Partners…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-raphael-leff/when-adults-come-together-to-form-an-intimate-relationship-each/)

[Joan Raphael-Leff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-raphael-leff/)

## More by David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough

> [“The more severe the dysfunction you experienced growing up, the more difficult boundaries are for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/the-more-severe-the-dysfunction-you-experienced-growing-up-the-more/)

[David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/)

> [“If no one has boundaries…how can there be any transgression?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/if-no-one-has-boundaries-how-can-there-be-any-transgression/)

[David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/)

> [“Being judgmental is a form of attack keeping others off balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/being-judgmental-is-a-form-of-attack-keeping-others-off-balance/)

[David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/)

> [“Mature adults gravitate toward new values and understandings, not just rehashing and blind acceptance of past patterns and previous learning. This is an ongoing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/mature-adults-gravitate-toward-new-values-and-understandings-not-just/)

[David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/)

> [“The greater the pain associated with love, the more likely a person is to be attracted to others who will inflict this pain…for isn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/the-greater-the-pain-associated-with-love-the-more-likely-a-person-is/)

[David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/)

> [“...the state of perfection is an elusive goal; demanding something so obscure as almost unattainable and can become a compulsive, crazy making squirrel-on-a-wheel way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/the-state-of-perfection-is-an-elusive-goal-demanding-something-so/)

[David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/)

> [“Change is hard, difficult, painful, and often messy”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/change-is-hard-difficult-painful-and-often-messy/)

[David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/)

> [“People who are unwilling to talk about deep personal issues do not trust their own emotions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/people-who-are-unwilling-to-talk-about-deep-personal-issues-do-not/)

[David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/)

> [“People pay a dear price when not dealing with the powerful emotions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/people-pay-a-dear-price-when-not-dealing-with-the-powerful-emotions/)

[David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/)

> [“Honoring your word is the fiber from which trust is built.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/honoring-your-word-is-the-fiber-from-which-trust-is-built/)

[David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/)

> [“Teenagers can spot hypocrisy a mile away and here I was telling them how to cope when they witnessed the shambles of my own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/teenagers-can-spot-hypocrisy-a-mile-away-and-here-i-was-telling-them/)

[David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/)

> [“Our parents were our first gods. If parents are loving, nurturing, and kind, this becomes the child’s definition of the creator. If parents were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/our-parents-were-our-first-gods-if-parents-are-loving-nurturing-and/)

[David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/)

> [“Putting labels on others creates a black hole of disregard where judgment thrives and schisms deepen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/putting-labels-on-others-creates-a-black-hole-of-disregard-where/)

[David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/)

> [“Many people look at their past and bemoan their mistakes. Those errors in judgment, behavior, hurting others, and the wrong decisions may be what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/many-people-look-at-their-past-and-bemoan-their-mistakes-those-errors/)

[David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/)

> [“Codependency is a learned set of behaviors, thought processes, and habits. When combined together, they fit a very loose definition. All people exhibit these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/codependency-is-a-learned-set-of-behaviors-thought-processes-and/)

[David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/)

[Explore all 66 David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/)

## More Chaos quotes

> [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [If I meet a wise person, I think, 'Yes, tell me more about parenting, about marriage, about how to stay in love. Tell me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-jin-lee/if-i-meet-a-wise-person-i-think-yes-tell-me-more-about-parenting/)

[Min Jin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-jin-lee/)

> [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/)

[Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/)

> [I love Derrick Brown for the surprise of one word waking up next to another. One moment tender, funny or romantic, the next, visceral,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/i-love-derrick-brown-for-the-surprise-of-one-word-waking-up-next-to/)

[Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/)

> [Chaos often breeds life, when order breeds habit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/chaos-often-breeds-life-when-order-breeds-habit/)

[Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/)

> [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/)

[Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/)

> [There seems to be a kind of order in the universe…in the movement of the stars and the turning of the Earth and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-anne-porter/there-seems-to-be-a-kind-of-order-in-the-universe-in-the-movement-of/)

[Katherine Anne Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-anne-porter/)

> [In the ring, there's not a lot of room for mistakes. You're in a place that is chaos, that is on fire. That ring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/in-the-ring-there-s-not-a-lot-of-room-for-mistakes-you-re-in-a-place/)

[Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/)

> [“It was her chaos that made her beautiful. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atticus-poetry/it-was-her-chaos-that-made-her-beautiful/)

[Atticus Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atticus-poetry/)

> [What we should have done is kept the same team that played in the '95 World Series. Those trades (Eddie Murray &amp; Carlos Baerga)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-belle/what-we-should-have-done-is-kept-the-same-team-that-played-in-the-95/)

[Albert Belle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-belle/)

> [American civil rights leader, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? Lynching is a murder. For the past four hundred years our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/american-civil-rights-leader-where-do-we-go-from-here-chaos-or/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [“There was beauty in chaos, she'd just never known it before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-linsmeier/there-was-beauty-in-chaos-she-d-just-never-known-it-before/)

[Amanda Linsmeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-linsmeier/)

> [Who’s to say that it takes something like a drug to mess with your perception of reality? How did Hitler deceive a nation? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/who-s-to-say-that-it-takes-something-like-a-drug-to-mess-with-your/)

[Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/)

> [And yet, I do believe there is ultimately meaning in the chaos, and also in the doldrums. What I resist is not the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/and-yet-i-do-believe-there-is-ultimately-meaning-in-the-chaos-and/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [I came to think of myself, not as a dance and chaos of molecules, but as a brief and minute portion of that majestic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/i-came-to-think-of-myself-not-as-a-dance-and-chaos-of-molecules-but/)

[Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/)

[Browse all 2,640 Chaos quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chaos/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“This is what we desire in intimate relationships but this deep connection is often so frightful that most do not take advantage of the opportunities presented for honesty.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/this-is-what-we-desire-in-intimate-relationships-but-this-deep/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Chaos"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/this-is-what-we-desire-in-intimate-relationships-but-this-deep/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not_chaos_this-is-what-we-desire-in-intimate-relat_570659.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not_chaos_this-is-what-we-desire-in-intimate-relat_570659.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not_chaos_this-is-what-we-desire-in-intimate-relat_570659.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“This is what we desire in intimate relationships but this deep connection is often so frightful that most do…” — David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“This is what we desire in...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/this-is-what-we-desire-in-intimate-relationships-but-this-deep/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/this-is-what-we-desire-in-intimate-relationships-but-this-deep/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
