--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: despite its widespread denunciation…" description: "\"“despite its widespread denunciation, infidelity has a tenacity that marriage can only envy.”\" — Esther Perel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea8/esther-perel-3265_betrayal_despite-its-widespread-denunciation-infi_1346304.png" --- # despite its widespread denunciation, infidelity has a… ![“despite its widespread denunciation, infidelity has a tenacity that marriage can only envy.” quote by Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea8/esther-perel-3265_betrayal_despite-its-widespread-denunciation-infi_1346304.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea8/esther-perel-3265_betrayal_despite-its-widespread-denunciation-infi_1346304.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea8/esther-perel-3265_betrayal_despite-its-widespread-denunciation-infi_1346304.png) > ““despite its widespread denunciation, infidelity has a tenacity that marriage can only envy.”” [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Infidelity persists because it offers a novel, intense experience that stable marriage often lacks. **In simple terms:** Affairs survive due to their excitement. Key Takeaway Address unmet needs within marriage. Themes relationships desire infidelity Mood thoughtful cautionary Type psychological relationship When to use this quote - marriage counseling - self‑reflection - boundary setting Key Concepts psychology novelty emotional fulfillment Questions to Reflect On - What drives you to seek novelty? - How can couples sustain excitement without betrayal? A Different Perspective Infidelity can cause lasting harm and breach trust. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Betrayal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/betrayal/) [Denunciation Infidelity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denunciation-infidelity-4563430/) [Infidelity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infidelity/) [Infidelity Tenacity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infidelity-tenacity-4563431/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Marriage Envy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage-envy-2195661/) [Tenacity Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tenacity-marriage-2195662/) ## Related quotes > [ “\[I\]nfidelity has a tenacity that marriage can only envy.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/i-nfidelity-has-a-tenacity-that-marriage-can-only-envy/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [“Infidelity hurts. But when we grant it a special status in the hierarchy of marital misdemeanors, we risk allowing it to overshadow the egregious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/infidelity-hurts-but-when-we-grant-it-a-special-status-in-the/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [“Q: Are there any secrets to long-lasting relationships?     A: Infidelity. Not the act itself, but the threat of it. For Proust, an injection of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/q-are-there-any-secrets-to-long-lasting-relationships-a-infidelity/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [To look at infidelity from the point of view of sex is a complete narrowing of the phenomenon. There's a reason that the commandment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/to-look-at-infidelity-from-the-point-of-view-of-sex-is-a-complete/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [Modern infidelity is different than traditional infidelity and sits on top of the romantic ideal that you find "the one" and that if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/modern-infidelity-is-different-than-traditional-infidelity-and-sits/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [The vast majority of unfaithful people are experiencing a conflict between their values and their behavior, and that is the mess of infidelity. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/the-vast-majority-of-unfaithful-people-are-experiencing-a-conflict/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [For most couples who come to me - especially in the aftermath of the revelation of an affair, when they are in a state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-most-couples-who-come-to-me-especially-in-the-aftermath-of-the/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [“If you think that your partner has been cheating, then take a look at their will. If a past lover is in there, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/if-you-think-that-your-partner-has-been-cheating-then-take-a-look-at/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Relationships can survive infidelity, but only if the cheating partner feels as badly about it as the one he or she cheated on. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-springer/relationships-can-survive-infidelity-but-only-if-the-cheating-partner/) [Jerry Springer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-springer/) > [In my judgment, a great mistake has been made by well meaning and zealous men, through treating error and infidelity with altogether too much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-holland/in-my-judgment-a-great-mistake-has-been-made-by-well-meaning-and/) [J. G. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-holland/) > [Each husband gets the infidelity he deserves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zelda-popkin/each-husband-gets-the-infidelity-he-deserves/) [Zelda Popkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zelda-popkin/) > [A society in which conjugal infidelity is tolerated must always be in the long run a society adverse to women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/a-society-in-which-conjugal-infidelity-is-tolerated-must-always-be-in/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [I don't want to sell myself short. You hurt your spouse, not so much by the infidelity, but by the negative feelings about yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zaslow/i-don-t-want-to-sell-myself-short-you-hurt-your-spouse-not-so-much-by/) [Michael Zaslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zaslow/) > [If you leave someone for another person, don't be surprised if that person leaves you for someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-leave-someone-for-another-person-don-t-be-surprised-if-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God’s faithfulness is stronger than our unfaithfulness and our infidelities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-s-faithfulness-is-stronger-than-our-unfaithfulness-and-our/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) ## More by Esther Perel > [Sometimes it has to do with other longings that are much more existential. Sometimes you go elsewhere not because you are not liking the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/sometimes-it-has-to-do-with-other-longings-that-are-much-more/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [ “For \[erotically intelligent couples\], love is a vessel that contains both security and adventure, and commitment offers one of the great luxuries of life:… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-erotically-intelligent-couples-love-is-a-vessel-that-contains/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [It’s hard to feel attracted to someone who has abandoned her sense of autonomy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/it-s-hard-to-feel-attracted-to-someone-who-has-abandoned-her-sense-of/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [For some people, a one-night stand doesn't make any difference in a seven-year love affair. I don't believe the degree of betrayal is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-some-people-a-one-night-stand-doesn-t-make-any-difference-in-a/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [I want to engage people in an honest, enlightened, and provocative conversation about the nature of erotic desire and the intricacies of intimacy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/i-want-to-engage-people-in-an-honest-enlightened-and-provocative/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [“The quality of your life ultimately depends on the quality of your relationships . . . which are basically a reflection of your sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/the-quality-of-your-life-ultimately-depends-on-the-quality-of-your/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [If you start to feel that you have given up too many parts of yourself to be with your partner, then one day you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/if-you-start-to-feel-that-you-have-given-up-too-many-parts-of/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [“I regret to say that we of the FBI are powerless to act in cases of oral-genital intimacy, unless it has in some way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/i-regret-to-say-that-we-of-the-fbi-are-powerless-to-act-in-cases-of/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [You never know your partner as well as you think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/you-never-know-your-partner-as-well-as-you-think/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [On some level we trade passion for security, that's trading one illusion for another. It's a matter of degree. We can't live in constant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/on-some-level-we-trade-passion-for-security-that-s-trading-one/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [“When the impulse to share becomes obligatory, when personal boundaries are no longer respected, when only the shared space of togetherness is acknowledged and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/when-the-impulse-to-share-becomes-obligatory-when-personal-boundaries/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [“I do believe that the emphasis on egalitarian and respectful sex—purged of any expressions of power, aggression, and transgression—is antithetical to erotic desire for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/i-do-believe-that-the-emphasis-on-egalitarian-and-respectful-sex/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [“If intimacy grows through repetition and familiarity, eroticism is numbed by repetition. It thrives on the mysterious, the novel, and the unexpected. Love is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/if-intimacy-grows-through-repetition-and-familiarity-eroticism-is/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [“She’s beautiful, too, did I mention that? She lives the life I didn’t live. I feel middle-age and middle-class around her. Nothing wrong with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/she-s-beautiful-too-did-i-mention-that-she-lives-the-life-i-didn-t/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [In dating, if you say no, your lover goes on to the next person. In marriage, if you say no, the person stays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/in-dating-if-you-say-no-your-lover-goes-on-to-the-next-person-in/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) [Explore all 135 Esther Perel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) ## More Betrayal quotes > [“That's the catch about betrayal, of course: that it feels good, that there's something immensely pleasurable about moving from a complicated relationship which involves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/that-s-the-catch-about-betrayal-of-course-that-it-feels-good-that/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [God’s faithfulness is stronger than our unfaithfulness and our infidelities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-s-faithfulness-is-stronger-than-our-unfaithfulness-and-our/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [“Flattery looks like friendship, just like a wolf looks like a dog.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-auliq-ice/flattery-looks-like-friendship-just-like-a-wolf-looks-like-a-dog/) [Oscar Auliq-Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-auliq-ice/) > [There is no deceit in death. It delivers precisely what it has promised. Betrayal, though ... betrayal is the willful slaughter of hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/km-ii/there-is-no-deceit-in-death-it-delivers-precisely-what-it-has/) [KM II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/km-ii/) > [If you leave someone for another person, don't be surprised if that person leaves you for someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-leave-someone-for-another-person-don-t-be-surprised-if-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“As they say in New York, Get over it and, if you can't get over it, Get over talking about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-keyes/as-they-say-in-new-york-get-over-it-and-if-you-can-t-get-over-it-get/) [Marian Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-keyes/) > [“He returned her gaze, yearning for sentimental solace; love which emanated from a familiar source, mattered little how bedevilling. They shared an intimate moment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-h-septimius/he-returned-her-gaze-yearning-for-sentimental-solace-love-which/) [A. H. Septimius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-h-septimius/) > [I was always here for you,you knew you could count on me and trust me blindly, and you knew that I would never tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hayssus/i-was-always-here-for-you-you-knew-you-could-count-on-me-and-trust-me/) [Michael Hayssus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hayssus/) > [Joy doesn't betray but sustains activism. And when you face a politics that aspires to make you fearful, alienated and isolated, joy is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/joy-doesn-t-betray-but-sustains-activism-and-when-you-face-a-politics/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Betrayal and love are not mutually exclusive." (Mordred)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-mercer/betrayal-and-love-are-not-mutually-exclusive-mordred/) [Aldous Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-mercer/) > [Love comes exactly... To those who still hope, even though they've been disappointed. To those who still believe, even though they've been betrayed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mizhan/love-comes-exactly-to-those-who-still-hope-even-though-they-ve-been/) [Mizhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mizhan/) > [For some people, a one-night stand doesn't make any difference in a seven-year love affair. I don't believe the degree of betrayal is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-some-people-a-one-night-stand-doesn-t-make-any-difference-in-a/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [Betrayal is a serious thing in this world,you know what else is serious? Being lied to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina/betrayal-is-a-serious-thing-in-this-world-you-know-what-else-is/) [Sabrina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina/) > [The greatest temptation for the like of us is: to renounce violence, to repent, to make peace with oneself. Most revolutionaries fell before this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-greatest-temptation-for-the-like-of-us-is-to-renounce-violence-to/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [“Sarai, you never know who might betray you until it’s too late.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-redmerski/sarai-you-never-know-who-might-betray-you-until-it-s-too-late/) [J.A. Redmerski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-redmerski/) [Browse all 2,050 Betrayal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/betrayal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“despite its widespread denunciation, infidelity has a tenacity that marriage can only envy.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Esther Perel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/despite-its-widespread-denunciation-infidelity-has-a-tenacity-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Betrayal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/despite-its-widespread-denunciation-infidelity-has-a-tenacity-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea8/esther-perel-3265_betrayal_despite-its-widespread-denunciation-infi_1346304.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea8/esther-perel-3265_betrayal_despite-its-widespread-denunciation-infi_1346304.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea8/esther-perel-3265_betrayal_despite-its-widespread-denunciation-infi_1346304.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“despite its widespread denunciation, infidelity has a tenacity that marriage can only envy.” — Esther Perel", "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": "Esther Perel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“despite its widespread denunciation, infidelity has...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/despite-its-widespread-denunciation-infidelity-has-a-tenacity-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/despite-its-widespread-denunciation-infidelity-has-a-tenacity-that/#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 } } ] } ```