--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Love enjoys knowing everything about you…" description: "\"“Love enjoys knowing everything about you; desire needs mystery. Love likes to shrink the distance that exists between me and you, while desire is ener..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcf/esther-perel-3265_desire_love-enjoys-knowing-everything-about-you_1281479.jpg" --- # Love enjoys knowing everything about you; desire needs… ![“Love enjoys knowing everything about you; desire needs mystery. Love likes to shrink the distance that exists between me and you, while desire is energized by it. If intimacy grows through repetition and familiarity, eroticism is numbed by repetition. It thrives on the mysterious, the novel, and…” quote by Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcf/esther-perel-3265_desire_love-enjoys-knowing-everything-about-you_1281479.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcf/esther-perel-3265_desire_love-enjoys-knowing-everything-about-you_1281479.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcf/esther-perel-3265_desire_love-enjoys-knowing-everything-about-you_1281479.jpg) > ““Love enjoys knowing everything about you; desire needs mystery. Love likes to shrink the distance that exists between me and you, while desire is energized by it. If intimacy grows through repetition and familiarity, eroticism is numbed by repetition. It thrives on the mysterious, the novel, and the unexpected. \*Love is about having; desire is about wanting. \*”” [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. Love seeks closeness and familiarity, while desire thrives on mystery and novelty; balancing both sustains intimacy. **In simple terms:** Love wants closeness; desire craves mystery. Key Takeaway Nurture both connection and intrigue. Themes love desire intimacy Mood thoughtful intimate Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - long‑term partnership - dating - marriage counseling - creative intimacy Key Concepts psychology of relationships attachment theory Questions to Reflect On - How can you introduce novelty into a stable relationship? - What rituals keep love fresh? A Different Perspective Too much familiarity can dampen desire. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Desire Wanting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire-wanting-1468846/) [Familiarity Eroticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/familiarity-eroticism-1672197/) [Having Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-desire-1335240/) [Knowing Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing-desire-699048/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romance/) [Unexpected love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unexpected-love/) ## Related quotes > [“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/) > [Love enjoys knowing everything about you; desire needs mystery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/love-enjoys-knowing-everything-about-you-desire-needs-mystery/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [“Love enjoys knowing everything about you; desire needs mystery. Love likes to shrink the distance that exists between me and you, while desire is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/love-enjoys-knowing-everything-about-you-desire-needs-mystery-love/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [One of the things that distinguishes man from the other animals is that he wants to know things, wants to find out what reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/one-of-the-things-that-distinguishes-man-from-the-other-animals-is/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [--Love is the desire to know the person more & know the person better. And after knowing, you desire to stay forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-the-desire-to-know-the-person-more-know-the-person-better-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If we do not know ourselves to be full of pride, ambition, lust, weakness, misery, and injustice, we are indeed blind. And if, knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/if-we-do-not-know-ourselves-to-be-full-of-pride-ambition-lust/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [Suffering is caused by desire. Desire is wanting something you don't have, wishing something were some way it isn't, or being otherwise generally dissatisfied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/suffering-is-caused-by-desire-desire-is-wanting-something-you-don-t/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Law of Attraction abounds, and when it is said to you, 'Ask, and it is given,' there is no more powerful statement that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/law-of-attraction-abounds-and-when-it-is-said-to-you-ask-and-it-is/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [“Desire made fools of us all, did it not? What was more controlling than unconsummated desire? What but wanting sent men on fatal quests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-chance/desire-made-fools-of-us-all-did-it-not-what-was-more-controlling-than/) [Megan Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-chance/) > [“To recover his heart’s desire a man needs to get away from the noise and distraction of his daily life for time with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/to-recover-his-heart-s-desire-a-man-needs-to-get-away-from-the-noise/) [John Eldredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eldredge/) > [Don't trap yourself with the desire of wanting to be liked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jada-pinkett-smith/don-t-trap-yourself-with-the-desire-of-wanting-to-be-liked/) [Jada Pinkett Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jada-pinkett-smith/) > [There's nothing wrong with having a desire to want nice things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-moore/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-having-a-desire-to-want-nice-things/) [Demi Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-moore/) > [“Well, I once lived in a town full of ambitious people, people who aspired to having, be it wealth or power. It was an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-scheinmann/well-i-once-lived-in-a-town-full-of-ambitious-people-people-who/) [Danny Scheinmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-scheinmann/) > [I don't have the recipe for happiness, but I think the engine is simply having the desire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-paradis/i-don-t-have-the-recipe-for-happiness-but-i-think-the-engine-is/) [Vanessa Paradis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-paradis/) > [There's nothing wrong with having a desire to want nice things. It's when we place that as a measure of the value of ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-moore/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-having-a-desire-to-want-nice-things-it-s/) [Demi Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-moore/) ## 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. 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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 Desire quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) [Ted Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/) > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) > [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/) [John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/) > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/) [Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/) > [On the brink of being satiated, desire still appears infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/on-the-brink-of-being-satiated-desire-still-appears-infinite/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW : She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lee/from-the-devil-you-know-she-wanted-him-too-he-could-see-it-in-the/) [Emery Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lee/) [Browse all 15,155 Desire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Love enjoys knowing everything about you; desire needs mystery. Love likes to shrink the distance that exists between me and you, while desire is energized by it. If intimacy grows through repetition and familiarity, eroticism is numbed by repetition. 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