--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The whole notion of one person being…" description: "\"The whole notion of one person being enough for everything gets instantly challenged when you start to talk with somebody about wanting more or of want..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39a/esther-perel-3265_enough_the-whole-notion-of-one-person-being-eno_1781472.png" --- # The whole notion of one person being enough for everything… ![“The whole notion of one person being enough for everything gets instantly challenged when you start to talk with somebody about wanting more or of wanting something else. They take it personally, feel like a failure or feel that they lack something, so you don't talk about it because you don't…” quote by Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39a/esther-perel-3265_enough_the-whole-notion-of-one-person-being-eno_1781472.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39a/esther-perel-3265_enough_the-whole-notion-of-one-person-being-eno_1781472.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39a/esther-perel-3265_enough_the-whole-notion-of-one-person-being-eno_1781472.png) > “The whole notion of one person being enough for everything gets instantly challenged when you start to talk with somebody about wanting more or of wanting something else. They take it personally, feel like a failure or feel that they lack something, so you don't talk about it because you don't want to hurt, offend, or scare the other person. You also don't want to be rejected or have them leave you, whatever the reason.” [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. People often fear that wanting more threatens relationships, leading them to hide desires to avoid conflict or abandonment. **In simple terms:** Fear of wanting more can silence honest communication. Key Takeaway Speak openly about needs to nurture trust. Themes relationships communication vulnerability Mood anxious hopeful Type advice psychology When to use this quote - partner conversations - therapy sessions - personal reflection - relationship counseling Key Concepts attachment theory self‑worth boundary setting Questions to Reflect On - What needs are you hiding? - How can you discuss them safely? A Different Perspective Avoiding the topic can breed resentment and distance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) ## Related quotes > [You cannot be mad at somebody for wanting to play for another team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-gobert/you-cannot-be-mad-at-somebody-for-wanting-to-play-for-another-team/) [Rudy Gobert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-gobert/) > [I can relate to somebody wanting to have something to believe in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-o-quinn/i-can-relate-to-somebody-wanting-to-have-something-to-believe-in/) [Terry O'Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-o-quinn/) > [A reporter is never put off by somebody not wanting to be interviewed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/a-reporter-is-never-put-off-by-somebody-not-wanting-to-be-interviewed/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [I can't move five feet without somebody wanting a photograph or an autograph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bowen/i-can-t-move-five-feet-without-somebody-wanting-a-photograph-or-an/) [James Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bowen/) > [You can never blame somebody for wanting to go home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-howland/you-can-never-blame-somebody-for-wanting-to-go-home/) [Ben Howland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-howland/) > [The feeling of wanting to be alone but wanting someone by your side that'll hold & comfort you no matter what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-feeling-of-wanting-to-be-alone-but-wanting-someone-by-your-side/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [How do you explain wanting someone to be there yet wanting them to go away at the same time?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-do-you-explain-wanting-someone-to-be-there-yet-wanting-them-to-go/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We cannot stop wanting. Wanting is the tireless engine of life itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shai-tubali/we-cannot-stop-wanting-wanting-is-the-tireless-engine-of-life-itself/) [Shai Tubali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shai-tubali/) > [ \[On men:\] I'm torn between wanting to have one and wanting to be one. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-guisewite/on-men-i-m-torn-between-wanting-to-have-one-and-wanting-to-be-one/) [Cathy Guisewite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-guisewite/) > [Wanting something - wanting a career or wanting to make something - doesn't really mean much. It's about finding something you care about. Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-droga/wanting-something-wanting-a-career-or-wanting-to-make-something-doesn/) [David Droga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-droga/) > [My life is just one constant battle between wanting to be alone, but not wanting to be lonely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-life-is-just-one-constant-battle-between-wanting-to-be-alone-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I’ll always want you, Olivia. It was never about not wanting you, it was about wanting you too much and you not wanting me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarryn-fisher/i-ll-always-want-you-olivia-it-was-never-about-not-wanting-you-it-was/) [Tarryn Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarryn-fisher/) > [“I said just let me try one more time and she said, "THAT'S ENOUGH, ISABEL," again, and she could just say it over and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-reed/i-said-just-let-me-try-one-more-time-and-she-said-that-s-enough/) [Amy Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-reed/) > [Reality is what we want it to be or what we do not want it to be, but it is not our wanting or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/reality-is-what-we-want-it-to-be-or-what-we-do-not-want-it-to-be-but/) [Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/) > [“Mostly, he said, I've been thinking about what I'm not going to do. When I think of the last few years, I've been hounded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/mostly-he-said-i-ve-been-thinking-about-what-i-m-not-going-to-do-when/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) ## 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 Enough quotes > [I guess at it's very core love is connection that just makes so much sense you wonder how you used to live before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-stone/i-guess-at-it-s-very-core-love-is-connection-that-just-makes-so-much/) [Benjamin Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-stone/) > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/) [Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) Adam Ant > [I've been lucky enough to, for the most part, surround myself with a lot of people who are more talented than me and who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-franco/i-ve-been-lucky-enough-to-for-the-most-part-surround-myself-with-a/) [Dave Franco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-franco/) > [I love because there is not enough room in my heart to hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rena-kornreich-gelissen/i-love-because-there-is-not-enough-room-in-my-heart-to-hate/) Rena Kornreich Gelissen > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/) [Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/) > [The vast majority of organizations today have more than enough intelligence, experience and knowledge to be successful. What they lack is organizational health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-lencioni/the-vast-majority-of-organizations-today-have-more-than-enough/) [Patrick Lencioni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-lencioni/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I've been to Manchester enough to know it's a real place. It's not Factory Records and the Smiths bicycling around. I get it. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-murphy/i-ve-been-to-manchester-enough-to-know-it-s-a-real-place-it-s-not/) [James Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-murphy/) > [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/) [Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/) > [Sam dropped me off. When she was too far away to see me, I started to cry again. Because she was my friend again.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/sam-dropped-me-off-when-she-was-too-far-away-to-see-me-i-started-to/) [Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/) [Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/) > [New York is large, glamorous, easy-going, kindly and incurious, but above all it is a crucible - because it is large enough to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ford-madox-ford/new-york-is-large-glamorous-easy-going-kindly-and-incurious-but-above/) [Ford Madox Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ford-madox-ford/) Browse all 23,898 Enough quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The whole notion of one person being enough for everything gets instantly challenged when you start to talk with somebody about wanting more or of wanting something else. They take it personally, feel like a failure or feel that they lack something, so you don't talk about it because you don't want to hurt, offend, or scare the other person. You also don't want to be rejected or have them leave you, whatever the reason.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Esther Perel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/the-whole-notion-of-one-person-being-enough-for-everything-gets/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Enough" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/the-whole-notion-of-one-person-being-enough-for-everything-gets/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39a/esther-perel-3265_enough_the-whole-notion-of-one-person-being-eno_1781472.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39a/esther-perel-3265_enough_the-whole-notion-of-one-person-being-eno_1781472.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39a/esther-perel-3265_enough_the-whole-notion-of-one-person-being-eno_1781472.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The whole notion of one person being enough for everything gets instantly challenged when you start to talk…” — 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": "The whole notion of one person...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/the-whole-notion-of-one-person-being-enough-for-everything-gets/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/the-whole-notion-of-one-person-being-enough-for-everything-gets/#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 } } ] } ```