--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That wasn't enough. They weren't enough…" description: "\"“That wasn't enough. They weren't enough. Nor, she soon realized, was Will, though by every rational measure he ought to have been. ... He became arden..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/hillary-jordan-13367_feminist_that-wasn-t-enough-they-weren-t-enough-n_2164641.png" --- # That wasn't enough. They weren't enough. Nor, she soon… ![“That wasn't enough. They weren't enough. Nor, she soon realized, was Will, though by every rational measure he ought to have been. ... He became ardent, spoke of love, hinted at marriage. She stilled his roving hands and deflected his near-proposals. Finally, when his frustration turned to anger…” quote by Hillary Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/hillary-jordan-13367_feminist_that-wasn-t-enough-they-weren-t-enough-n_2164641.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/hillary-jordan-13367_feminist_that-wasn-t-enough-they-weren-t-enough-n_2164641.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/hillary-jordan-13367_feminist_that-wasn-t-enough-they-weren-t-enough-n_2164641.png) > ““That wasn't enough. They weren't enough. Nor, she soon realized, was Will, though by every rational measure he ought to have been. ... He became ardent, spoke of love, hinted at marriage. She stilled his roving hands and deflected his near-proposals. Finally, when his frustration turned to anger, she cut him loose, bleeding and disoriented, her own heart perfectly intact. Aidan wouldn't leave it intact, she'd known that from the first. Long before they became lovers, she could foresee that there would be an after, and that it would lay waste to them both.”” [Hillary Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-jordan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A lover realizes that love alone cannot satisfy deep emotional needs; true connection requires mutual growth and self‑awareness. **In simple terms:** Love alone isn’t enough; both partners must grow. Key Takeaway Seek relationships that foster mutual growth. Themes love self‑awareness growth relationships Mood melancholic reflective hopeful Type literary philosophical emotional When to use this quote - romantic partnership - friendship - personal healing - relationship counseling Key Concepts emotional intimacy dependency personal development Questions to Reflect On - What does “perfectly intact” heart mean for you? - How can you recognize when love is becoming a trap? A Different Perspective If both partners stay stagnant, love can become suffocating. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Feminist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminist/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Science fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-fiction/) ## Related quotes > [“She prayed for that all through the night, uncertain to Whom or what, but with a feeling that almost resembled faith.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-jordan/she-prayed-for-that-all-through-the-night-uncertain-to-whom-or-what/) [Hillary Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-jordan/) > [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“No, no, my good knight, do not fear for me. The fire is mine. I am Daenerys Stormborn, daughter of dragons, bride of dragons,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/no-no-my-good-knight-do-not-fear-for-me-the-fire-is-mine-i-am/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [The little rift between the sexes is astonishingly widened by simply teaching one set of catchwords to the girls and another to the boys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/the-little-rift-between-the-sexes-is-astonishingly-widened-by-simply/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [“If we start preemptively cutting out parts of who we are because they’re ‘not feminist enough’, then we’ve failed before we’ve begun.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-n-lester/if-we-start-preemptively-cutting-out-parts-of-who-we-are-because-they/) [C. N. Lester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-n-lester/) > [“The representation of women in the society, especially through mass media has been the most delusional act ever done on the grounds of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-representation-of-women-in-the-society-especially-through-mass/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [The world - and America - has been defined by people who haven't necessarily abided by the laws and the rules. Civil disobedience is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-kennedy/the-world-and-america-has-been-defined-by-people-who-haven-t/) [Rory Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-kennedy/) > [“Because human beings lived then in a world in which physical strength was the most important attribute for survival; the physically stronger person was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/because-human-beings-lived-then-in-a-world-in-which-physical-strength/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [I hated grunge. No one’s more feminist than me, but you don’t have to look as if you don’t give a - you know.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-zeta-jones/i-hated-grunge-no-one-s-more-feminist-than-me-but-you-don-t-have-to/) [Catherine Zeta-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-zeta-jones/) > [Social media is not just another way to connect feminist and activist voices - it amplifies our messages as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/social-media-is-not-just-another-way-to-connect-feminist-and-activist/) [Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/) > [“Blaming therapy, social work and other caring professions for the confabulation of testimony of 'satanic ritual abuse' legitimated a programme of political and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/blaming-therapy-social-work-and-other-caring-professions-for-the/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Black women's intersectional experiences of racism and sexism have been a central but forgotten dynamic in the unfolding of feminist and antiracist agendas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/black-women-s-intersectional-experiences-of-racism-and-sexism-have/) [Kimberle Williams Crenshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/) > [Women have seen that they have locked themselves up with feminist writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathalie-sarraute/women-have-seen-that-they-have-locked-themselves-up-with-feminist/) [Nathalie Sarraute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathalie-sarraute/) > [“The Vatican won't prosecute pedophile priests but I decide I'm not ready for motherhood and it's condemnation for me? These are the same people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-renee-taylor/the-vatican-won-t-prosecute-pedophile-priests-but-i-decide-i-m-not/) Sonya Renee Taylor ## More by Hillary Jordan > [“It wasn't her fault if she seemed less than human, it was the fault of them that did this to her, and them that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-jordan/it-wasn-t-her-fault-if-she-seemed-less-than-human-it-was-the-fault-of/) [Hillary Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-jordan/) > [“She prayed for that all through the night, uncertain to Whom or what, but with a feeling that almost resembled faith.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-jordan/she-prayed-for-that-all-through-the-night-uncertain-to-whom-or-what/) [Hillary Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-jordan/) > [“Death may be inevitable, but love is not. Love, you have to choose. I'll begin with that. With Love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-jordan/death-may-be-inevitable-but-love-is-not-love-you-have-to-choose-i-ll/) [Hillary Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-jordan/) > [“She reached out and stroked my hair just as she had when I was a child. I closed my eyes and let sleep take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-jordan/she-reached-out-and-stroked-my-hair-just-as-she-had-when-i-was-a/) [Hillary Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-jordan/) > [“It wasn’t just that he loved her; it was that he loved her, in particular.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-jordan/it-wasn-t-just-that-he-loved-her-it-was-that-he-loved-her-in/) [Hillary Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-jordan/) > [“How could predetermination and free will both exist? “It’s”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-jordan/how-could-predetermination-and-free-will-both-exist-it-s/) [Hillary Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-jordan/) > [“Daddy shook Pappy's hand, then Henry's, then hugged the children. At last he turned to me. Softly, in a voice meant for my ears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-jordan/daddy-shook-pappy-s-hand-then-henry-s-then-hugged-the-children-at/) [Hillary Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-jordan/) > [When that mama worry takes ahold of a woman you can't expect no sense from her. She'll do or say anything at all and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-jordan/when-that-mama-worry-takes-ahold-of-a-woman-you-can-t-expect-no-sense/) [Hillary Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-jordan/) > [“If God is the Creator, if God englobes every single thing in the universe, then God is everything, and everything is God. God is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-jordan/if-god-is-the-creator-if-god-englobes-every-single-thing-in-the/) [Hillary Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-jordan/) > [“I talked to her just like I talk to a laboring woman. Mothers need to hear them soothing words. They just as important as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-jordan/i-talked-to-her-just-like-i-talk-to-a-laboring-woman-mothers-need-to/) [Hillary Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-jordan/) > [“To be touched with love was a kind of miracle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-jordan/to-be-touched-with-love-was-a-kind-of-miracle/) [Hillary Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-jordan/) > [“But I must start at the beginning, if I can find it. Beginnings are elusive things. Just when you think you have hold of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-jordan/but-i-must-start-at-the-beginning-if-i-can-find-it-beginnings-are/) [Hillary Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-jordan/) > [“You’ll move if I say so,” Hap said. “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-jordan/you-ll-move-if-i-say-so-hap-said-for-the-husband-is-the-head-of-the/) [Hillary Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-jordan/) > [This was the truth at the core of my existence: this yawning emptiness, scantily clad in rage. It had been there all along.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-jordan/this-was-the-truth-at-the-core-of-my-existence-this-yawning-emptiness/) [Hillary Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-jordan/) > [“...like the way a child hankers for a holly berry. He don't know it's poison, he just sees something pretty and red and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-jordan/like-the-way-a-child-hankers-for-a-holly-berry-he-don-t-know-it-s/) [Hillary Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-jordan/) [Explore all 50 Hillary Jordan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-jordan/) ## More Feminist quotes > [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Women have seen that they have locked themselves up with feminist writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathalie-sarraute/women-have-seen-that-they-have-locked-themselves-up-with-feminist/) [Nathalie Sarraute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathalie-sarraute/) > [Black women's intersectional experiences of racism and sexism have been a central but forgotten dynamic in the unfolding of feminist and antiracist agendas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/black-women-s-intersectional-experiences-of-racism-and-sexism-have/) [Kimberle Williams Crenshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberle-williams-crenshaw/) > [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“Blaming therapy, social work and other caring professions for the confabulation of testimony of 'satanic ritual abuse' legitimated a programme of political and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/blaming-therapy-social-work-and-other-caring-professions-for-the/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [Social media is not just another way to connect feminist and activist voices - it amplifies our messages as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/social-media-is-not-just-another-way-to-connect-feminist-and-activist/) [Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/) > [I hated grunge. No one’s more feminist than me, but you don’t have to look as if you don’t give a - you know.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-zeta-jones/i-hated-grunge-no-one-s-more-feminist-than-me-but-you-don-t-have-to/) [Catherine Zeta-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-zeta-jones/) > [“Because human beings lived then in a world in which physical strength was the most important attribute for survival; the physically stronger person was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/because-human-beings-lived-then-in-a-world-in-which-physical-strength/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [The world - and America - has been defined by people who haven't necessarily abided by the laws and the rules. Civil disobedience is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-kennedy/the-world-and-america-has-been-defined-by-people-who-haven-t/) [Rory Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-kennedy/) > [“She prayed for that all through the night, uncertain to Whom or what, but with a feeling that almost resembled faith.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-jordan/she-prayed-for-that-all-through-the-night-uncertain-to-whom-or-what/) [Hillary Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-jordan/) > [“The representation of women in the society, especially through mass media has been the most delusional act ever done on the grounds of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-representation-of-women-in-the-society-especially-through-mass/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“If we start preemptively cutting out parts of who we are because they’re ‘not feminist enough’, then we’ve failed before we’ve begun.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-n-lester/if-we-start-preemptively-cutting-out-parts-of-who-we-are-because-they/) [C. N. Lester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-n-lester/) > [The little rift between the sexes is astonishingly widened by simply teaching one set of catchwords to the girls and another to the boys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/the-little-rift-between-the-sexes-is-astonishingly-widened-by-simply/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [“No, no, my good knight, do not fear for me. The fire is mine. I am Daenerys Stormborn, daughter of dragons, bride of dragons,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/no-no-my-good-knight-do-not-fear-for-me-the-fire-is-mine-i-am/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [“The Vatican won't prosecute pedophile priests but I decide I'm not ready for motherhood and it's condemnation for me? These are the same people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-renee-taylor/the-vatican-won-t-prosecute-pedophile-priests-but-i-decide-i-m-not/) Sonya Renee Taylor [Browse all 2,025 Feminist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“That wasn't enough. They weren't enough. Nor, she soon realized, was Will, though by every rational measure he ought to have been. ... He became ardent, spoke of love, hinted at marriage. She stilled his roving hands and deflected his near-proposals. Finally, when his frustration turned to anger, she cut him loose, bleeding and disoriented, her own heart perfectly intact. Aidan wouldn't leave it intact, she'd known that from the first. Long before they became lovers, she could foresee that there would be an after, and that it would lay waste to them both.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hillary Jordan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-jordan/that-wasn-t-enough-they-weren-t-enough-nor-she-soon-realized-was-will/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Feminist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-jordan/that-wasn-t-enough-they-weren-t-enough-nor-she-soon-realized-was-will/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/hillary-jordan-13367_feminist_that-wasn-t-enough-they-weren-t-enough-n_2164641.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/hillary-jordan-13367_feminist_that-wasn-t-enough-they-weren-t-enough-n_2164641.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/hillary-jordan-13367_feminist_that-wasn-t-enough-they-weren-t-enough-n_2164641.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“That wasn't enough. They weren't enough. Nor, she soon realized, was Will, though by every rational measure…” — Hillary Jordan", "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": "Hillary Jordan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-jordan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“That wasn't enough. They weren't enough....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-jordan/that-wasn-t-enough-they-weren-t-enough-nor-she-soon-realized-was-will/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-jordan/that-wasn-t-enough-they-weren-t-enough-nor-she-soon-realized-was-will/#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 } } ] } ```