---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...you can't be intimate unless you're…"
description: "\"...you can't be intimate unless you're sensitive...\" — John Geddes"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e30/john-geddes-1052_intimacy_you-can-t-be-intimate-unless-you-re-sens_961414.jpg"
---

#  ...you can't be intimate unless you're sensitive...

![“...you can't be intimate unless you're sensitive...” quote by John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e30/john-geddes-1052_intimacy_you-can-t-be-intimate-unless-you-re-sens_961414.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e30/john-geddes-1052_intimacy_you-can-t-be-intimate-unless-you-re-sens_961414.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e30/john-geddes-1052_intimacy_you-can-t-be-intimate-unless-you-re-sens_961414.jpg)

> “...you can't be intimate unless you're sensitive...”

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

## About This Quote

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

Intimacy requires emotional sensitivity; without it, connections remain superficial.

**In simple terms:** Intimacy needs sensitivity.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate emotional awareness for deeper bonds.

Themes

intimacy emotional awareness relationships

Mood

thoughtful introspective

Type

psychological relationship

When to use this quote

- romantic relationships
- friendships
- therapy

Key Concepts

emotional intelligence vulnerability

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you develop greater emotional sensitivity?
- What barriers prevent intimacy despite sensitivity?

A Different Perspective

Sensitivity alone may not guarantee intimacy.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Intimacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimacy/) [Intimate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimate/) [Intimate Unless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimate-unless-1782537/) [Sensitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensitive/) [Sensitivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensitivity/) [Unless Sensitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unless-sensitive-1782536/)

## Related quotes

> [I began to use my sensitivity. And I realized I wasn't weird because I cried a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherilyn-fenn/i-began-to-use-my-sensitivity-and-i-realized-i-wasn-t-weird-because-i/)

[Sherilyn Fenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherilyn-fenn/)

> [He said I was the most sensitive person he had ever seen- that I belonged to the hyper-hyper type and we rarely survive!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-draper/he-said-i-was-the-most-sensitive-person-he-had-ever-seen-that-i/)

[Ruth Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-draper/)

> [“It’s a difficult thing having a heart made of glass; people don’t seem to realize how easily it shatters. How often I’ve swept up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/it-s-a-difficult-thing-having-a-heart-made-of-glass-people-don-t-seem/)

[Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/)

> [There seems to be something in the human soul that causes us to think less of ourselves every time we do something wrong... And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-s-kushner/there-seems-to-be-something-in-the-human-soul-that-causes-us-to-think/)

[Harold S. Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-s-kushner/)

> [There is no doubt that the princess did become a queen---not only on the screen. One of the most loved, one of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-peck/there-is-no-doubt-that-the-princess-did-become-a-queen-not-only-on/)

[Gregory Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-peck/)

> [“Some people take offense like it's a limited time offer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-fargo/some-people-take-offense-like-it-s-a-limited-time-offer/)

[Tim Fargo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-fargo/)

> [“Why is sensitivity perceived as being dangerous? When we’re sensitive, we feel things we were taught not to feel. When we’re sensitive, we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aletheia-luna/why-is-sensitivity-perceived-as-being-dangerous-when-we-re-sensitive/)

[Aletheia Luna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aletheia-luna/)

> [My biggest weakness is my sensitivity. I am too sensitive a person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/my-biggest-weakness-is-my-sensitivity-i-am-too-sensitive-a-person/)

[Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/)

> [“The more sensitive the lunatic, the less able is he to resist this prying interest of the normal human being. I felt that Renée's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colette/the-more-sensitive-the-lunatic-the-less-able-is-he-to-resist-this/)

[Colette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colette/)

> [I'm very sensitive in real life. I cannot not cry if someone around me is crying. I will start to cry if someone is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-chastain/i-m-very-sensitive-in-real-life-i-cannot-not-cry-if-someone-around-me/)

[Jessica Chastain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-chastain/)

> [Either I'm too sensitive, or else I'm gettin' soft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/either-i-m-too-sensitive-or-else-i-m-gettin-soft/)

[Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/)

> [“Such a nasty bruise,” he says, staring straight into my eyes. I am stunned he can see it. Delicate to the touch and tender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/such-a-nasty-bruise-he-says-staring-straight-into-my-eyes-i-am/)

[Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/)

> [“The hardest time in this world is for the sensitive and intelligent people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-dhyan-giten/the-hardest-time-in-this-world-is-for-the-sensitive-and-intelligent/)

[Swami Dhyan Giten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-dhyan-giten/)

> [The relationship with the words someone uses is more intimate and integrated than just a quick read and a blurb can ever be. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/the-relationship-with-the-words-someone-uses-is-more-intimate-and/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [“What if this was a sign? Maybe I’m not supposed to be an Outsider. He surprised her by taking her hand and threading his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-rossi/what-if-this-was-a-sign-maybe-i-m-not-supposed-to-be-an-outsider-he/)

[Veronica Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-rossi/)

## More by John Geddes

> [“...those others - they're looking for trends - subjects to catch a spark - but I have you - a coal from God's altar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/those-others-they-re-looking-for-trends-subjects-to-catch-a-spark-but/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...careful the morning lest it wake from slumber the city half-encumbered by the morning mist ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/careful-the-morning-lest-it-wake-from-slumber-the-city-half/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...I've decided ... love is an eternity of slow motion replays ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/i-ve-decided-love-is-an-eternity-of-slow-motion-replays/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“... my early writing was a silent fury - at what or whom, I had no idea - but I shut it in until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/my-early-writing-was-a-silent-fury-at-what-or-whom-i-had-no-idea-but/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...little children adore me - I'm a Troll Tamer and they know it!...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/little-children-adore-me-i-m-a-troll-tamer-and-they-know-it/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...all this time I've been worshiping you - when other men wanted to kiss you, I've been offering the praise of my lips...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/all-this-time-i-ve-been-worshiping-you-when-other-men-wanted-to-kiss/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“... the scarlet thread,the red clay from which we were made, runs in tiny streams through all our veins, reminding us of where we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/the-scarlet-thread-the-red-clay-from-which-we-were-made-runs-in-tiny/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...you are not what you seem - you're a Sylph - you leave and the air retains your image - you haunt me...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/you-are-not-what-you-seem-you-re-a-sylph-you-leave-and-the-air/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...God daubs stars into galaxies with fiery paint - the same lacquer he uses upon your lips...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/god-daubs-stars-into-galaxies-with-fiery-paint-the-same-lacquer-he/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...language always occurs in a context - you can speak Elizabethan words, but to speak the language you have to put on the mindset...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/language-always-occurs-in-a-context-you-can-speak-elizabethan-words/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...the feelings that pass between us are deeper than fleshly touches...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/the-feelings-that-pass-between-us-are-deeper-than-fleshly-touches/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...open the access to your heart and write down what your voice is whispering...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/open-the-access-to-your-heart-and-write-down-what-your-voice-is/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [...true love is an irrevocable act - you can only give your heart away once - after that, you give as much as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/true-love-is-an-irrevocable-act-you-can-only-give-your-heart-away/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...the strands that connect us are frail, so don't hang great weights on slender wires...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/the-strands-that-connect-us-are-frail-so-don-t-hang-great-weights-on/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [...not even the wind can bring a tear to my eye the way you do...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/not-even-the-wind-can-bring-a-tear-to-my-eye-the-way-you-do/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

[Explore all 301 John Geddes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

## More Intimacy quotes

> [“It's morning now, and I miss the soft rasp of her voice already. Ugh. I'm in trouble, aren't I?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-shand/it-s-morning-now-and-i-miss-the-soft-rasp-of-her-voice-already-ugh-i/)

[Pat Shand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-shand/)

> [“One single syllable of intimacy and the world is put to rights.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyne/one-single-syllable-of-intimacy-and-the-world-is-put-to-rights/)

[John Boyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyne/)

> [Intimacy requires an ability to both merge and be separate, to come together and be apart, like oscillating on a giant swing from oneness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-sophia-kasl/intimacy-requires-an-ability-to-both-merge-and-be-separate-to-come/)

[Charlotte Sophia Kasl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-sophia-kasl/)

> [When you write something by hand, there's a sort of intimacy that is just intrinsic to that act. You don't get to delete something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-han/when-you-write-something-by-hand-there-s-a-sort-of-intimacy-that-is/)

[Jenny Han](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-han/)

> [“Intercourse is one thing, Intimacy is everything. Be encouraged”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-e-wagner/intercourse-is-one-thing-intimacy-is-everything-be-encouraged/)

[Kerry E. Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-e-wagner/)

> [Is it any wonder that for millions of men the only intimacy is physical, silent, and predictable?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-donahue/is-it-any-wonder-that-for-millions-of-men-the-only-intimacy-is/)

[Phil Donahue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-donahue/)

> [The lasting value of our public service for God is measured by the depth of the intimacy of our private times of fellowship and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/the-lasting-value-of-our-public-service-for-god-is-measured-by-the/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [“You thought I was answering "As you wish" but that's only because you were hearing wrong. "I love you" was what it was, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-thought-i-was-answering-as-you-wish-but-that-s-only-because-you/)

[William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/)

> [Awe combined with intimacy is the essence of Christian worship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/awe-combined-with-intimacy-is-the-essence-of-christian-worship/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [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/)

> [Communication is a continual balancing act, juggling the conflicting needs for intimacy and independence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/communication-is-a-continual-balancing-act-juggling-the-conflicting/)

[Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/)

> [Physical love is total intimacy. It is the sign that the lovers have nothing to refuse each other, that they belong wholly to each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-leclercq/physical-love-is-total-intimacy-it-is-the-sign-that-the-lovers-have/)

[Jacques Leclercq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-leclercq/)

> [True intimacy is the experience of real acceptance and authentic vulnerability without feeling the need to apologize or fear rejection. The freedom to just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-blake-michiels/true-intimacy-is-the-experience-of-real-acceptance-and-authentic/)

[Jordan Blake Michiels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-blake-michiels/)

> [“Eschew evil and it's machinations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaachynma-n-e-agu/eschew-evil-and-it-s-machinations/)

[Jaachynma N.E. Agu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaachynma-n-e-agu/)

> [“Lack of intimacy among friends is a mistake that cannot be censured without becoming irreparable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nietzsche-friedrich-wilhelm/lack-of-intimacy-among-friends-is-a-mistake-that-cannot-be-censured/)

[NIETZSCHE FRIEDRICH WILHELM](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nietzsche-friedrich-wilhelm/)

[Browse all 1,461 Intimacy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimacy/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "...you can't be intimate unless you're sensitive...",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Geddes"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/you-can-t-be-intimate-unless-you-re-sensitive/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Intimacy"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/you-can-t-be-intimate-unless-you-re-sensitive/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e30/john-geddes-1052_intimacy_you-can-t-be-intimate-unless-you-re-sens_961414.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e30/john-geddes-1052_intimacy_you-can-t-be-intimate-unless-you-re-sens_961414.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e30/john-geddes-1052_intimacy_you-can-t-be-intimate-unless-you-re-sens_961414.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“...you can't be intimate unless you're sensitive...” — John Geddes",
                "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": "John Geddes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "...you can't be intimate unless you're...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/you-can-t-be-intimate-unless-you-re-sensitive/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/you-can-t-be-intimate-unless-you-re-sensitive/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
