Accepted Quote by John Welwood
“Great love -- the kind that illumines and transforms us -- always includes a keen awareness of limitation as well. Though love may inspire us to expand and develop in new ways, we can never be all things to the one we love, or someone other than who we are. Yet once accepted, limitation also helps us develop essential qualities, such as patience, determination, compassion, and humor. When love comes down to earth -- bringing to light those dark corners we would prefer to ignore, encompassing all the different parts of who we are -- it gains depth and power.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Romantic Relationships, John Welwood, 1995
Love shines brighter when we recognize our limits, turning constraints into growth opportunities like patience and humor.
In simple terms: Love needs limits to grow deeper.
Key Takeaway
Embrace limits to deepen love.
Themes
love
growth
self-awareness
Mood
reflective
hopeful
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- marriage
- friendship
- personal growth
Key Concepts
psychology
human development
Questions to Reflect On
- How do your limits shape your love?
- What qualities emerge from accepted constraints?
A Different Perspective
Limits can cause frustration if ignored.
![“A love which is limited by faith is an untrue love. … [L]ove bound by faith … hides in itself the hatred that belongs to faith; it is only benevolent so long as faith is not injured. … [I]n order to retain the semblance of love, it falls into the most diabolical sophisms, as we see in Augustine's…” quote by Ludwig Feuerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/6d6/ludwig-feuerbach-3406_faith_a-love-which-is-limited-by-faith-is-an-u_3096609.jpg)
![“We have reached a situation where a theory has been accepted as fact by some, and possible contrary evidence is shunted aside. [This is] mythology rather than science.” quote by Robert Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c31/robert-shapiro-26969_accepted_we-have-reached-a-situation-where-a-theo_19120.jpg)
