--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A common obstruction to a vital intimate…" description: "\"A common obstruction to a vital intimate relationship is what I call the assumption of clairvoyance. You imagine, perhaps unconsciously, that your part..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/rob-brezsny-7732_alliances_a-common-obstruction-to-a-vital-intimate_1952737.png" --- # A common obstruction to a vital intimate relationship is… ![“A common obstruction to a vital intimate relationship is what I call the assumption of clairvoyance. You imagine, perhaps unconsciously, that your partner or friend is somehow magically psychic when it comes to you -\-\ so much so that he or she should unfailingly intuit exactly what you need…” quote by Rob Brezsny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/rob-brezsny-7732_alliances_a-common-obstruction-to-a-vital-intimate_1952737.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/rob-brezsny-7732_alliances_a-common-obstruction-to-a-vital-intimate_1952737.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/308/rob-brezsny-7732_alliances_a-common-obstruction-to-a-vital-intimate_1952737.png) > “A common obstruction to a vital intimate relationship is what I call the assumption of clairvoyance. You imagine, perhaps unconsciously, that your partner or friend is somehow magically psychic when it comes to you -\\-\\ so much so that he or she should unfailingly intuit exactly what you need, even if you don't ask for it. This fantasy may seem romantic, but it can undermine the most promising alliances. To counteract any tendencies you might have to indulge in the assumption of clairvoyance, practice stating your desires aloud.” [Rob Brezsny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-brezsny/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Assuming partners can read minds creates unrealistic expectations and erodes communication. **In simple terms:** Expecting mind‑reading harms relationships. Key Takeaway Speak your needs directly. Themes communication expectations relationships Mood frustrated hopeful Type advice reflective When to use this quote - dating - friendship - team projects Key Concepts mindreading assumption romantic idealism Questions to Reflect On - How often do you assume others know your needs? - What changes when you voice them? A Different Perspective Assumes partners are always attentive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alliances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alliances/) [Assumption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumption/) [Clairvoyance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clairvoyance/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy/) [Intimate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimate/) [Intimate Relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimate-relationship/) [Intimate relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimate-relationships/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Psychics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychics/) ## Related quotes > [“Without constant clairvoyance on the part of every man and woman, existence on your plane would involve such inner, psychological insecurity that it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-roberts/without-constant-clairvoyance-on-the-part-of-every-man-and-woman/) [Jane Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-roberts/) > [Our fears are an amazing gift of the imagination, a kind of everyday clairvoyance, a way of glimpsing what might be the future when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/our-fears-are-an-amazing-gift-of-the-imagination-a-kind-of-everyday/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [With that strange knowing that comes over me, like a clairvoyance, I know that I am sure of myself and my enormous and alarmingly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/with-that-strange-knowing-that-comes-over-me-like-a-clairvoyance-i/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [“In a drawl so low, it seemed to suspend time, the old man said, "When the last leaf falls from the Widow's Tree this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-bledsoe/in-a-drawl-so-low-it-seemed-to-suspend-time-the-old-man-said-when-the/) [Alex Bledsoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-bledsoe/) > [A great deal has been said about love at first sight; I am perfectly aware of love's retrospective tendency to make a legend of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/a-great-deal-has-been-said-about-love-at-first-sight-i-am-perfectly/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“There was clairvoyance to their words and a tenderness in their inflections that instilled even in the most cynical of male hearts that faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-monsky/there-was-clairvoyance-to-their-words-and-a-tenderness-in-their/) Eric Monsky > [Intuition comes very close to clairvoyance; it appears to be the extrasensory perception of reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-carrel/intuition-comes-very-close-to-clairvoyance-it-appears-to-be-the/) [Alexis Carrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-carrel/) > [“Some people are highly empathic, some people are telempathic, or telepathic, some are clairempathic, while others are claircognizant, clairvoyant, clairaliant, clairaudient, clairgustant, clairsentient; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/some-people-are-highly-empathic-some-people-are-telempathic-or/) [C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/) > [It is more or less a given that nothing is less favorable to clairvoyance than the bright sun: physical light and mental light coexist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andr-breton/it-is-more-or-less-a-given-that-nothing-is-less-favorable-to/) [Andre Breton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-breton/) > [“Where's my clairvoyance when I need it? Hell, where are any of my senses?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-hooper/where-s-my-clairvoyance-when-i-need-it-hell-where-are-any-of-my-senses/) [Kay Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-hooper/) > [“Intuition goes before you, showing you the way. Emotion follows behind, to let you know when you go astray. Listen to your inner voice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthon-st-maarten/intuition-goes-before-you-showing-you-the-way-emotion-follows-behind/) [Anthon St. Maarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthon-st-maarten/) > [“Now (obviously) a sentence’s truth—even when we hold the sentence’s meaning fixed—depends on which world we are considering. “Brown is Prime Minister” is true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-g-lycan/now-obviously-a-sentence-s-truth-even-when-we-hold-the-sentence-s/) William G. Lycan > [Cease trying to work everything out with your minds, it will get you nowhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-michael-davis/cease-trying-to-work-everything-out-with-your-minds-it-will-get-you/) [Charles Michael Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-michael-davis/) > [“Unfortunately, clairvoyance is insufficient as an innovation strategy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/unfortunately-clairvoyance-is-insufficient-as-an-innovation-strategy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You're doubtless well aware that most of the great hypnotic patients wind up referring to themselves in the third person, like little children. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auguste-villiers-de-l-isle-adam/you-re-doubtless-well-aware-that-most-of-the-great-hypnotic-patients/) [Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auguste-villiers-de-l-isle-adam/) ## More by Rob Brezsny > [May you eat an unfamiliar dessert in a strange land at least once every three years. May you wake up... and start dancing while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-brezsny/may-you-eat-an-unfamiliar-dessert-in-a-strange-land-at-least-once/) [Rob Brezsny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-brezsny/) > [Act as if the universe is a prodigious miracle created for your amusement and illumination. 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We will laugh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-brezsny/here-s-what-i-say-we-will-ignore-the-cult-of-doom-and-gloom-and/) [Rob Brezsny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-brezsny/) > [We're not going to waste our valuable space or your precious energy by giving equal time to stories of tragedy, failure, and tumult. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-brezsny/we-re-not-going-to-waste-our-valuable-space-or-your-precious-energy/) [Rob Brezsny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-brezsny/) > [But you will be hard-pressed to find more than a few novels, films, news stories, and TV shows that dare to depict life as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-brezsny/but-you-will-be-hard-pressed-to-find-more-than-a-few-novels-films/) [Rob Brezsny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-brezsny/) > [HYPOTHESES: Evil is boring. Cynicism is idiotic. Fear is a bad habit. Despair is lazy. Joy is fascinating. Love is an act of heroic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-brezsny/hypotheses-evil-is-boring-cynicism-is-idiotic-fear-is-a-bad-habit/) [Rob Brezsny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-brezsny/) [Explore all 88 Rob Brezsny quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-brezsny/) ## More Alliances quotes > [ \[U\]nless oppressed groups stick together, and on alliances of self interest rather than do-goodism; nothing can be accomplished in the long run to dismantle… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/u-nless-oppressed-groups-stick-together-and-on-alliances-of-self/) [Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) > [Men since the beginning of time have sought peace...military alliances, balances of power, leagues of nations, all in turn have failed, leaving the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/men-since-the-beginning-of-time-have-sought-peace-military-alliances/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [The U.S. always needs an enemy. It comes and goes. Today it is Islam. According to this plan or ideology of the born-again Christians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walid-jumblatt/the-u-s-always-needs-an-enemy-it-comes-and-goes-today-it-is-islam/) [Walid Jumblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walid-jumblatt/) > [I would be quite happy to see the Northern Alliance steam across northern Afghanistan and take Kabul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-hoon/i-would-be-quite-happy-to-see-the-northern-alliance-steam-across/) [Geoff Hoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-hoon/) > [We are very wrong to think that some fault or other can exclude virtue, or to consider the alliance of good and evil as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/we-are-very-wrong-to-think-that-some-fault-or-other-can-exclude/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [Love and friendship, two of life's abiding rewards, are endangered species in Hollywood. People crave both, mistaking alliance for friendship, lust for love, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-obst/love-and-friendship-two-of-life-s-abiding-rewards-are-endangered/) [Lynda Obst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-obst/) > [...to befoul the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/to-befoul-the-unholy-alliance-between-corrupt-business-and-corrupt/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [I prayed for the first time in a very long time today. 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