---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To sustain love, a man and a woman must…"
description: "\"To sustain love, a man and a woman must continually be marrying and divorcing, moving with, against, away from, and beyond each other, saying 'yes' and..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/sam-keen-4929_love_to-sustain-love-a-man-and-a-woman-must-c_34114.jpg"
---

#  To sustain love, a man and a woman must continually be…

![“To sustain love, a man and a woman must continually be marrying and divorcing, moving with, against, away from, and beyond each other, saying 'yes' and 'no'.” quote by Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/sam-keen-4929_love_to-sustain-love-a-man-and-a-woman-must-c_34114.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/sam-keen-4929_love_to-sustain-love-a-man-and-a-woman-must-c_34114.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/sam-keen-4929_love_to-sustain-love-a-man-and-a-woman-must-c_34114.jpg)

> “To sustain love, a man and a woman must continually be marrying and divorcing, moving with, against, away from, and beyond each other, saying 'yes' and 'no'.”

[Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/)

## About This Quote

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

Love requires ongoing negotiation and renewal, not static commitment; partners must continually redefine boundaries and affirmations.

**In simple terms:** Love is a dynamic process of continual renegotiation.

Key Takeaway

Relationships thrive on ongoing mutual adjustment.

Themes

relationship dynamics personal growth communication commitment balance

Mood

reflective introspective hopeful

Type

philosophical advice observation

When to use this quote

- long‑term partnership
- marriage counseling
- relationship workshops
- personal development
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

marriage divorce yes/no dichotomy interdependence

Practical Applications

- relationship coaching
- couples therapy

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance individuality with partnership?
- What rituals help you renegotiate shared goals?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Saying yes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying-yes/) [Yes and no](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yes-and-no/)

## Related quotes

> [No one escapes that moment of innocence when the world attacks him and installs within him the spirit of opposites... As long as everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-resnick/no-one-escapes-that-moment-of-innocence-when-the-world-attacks-him/)

[Milton Resnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-resnick/)

> [There are only two words that will always lead you to success. Those words are yes and no. Undoubtedly, you've mastered saying yes. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-canfield/there-are-only-two-words-that-will-always-lead-you-to-success-those/)

[Jack Canfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-canfield/)

> [“There is a word I have always avoided in my writing, my life, my thoughts. That word is love. What does it mean? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-thurlow/there-is-a-word-i-have-always-avoided-in-my-writing-my-life-my/)

[Chloe Thurlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-thurlow/)

> [“When we allow the walls around our hearts to become rigid, and stay that way, we assign ourselves a slow death. Like the very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-anderson/when-we-allow-the-walls-around-our-hearts-to-become-rigid-and-stay/)

[Jeffrey R. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-anderson/)

> [It's very hard to sustain love, that's for sure. But the more you have your own life and your own self, and the less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-delpy/it-s-very-hard-to-sustain-love-that-s-for-sure-but-the-more-you-have/)

[Julie Delpy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-delpy/)

> [We go to school and teachers teach us to read and write but nobody teaches us about the purposeful commitment and intentionality it takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-wright/we-go-to-school-and-teachers-teach-us-to-read-and-write-but-nobody/)

[Cindy Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-wright/)

> [In any moment we can learn to let go of hatred and fear. We can rest in peace, love, and forgiveness. It is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/in-any-moment-we-can-learn-to-let-go-of-hatred-and-fear-we-can-rest/)

[Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/)

> [“...the heart is a vessel not large enough to sustain love. Kneeling is the proper position for discovering love again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-burton-mains/the-heart-is-a-vessel-not-large-enough-to-sustain-love-kneeling-is/)

[Karen Burton Mains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-burton-mains/)

> [It just goes to show you, true love never dies. Love will always sustain. If your love it true, it will always flow through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-just-goes-to-show-you-true-love-never-dies-love-will-always/)

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

> [It's easy to fall in love, but it's a lot harder to sustain love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/namrata-shirodkar/it-s-easy-to-fall-in-love-but-it-s-a-lot-harder-to-sustain-love/)

[Namrata Shirodkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/namrata-shirodkar/)

> [I sustain myself with the love of family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-sustain-myself-with-the-love-of-family/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [Is suffering really necessary? Yes and no. If you had not suffered as you have, there would be no depth to you, no humility,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/is-suffering-really-necessary-yes-and-no-if-you-had-not-suffered-as/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [If an apprentice does not hear what a master hears, is then that quality not present in the music? Yes and no. In the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fripp/if-an-apprentice-does-not-hear-what-a-master-hears-is-then-that/)

[Robert Fripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fripp/)

> [Cleave ever to the sunnier side of doubt, And cling to faith beyond the forms of faith; She reels not at the storm of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/cleave-ever-to-the-sunnier-side-of-doubt-and-cling-to-faith-beyond/)

[Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/)

> [I did a radio interview for a station in Connecticut or something, and it was the worst interview ever. It was all yes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macaulay-culkin/i-did-a-radio-interview-for-a-station-in-connecticut-or-something-and/)

[Macaulay Culkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macaulay-culkin/)

## More by Sam Keen

> [Wise people are able to give themselves gracefully to seemingly contradictory experiences, because they know that they belong to different seasons of life, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/wise-people-are-able-to-give-themselves-gracefully-to-seemingly/)

[Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/)

> [Mystical experiences (unlike scientific conclusions) cannot be communicated from one person to another. Philosophers and little children are continually amazed that we, unaccountably, find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/mystical-experiences-unlike-scientific-conclusions-cannot-be/)

[Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/)

> [In a way, human beings have never been part of the natural order; we're not biological in the normal sense. Normal biological animals stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/in-a-way-human-beings-have-never-been-part-of-the-natural-order-we-re/)

[Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/)

> [To be on a quest is nothing more or less than to become an asker of questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/to-be-on-a-quest-is-nothing-more-or-less-than-to-become-an-asker-of/)

[Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/)

> [There is the extreme of hopelessness and the inevitability of doom, a deep despair that comes from the sense that our industrial, consuming society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/there-is-the-extreme-of-hopelessness-and-the-inevitability-of-doom-a/)

[Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/)

> [Chronological time is what we measure by clocks and calendars; it is always linear, orderly, quantifiable, and mechanical. Kairotic time is organic, rhythmic, bodily,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/chronological-time-is-what-we-measure-by-clocks-and-calendars-it-is/)

[Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/)

> [Human beings are what I think of as "biomythic" animals: we're controlled largely by the stories we tell. When we get the story wrong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/human-beings-are-what-i-think-of-as-biomythic-animals-we-re/)

[Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/)

> [If we come from good families where we have been supported well, there is a disillusionment we have to undergo in terms of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/if-we-come-from-good-families-where-we-have-been-supported-well-there/)

[Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/)

> [To a large extent, the aged in our society are ghettoized. Old people are seen as useless, bypassed by history, old-fashioned, in the way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/to-a-large-extent-the-aged-in-our-society-are-ghettoized-old-people/)

[Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/)

> [Call it "womb awe" or even "womb worship" but it's not simple envy. I don't remember even wanting to be a woman. But each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/call-it-womb-awe-or-even-womb-worship-but-it-s-not-simple-envy-i-don/)

[Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/)

> [Mounting an expedition to actualize a Compassionate Commonwealth of all peoples...is the great spiritual challenge of our time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/mounting-an-expedition-to-actualize-a-compassionate-commonwealth-of/)

[Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/)

> [The root of humanly caused evil is not man's animal nature, not territorial aggression, or innate selfishness, but our need to gain self-esteem, deny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/the-root-of-humanly-caused-evil-is-not-man-s-animal-nature-not/)

[Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/)

> [If some incarnation of evil as unambiguous as Hitler appeared again, I would have no moral qualms about killing the enemy. But in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/if-some-incarnation-of-evil-as-unambiguous-as-hitler-appeared-again-i/)

[Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/)

> [“A man who does not know how to wage a just battle, first with himself and then with others, has no values worth defending,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/a-man-who-does-not-know-how-to-wage-a-just-battle-first-with-himself/)

[Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/)

> [What happens if I try to build a life dedicated to avoiding all danger and all unnecessary risk?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/what-happens-if-i-try-to-build-a-life-dedicated-to-avoiding-all/)

[Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/)

[Explore all 104 Sam Keen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/)

## More Love quotes

> [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. It could just as easily have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/whatever-meaning-annie-s-song-had-for-me-on-a-personal-level-there/)

[John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

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

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [I love going to Columbia, Missouri. That is a really underrated campus. It shocked me when I went there because I really didn't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-herbstreit/i-love-going-to-columbia-missouri-that-is-a-really-underrated-campus/)

[Kirk Herbstreit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-herbstreit/)

> [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/)

[Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/)

> [We talk to God--that is prayer; God talks to us--that is inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-emilie-cady/we-talk-to-god-that-is-prayer-god-talks-to-us-that-is-inspiration/)

[H. Emilie Cady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-emilie-cady/)

> [I fell in love with social work, and that was my undoing as a poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rakosi/i-fell-in-love-with-social-work-and-that-was-my-undoing-as-a-poet/)

[Carl Rakosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rakosi/)

> [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/)

[Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/)

> [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/)

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

> [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/)

[Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/)

> [“To be loved by a man, truly loved, made a woman feel as if she could burst. Of course, Lia was strong and could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-anne/to-be-loved-by-a-man-truly-loved-made-a-woman-feel-as-if-she-could/)

[Melody Anne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-anne/)

> [So when you take those tears, don't look to see I'm alright. …\*Seal - Violet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-nickel/so-when-you-take-those-tears-don-t-look-to-see-i-m-alright-seal-violet/)

[Eric Nickel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-nickel/)

> [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/)

[Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/)

> [“That horrible stinging sensation returned, the muscles behind my eyes straining as the first tear began to fall. “I’m scared, too. For eighteen months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-ashley/that-horrible-stinging-sensation-returned-the-muscles-behind-my-eyes/)

[Devon Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-ashley/)

> [I could program a 'fabulous, I love it' kind of hit season right now. I'm more interested in breaking boundaries, telling a story, defying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-wolfe/i-could-program-a-fabulous-i-love-it-kind-of-hit-season-right-now-i-m/)

[George C. Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-wolfe/)

[Browse all 233,035 Love quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "To sustain love, a man and a woman must continually be marrying and divorcing, moving with, against, away from, and beyond each other, saying 'yes' and 'no'.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sam Keen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/to-sustain-love-a-man-and-a-woman-must-continually-be-marrying-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Love"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/to-sustain-love-a-man-and-a-woman-must-continually-be-marrying-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/sam-keen-4929_love_to-sustain-love-a-man-and-a-woman-must-c_34114.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/sam-keen-4929_love_to-sustain-love-a-man-and-a-woman-must-c_34114.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/sam-keen-4929_love_to-sustain-love-a-man-and-a-woman-must-c_34114.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“To sustain love, a man and a woman must continually be marrying and divorcing, moving with, against, away…” — Sam Keen",
                "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": "Sam Keen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "To sustain love, a man and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/to-sustain-love-a-man-and-a-woman-must-continually-be-marrying-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/to-sustain-love-a-man-and-a-woman-must-continually-be-marrying-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
