---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Love doesn't demand perfection, but it…"
description: "\"Love doesn't demand perfection, but it does ask you to give yourself with less reserve than you'd prefer.\" — Thomas Moore"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/thomas-moore-3267_demand_love-doesn-t-demand-perfection-but-it-do_850182.png"
---

#  Love doesn't demand perfection, but it does ask you to…

![“Love doesn't demand perfection, but it does ask you to give yourself with less reserve than you'd prefer.” quote by Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/thomas-moore-3267_demand_love-doesn-t-demand-perfection-but-it-do_850182.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/thomas-moore-3267_demand_love-doesn-t-demand-perfection-but-it-do_850182.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/thomas-moore-3267_demand_love-doesn-t-demand-perfection-but-it-do_850182.png)

> “Love doesn't demand perfection, but it does ask you to give yourself with less reserve than you'd prefer.”

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

## 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 vulnerability and generosity, not flawless perfection, urging openness beyond self-imposed limits.

**In simple terms:** Love asks for openness.

Key Takeaway

Give more than you keep.

Themes

love vulnerability generosity

Mood

hopeful encouraging

Type

inspirational reflective

When to use this quote

- relationships
- self‑growth
- therapy
- community building

Key Concepts

psychology spirituality

Questions to Reflect On

- What reserves hold you back?
- How can you practice giving freely?

A Different Perspective

Perfectionism can hinder intimacy.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Perfection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfection/)

## Related quotes

> [Demand perfection of yourself and you'll seldom attain it. Fear of making a mistake is the biggest single cause of making one. Relax -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-winter/demand-perfection-of-yourself-and-you-ll-seldom-attain-it-fear-of/)

Lloyd Winter

> [Perfectionists demand perfection from themselves first and foremost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/perfectionists-demand-perfection-from-themselves-first-and-foremost/)

[Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/)

> [No good work whatever can be perfect, and the demand for perfection is always a sign of a misunderstanding of the ends of art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/no-good-work-whatever-can-be-perfect-and-the-demand-for-perfection-is-2/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [Sometimes human always demand perfection without never see the reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-human-always-demand-perfection-without-never-see-the-reality/)

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

> [“When you demand perfection within yourself, you become more fallible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/when-you-demand-perfection-within-yourself-you-become-more-fallible/)

[Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/)

> [In a fallen world, if you demand perfection or nothing, you will always get nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-schaeffer/in-a-fallen-world-if-you-demand-perfection-or-nothing-you-will-always/)

[Edith Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-schaeffer/)

> [“If you demand perfection or nothing, you will always end up with nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/if-you-demand-perfection-or-nothing-you-will-always-end-up-with/)

[Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/)

> [“You clean and organize; you demand perfection—did you ever wonder why?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/you-clean-and-organize-you-demand-perfection-did-you-ever-wonder-why/)

[John Eldredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eldredge/)

> [People tell me I'm a perfectionist. They tell me I'm too extreme and that I work too hard. I tell them, that is all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cheeke/people-tell-me-i-m-a-perfectionist-they-tell-me-i-m-too-extreme-and/)

[Robert Cheeke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cheeke/)

> [There is no better news than that the God who makes the demand for perfection also meets the demand for perfection on our behalf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tullian-tchividjian/there-is-no-better-news-than-that-the-god-who-makes-the-demand-for/)

[Tullian Tchividjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tullian-tchividjian/)

> [I demand perfection in what I do, and I practice very hard before I give a concert-sometimes three to six hours a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-simone/i-demand-perfection-in-what-i-do-and-i-practice-very-hard-before-i/)

[Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/)

> [“to what she'd felt at the Florida reserve. Damn it, why”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-t-wolfe/to-what-she-d-felt-at-the-florida-reserve-damn-it-why/)

[R.T. Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-t-wolfe/)

> [“Intellectually and compassionately explaining the reason freedom works is required for credibility.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/intellectually-and-compassionately-explaining-the-reason-freedom/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [My first experience with film was through a still camera. I would sit, very much against my will, with my father in the game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavid-hood/my-first-experience-with-film-was-through-a-still-camera-i-would-sit/)

[Gavid Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavid-hood/)

> [A great reserve and severity of manners are necessary for the command of those who are older than ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/a-great-reserve-and-severity-of-manners-are-necessary-for-the-command/)

[Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/)

## More by Thomas Moore

> [“Think of all the males and females of the animal and plant world, all the opposites in every aspect of life. They all need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/think-of-all-the-males-and-females-of-the-animal-and-plant-world-all/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [All that's bright must fade, The brightest still the fleetest; All that's sweet was made But to be lost when sweetest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/all-that-s-bright-must-fade-the-brightest-still-the-fleetest-all-that/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [An enchanted world is one that speaks to the soul, to the mysterious depths of the heart and imagination where we find value, love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/an-enchanted-world-is-one-that-speaks-to-the-soul-to-the-mysterious/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [“It isn’t comfortable to discover her place and her necessity. And yet what she has to offer is nothing less than the entire deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/it-isn-t-comfortable-to-discover-her-place-and-her-necessity-and-yet/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [When Time who steals our years away Shall steal our pleasures too, The mem'ry of the past will stay, And half our joys renew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/when-time-who-steals-our-years-away-shall-steal-our-pleasures-too-the/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [“It's my conviction that slight shifts in imagination have more impact on living than major efforts at change... deep changes in life follow movements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/it-s-my-conviction-that-slight-shifts-in-imagination-have-more-impact/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [We need people in our lives with whom we can be as open as possible. To have real conversations with people may seem like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/we-need-people-in-our-lives-with-whom-we-can-be-as-open-as-possible/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [A soulmate is someone to whom we feel profoundly connected, as though the communicating and communing that take place between us were not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/a-soulmate-is-someone-to-whom-we-feel-profoundly-connected-as-though/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [“I feel like one Who treads alone Some banquet-hall deserted, Whose lights are fled, Whose garland's dead, And all but he departed!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/i-feel-like-one-who-treads-alone-some-banquet-hall-deserted-whose/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [A philosopher being asked what was the first thing necessary to win the love of a woman, answered, Opportunity!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/a-philosopher-being-asked-what-was-the-first-thing-necessary-to-win/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [“Body exercise is incomplete if it focuses exclusively on muscle and is motivated by the ideal of a physique unspoiled by fat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/body-exercise-is-incomplete-if-it-focuses-exclusively-on-muscle-and/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [“During the dark night there is no choice but to surrender control, give in to unknowing, and stop and listen to whatever signals of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/during-the-dark-night-there-is-no-choice-but-to-surrender-control/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [The devil...the prowde spirite...cannot endure to be mocked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/the-devil-the-prowde-spirite-cannot-endure-to-be-mocked/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [And soon, too soon, we part with pain, To sail o'er silent seas again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/and-soon-too-soon-we-part-with-pain-to-sail-o-er-silent-seas-again/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [Pythagoras asks that we not let a friend go lightly, for whatever reason. Instead, we should stay with a friend as long as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/pythagoras-asks-that-we-not-let-a-friend-go-lightly-for-whatever/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

[Explore all 131 Thomas Moore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

## More Demand quotes

> [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/)

[Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/)

> [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. Parents who have little support--from friends, relatives, neighbors, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/parents-who-are-stressed-or-disturbed-will-have-more-difficulty-in/)

Sheila Kamerman

> [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [Empires fall, ids explode, great symphonies are written, and behind all of it is a single instinct that demands satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/empires-fall-ids-explode-great-symphonies-are-written-and-behind-all/)

[Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/)

> [My dogs can't do anything--and what a relief. I don't make any demands of them, and I don't try to shape them or their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-chua/my-dogs-can-t-do-anything-and-what-a-relief-i-don-t-make-any-demands/)

[Amy Chua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-chua/)

> [The trouble is. . .that everybody sneers at restrictions and demands freedom, till something annoying happens; then they demand angrily what has become of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/the-trouble-is-that-everybody-sneers-at-restrictions-and-demands/)

[Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/)

> [You be greater than your feelings. I don't demand this of you - life does. Otherwise you'll be washed away by feelings. You'll be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/you-be-greater-than-your-feelings-i-don-t-demand-this-of-you-life/)

[Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/)

> [Christianity does not oppose debauchery and uncontrollable passions and the like as much as it opposes... flat mediocrity, this nauseating atmosphere, this homey, civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/christianity-does-not-oppose-debauchery-and-uncontrollable-passions/)

[Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/)

> [It is an interesting law of romance that a truly strong woman will choose a strong man who disagrees with her over a weak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-is-an-interesting-law-of-romance-that-a-truly-strong-woman-will/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [If we get better our customers will demand we get bigger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-truett-cathy/if-we-get-better-our-customers-will-demand-we-get-bigger/)

[S. Truett Cathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-truett-cathy/)

> [If our faith in God is not the veriest sham, it demands, and will produce, the abandonment sometimes, the subordination always, of external helps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/if-our-faith-in-god-is-not-the-veriest-sham-it-demands-and-will/)

[Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/)

> [Money should be ones demand and command one should not become slave of money..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/money-should-be-ones-demand-and-command-one-should-not-become-slave/)

[Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/)

> [There was no mistake in us making abortion legal and available on demand. That was what we call progress. Just like it was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/there-was-no-mistake-in-us-making-abortion-legal-and-available-on/)

[Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/)

> [Most enjoyable activities are not natural; they demand an effort that initially one is reluctant to make. But once the interaction starts to provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/most-enjoyable-activities-are-not-natural-they-demand-an-effort-that/)

[Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/)

> [Azerbaijan unleashed the war, and was defeated in that war; Azerbaijan asked for truce (including from the Commander of Karabakh's forces) and later started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serzh-sargsyan/azerbaijan-unleashed-the-war-and-was-defeated-in-that-war-azerbaijan/)

[Serzh Sargsyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serzh-sargsyan/)

[Browse all 3,809 Demand quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Love doesn't demand perfection, but it does ask you to give yourself with less reserve than you'd prefer.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Moore"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/love-doesn-t-demand-perfection-but-it-does-ask-you-to-give-yourself/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Demand"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/love-doesn-t-demand-perfection-but-it-does-ask-you-to-give-yourself/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/thomas-moore-3267_demand_love-doesn-t-demand-perfection-but-it-do_850182.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/thomas-moore-3267_demand_love-doesn-t-demand-perfection-but-it-do_850182.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/thomas-moore-3267_demand_love-doesn-t-demand-perfection-but-it-do_850182.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Love doesn't demand perfection, but it does ask you to give yourself with less reserve than you'd prefer.” — Thomas Moore",
                "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": "Thomas Moore",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Love doesn't demand perfection, but it...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/love-doesn-t-demand-perfection-but-it-does-ask-you-to-give-yourself/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/love-doesn-t-demand-perfection-but-it-does-ask-you-to-give-yourself/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```