Relationships

Intelligence is a form of friendship with the world. It can’t be cultivated out of fear of it.

There’s no love without vulnerability. There’s no life without fear . And you will no doubt derail romance if you are too risk-averse.

You’ve been duped into thinking you can create a life without danger, one liberated from constraints and uncomfortable emotions, and that such a life is desirable. But you can’t, and it’s not. If you connect with someone and it comes with the risk of losing something, good. You’re alive!

Instead of asking "Are you the one," ask two questions of each of you. Do I accept my partner despite their shortcomings? Do I commit to nurture them to achieve what is important to them? And likewise, do they accept me and do they commit to me? All you need is four yeses.

the best relationships consist of a series of unbreachable private understandings

“Do not be absent for too long, then come and ask about how I am, details die with time and stories change.”

―

Mahmoud Darwish