Compatibility is an achievement of love; it shouldn’t be its precondition.
What's the meaning of this quote?
Quote Meaning: The quote emphasizes the importance of building a strong foundation in a relationship. True love is not just about finding someone who is a perfect match for us from the beginning, but rather it is about growing and changing together over time. When we love someone, we work to become compatible with them, and we put in the effort to understand their needs and wants. This quote suggests that compatibility is something that we work towards in a relationship, and it is not something that should be a precondition for love.
Who said the quote?
The quote "Compatibility is an achievement of love; it shouldn't be its precondition." was said by Alain de Botton (Bio / Quotes). Alain de Botton is a Swiss-born British philosopher and author, who has written several best-selling books on philosophy and everyday life.
What's the quote's message?
This quote is emphasizing the dynamic, evolving nature of love. It's saying that love isn't something that's found fully-formed, as a perfect match between two people who are already exactly right for each other. Rather, it's something that develops and grows over time, with two individuals gradually shaping and adapting themselves, and their relationship, to become more compatible with one another.
The traditional view often regards compatibility as the precursor to love, something you need to have in place before love can happen. You find the right person, you click, and you fall in love. But this quote is challenging that perspective. It's suggesting that love doesn't always work that way. Sometimes, you fall in love with a person who is far from being the 'perfect match.' And yet, you find a way to make it work. You learn, you compromise, you negotiate. You both change and grow in response to each other and to the relationship. And, over time, you achieve compatibility.
In essence, the message is about the transformative power of love. It's about how love is not just a static state of being, but an active, ongoing process. It's about how love can help us to become better, more adaptable, more understanding individuals. And it's about the value of working for love, rather than expecting it to be handed to us on a silver platter.
Is there a historical example that illustrates the message of the quote?
The love story of Marie and Pierre Curie is a good historical example that can illustrate the message of the quote "Compatibility is an achievement of love; it shouldn't be its precondition."
Marie and Pierre Curie, the famed physicists, were initially not an obvious match. Marie was from Poland and had moved to Paris to study, enduring considerable hardship and even hunger in her early days. She was fiercely independent, passionate about her work, and committed to her homeland. On the other hand, Pierre was a French physicist who had been born and raised in Paris in a well-to-do family and was characterized as quiet and dreamy.
When they first met, their lives were quite different, and it might have seemed they had little in common. They had different backgrounds and different lifestyles. Yet, they found a shared passion in their scientific pursuits, and this common ground led to them falling in love. Over time, they became not just romantic partners but also scientific collaborators, working together on pioneering research into radioactivity that would earn them a joint Nobel Prize in Physics.
Their compatibility wasn't a precondition of their love; rather, it was something that developed and deepened over time, shaped by their shared experiences, mutual respect, and commitment to each other and their work. Their love story is a testament to the fact that love can bridge gaps and bring about deep compatibility, even when it's not initially apparent.
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
