What is the relationship between love and desire? How do they relate, and how do they conflict? … Therein lies the mystery of eroticism.

Source: "The Secret to Desire in a Long-Term Relationship." TEDSalon NY2013. Additional Information: This quote asks us to ponder the connection between love and desire, and then tells us that this connection is at the heart of human sexuality. The quote is from a TED Talk that Esther Perel, a psychotherapist, gave in 2013. In this Talk, Perel discusses the inherent conflict between love and desire and attempts to answer the question of how people in long-term relationships can keep desire alive. The paradox between love and desire exists, says Perel, because to love essentially means "to have," and to desire means "to want" -- and how can we want something we already have? Watch the full TED Talk here: Esther Perel - The Secret to Desire in a Long-Term Relationship