When is love not enough?

When friendship is not part of the equation.

When the two love each other but can’t communicate.

When love is not accompanied by trust and respect, love is not enough.

Enough for what? Love has never appeared to me to be enough for anything. It’s just nice. Really, really nice.

A relationship.

When there’s no trust, happiness and/or respect.

Love is seldom enough by itself if you want a lasting relationship. The other part involves your brain: admiration, respect, mutual agreement on vital issues and the ability to compromise when you don’t agree. The issues you won’t compromise will vary from person to person and may be unimportant to other people. For example, I could never marry some one who didn’t love food or who was a slob. I’m sure you may have other requirements.

When the reality of life gets in the way. Money troubles, tragic events, opportunities in other locations, illness, all sorts of reasons can put stress on a relationship.

I also agree with what other jellies said here about trust and respect. But, it isn’t what first came to my mind because often people, especially women, feel they love someine and stay in a bad relationship, and really I question if that should be called love or some other term, because the relationship can be so dysfunctional. It can be like Stockholm Syndrome after a while in its extreme.

I think it is a matter of how you relate to each other. Normally we are in for it with cetain expectations and promises made by our spouses. Actually the feeling that it’s not enough is a response to an unfulfilled promises and expectations.

In short, love is not enough when one becomes reluctant to fulfill his/her party’s expectations but still pretend to be loving. It’s a real thing, why are people opposed to your question

When someone is incapable of receiving it.

There’s a funny-serious line at the end of the movie Dodsworth—actually, it encapsulates the theme of the movie—that goes: “Love has got to stop some place short of suicide.” Throughout the story, Sam Dodsworth has been fighting to save his 20-year marriage despite his wife’s indiscretions because he loves her (his oft-repeated words to her: “Have I told you today I adore you?”). But In the end, realizing she no longer loves him, he gives up and abandons her (on a cruise ship!). It’s a marvelous film moment.

When life intervenes.

My husband and I are in it for a lifetime, good or bad, health and sickness, richer or poorer. It’s not just a religious thing, it was our pledge to each other as rational adults since we married later in life.

It depends on how one defines love? Is it commitment, loyalty, an ability to weather all storms? Then it is enough. Looks, money and a six pack can take a hike.