Relationship Quotes

"I was impressed by how many women in the study eventually found kind, caring husbands who truly loved them…. Marie, who had been wild during her early- and mid-twenties, described this interaction in vivid detail. 'He just wouldn't be drawn into my stuff,' she said. 'He wouldn't let me manipulate him. He tolerated it, but remained himself. He was a center for me. I danced all around. He was on to my tricks. I tried everything I usually do with guys, but it didn't work. He said, 'Forget it lady, I'm here for keeps.' That was ten years ago. We've been married ever since."

— Finding the right partner is the biggest part of it. The other biggest part is knowing that you've found 'em.

Question: "Who would you like to aim a loaded phaser at?"

"People who require drama like it's their lifeblood. Even if nothing is wrong, there's got to be something wrong."

— She played T'Pol in the Star Trek series, Enterprise (hence the phaser reference). Figured this was nice reinforcement to the Wallerstein quote above, in case you don't read relationship books.

"Love yields to business. If you seek a way out of love, be busy; you'll be safe then."

— Yeah, a lot of people come crashing through the door for my divorce support group after having attempted this solution. One woman in particular had kept herself busy for 7 years; the moment her job slowed for a month, everything she'd failed to deal with contemporaneously came crashing down on her like it was yesterday. Only now, with compounded interest.

"We also need to realize that every happy, successful couple has approximately ten areas of disagreement that they will never resolve.

"The divorce laws have it all wrong. 'Irreconcilable differences' — like a bad knee or a chronic back — are part of all good marriages. Successful couples learn to dance in spite of their differences. If we switch partners we'll just get ten new areas of disagreement, and sadly, some of the most acrimonious will be about the children from our previous marriages."

— If this quote unsettles you, let me further refer you to Marital Separation by Robert S. Weiss. He finds that individuals "...seem able to become attached only to a limited range of others." Translation: Your next mate will be a lot like your last.