"The trouble with love is it can tear you up inside

make your heart believe a lie, it's stronger than your pride."

"1. Not having any better clue about your future than before you were in a relationship, but going forward knowing that you have someone supportive to get there with you.

2. The extremely satisfying moment you can say to yourself without irony,“All the heart ache was worth it, because it helped get me to you.”

3. A pang of anxiety over the fact that life holds no guarantees –
especially when it comes to relationships, no matter how solid."

"There's a lot I have to say about relationships but first off, whether it's in relationships, love or friendship - it's unfortunate to say, but not everyone is mature - I know people like to think they are and they like to think they are the most rational people in the world, but it really takes mature and open minds to make a relationship work on both ends. There are some people who blindly settle for bad people because they are intoxicated or infatuated by the 'indifferent cool act' someone displays. But really? All that is, is wanting what you can't have. And it makes me sad because people don't even realise that, they're blindly sabotaging themselves when you point it out to them from an objective standpoint. People will automatically jump to the conclusion you're being irrational, because you don't know the person. But truly, often times people who don't share a history with that same person can judge or assess more accurately. And in fact the person who has a history with someone is more likely to be more irrational and emotional in their reasoning because of their attachment. 'You can't save a damsel who loves her distress.'

Trying to make the pieces fit isn't what is the issue and it doesn't mean you should give up, that this relationship is doomed and that it's far too much effort for the good to be worth it. It actually helps if you both try, you just need the other person to try at the same time as you. You both need to 'care'. You both need to share the same core values from the beginning. Sharing the same interests isn't the same as sharing the same core values. You mustn't give up at the first sign of hardship. Nothing in life worth having is easy. You say that it shouldn't be that hard? But if love isn't worth fighting for, then what is? I suggest the best way to filter out whether someone is ultimately worthy or not, and this applies to everyone in your life, is whether they truly 'CARE' about you or not and if they show it. Because everyone has a choice. If they make that choice to not act and therefore not care, then ultimately that speaks louder than any reassuring words they can utter.

It has to be on their own terms, without you having to ask. When they 'choose' to grow up and make a decision based on themselves choosing to care and putting it into action, not to meet any expectation but based on the sole fact that they care about you - that is when you know there is hope. But if it gets to the point where you have to tell them clearly what they're doing is wrong and they insist on doing it intentionally, despite your pain, and they only want 'freedom'. Then you're allowed to be upset. You have every right to feel pain and want to quit. Because at least you're the one who is trying. You're putting your heart on the line and making yourself vulnerable. If freedom is what they want, then give it to them. And if they don't care during moments like that, that is when you know if they are worthy or not, if they aren't even willing to see things through with you til the end. If they aren't willing to be loyal, then it ultimately shows their true core values. To know that difference is how you ultimately know whether you'll get over the rough bumps over time or not. Complacency is decay. You need them to fight for you as well. That's what essentially matters. That's what counts at the end of the day, at the end of your life, when you're down and out and you have no one else you can turn to. Who else can you turn to, when your family isn't around? Who's to say you wont lose your legs in a car accident or have some medical condition that will make you feel useless and want to give up in life? Who can you turn to then? Life is hard enough as it is, you need loyalty, not just the illusion of empty commitment because it feels comfortable, 'freedom' means nothing if no one cares about you. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. To love, live and sacrifice for another is one of the hardest yet fulfilling roles you could ever have in life. You have to remind yourself repeatedly you have a 'choice' and what it means to be true to yourself and what it means to do the right thing - because it then allows you to ask the questions: Does this person truly care for me? Do they cherish loyalty? Am I doing anything myself to be deserving of a great kind of love? Are they true to their ideals? It's like in the article, actions speak louder than words, and passion means nothing if they don't care, because passion is just another word for caring, and caring for someone other than yourself isn't a crime. It's the thing that ultimately matters in the end."