Couples & Married

We asked our users to tell us what they felt to be the most important key to a successful relationship. Below are a few of the responses:

1. "Dialogue. As soon as it is present, everything is possible." -Paceline Jean


2. "I think the most important key to a successful relationship is when you truly enjoy each other's company." -Anne Engle


3. "I think the key to a successful relationship is to love them with all your heart, and to always show them that you do. And of course to always be honest!" -Kathy Wierzbicki


4. "Trust, good communication and a lasting friendship. I have been married to the same man for 19 years. We have survived infidelity, separation, financial woes, illnesses, etc. Through it all we managed to trust each other enough to be honest and truthful about our infidelity by communicating peacefully. When we both thought that the love was gone, we found a rare and beautiful friendship in each other, which held the marriage together. Today, we are very happy as a family with three children." -Jan Vega


5. "Commitment is the greatest key to a successful relationship. If you are committed you will always find a way to work things out." -Anonymous


6. "I think it is friendship! You can love someone like that and still be best friends and it's the best. Plus if they are your best friend, can't best friends stay best friends forever? If you just love someone for their physical aspects, there's no friendship or similarities between you except that." -Alane


7. "Passion. Without feeling passionately towards your mate the communication, sex, intimacy, and ultimate closeness will not be there, which in turn leaves each partner wanting/needing more from the relationship than they are getting. I know because I've lived it. My husband and I had everything. Money, companionship, friends, a home, great jobs, but we didn't have passion. We were basically friends. Friends are just that friends... husbands or wives should be in love and life partners... that doesn't happen without feeling passion for the other person." -Laura


8. "Communication... talking and open honest communication about how you feel. What makes you happy and what upsets you. If you don't tell your partner then they can't do what makes you happy and vice versa." -Greg


9. "The way a person treats his/her parents reveals how they WILL treat you! If it's with love, kindness and respect, then this is what you will receive. But if it's with criticism, defensiveness and disrespect, then this too you will receive... EVENTUALLY... it's almost certainly a guarantee! So watch and listen to the answers you get in their actions and words BEFORE you jump into bed!" -deb


10. "Communication. In many instances, 'communication' can be used in place of 'relationship'. If you withhold something from your spouse or lie to them, the communication (or relationship) has ended. If you chose not to be truthful, because you're afraid they may leave or be upset, you've got nothing to lose -- the relationship is already over. You may continue to go through life together, but you'll never have a 'relationship'." -Eric Hill


11. "I feel that a relationship should always be based upon honesty and acceptance. When you can fully accept yourself, honesty will come naturally. This in return will leave your partner feeling comfortable with you, knowing there is nothing to hide. If two people can see each other in full view with complete acceptance, they can build a successful relationship from this." -Sarah


12. "I believe that the most important 'key' to a successful relationship would have to be 'trust'. I believe that with trust, love will follow. However, what I have noticed is that many people think trust, or expect that trust is to be earned by the other person, when in all actuality it is something that comes from within yourself. All too many times people will say they don't trust due to past experiences. What they don't realize is that they have built up those proverbial walls to protect them from the very thing they are searching for... yes, there is a risk in trusting someone, but when you finally find that 'right' person, it makes all the past experiences and lessons learned very much worth the risk. All of life's little lessons do not have to be painful... even when they seem so at the time. You just have to chalk it up to experience and move on. Nothing is worth closing your heart. Nothing is worth living in a world of fearing what bad 'may' come to you. Without trust, you close your heart to the happiness and joy that true love brings. It's only my experience... and it's what I believe has given me the wonderful gift of 'true' love. It's a hard thing to do, a scary thing, but very much worth it. This is not to go without saying that some people may betray your trust... that's the risk... but why allow past betrayals to prolong the pain by building a fortress around your heart that not only protects you from pain/betrayal, but also denies you the ability to experience happiness and joy? Most have been hurt enough by one person, why allow them and their actions to stop us from finding what we search for? I say open your hearts to trust and bask in the beauty, happiness, and joy, of the true love that will follow. For everyone there IS a someone, you just can't find them if you hide away all your life..." -Adrienne


13. "Not expecting your partner to think and react to things the way you do. Resolving any conflict in your relationship depends on this. It's important to respect your partner's feelings, even if they are different from your own. If you and your partner both do this you can usually resolve bad situations, even if you still don't see eye to eye at the end." -Yolanda Iniguez


14. "The most important 'key' to a relationship is not worrying about how long it will last, when it will or won't end, and enjoying every moment possible together." -Kathy


15. "The key is to be understanding. Nobody can change their personality, so we simply have to try to understand each other as we become closer." -Lauren


16. "Always showing you love each other all the time by celebrating on different occasions like the first time you met each other." -Darnell James


17. "Validating your partner's feelings. It's so important to be heard in a relationship even if you do not agree with what is being said." -Robin


18. "Friendship is most important in any relationship. I feel that if you can't be friends first what chance do you have at being lovers? With friendship you have to have trust and respect. You have to like the person you're friends with to get along together. Once that is accomplished falling in love with them is just an extension of friendship, only stronger and better. Like the foundation of a brick house, love must also have a foundation. That foundation is friendship. You must have a strong foundation (friendship) in order for love to withstand the test of time." -zanfair


19. "The most important key to success is making sure you call the person you care about or love, and be there whenever he/she needs you. Just care for that person with all your might." -Eva


20. "Quality time spent together, pillow talk, one on one, being open about everything." -deanna