25 Pieces of Love Advice From Successful Marriages

"Find things to laugh about together, remember you are two people living two lives that you choose to share, so be worthy of that choice. Loyalty, honesty, forgiveness and courage are so important, much more so as time goes on."

— Jackie, married 16 years

When it comes to relationships, there’s no shortage of people claiming to be experts on the subject. Here is some bad relationship advice you should never follow.

"The most important thing I've learned is to forgive. No relationship is perfect. There are times your spouse is going to do things you never thought possible and you are going to experience the impossible together. The key is forgiving and working through whatever life hands you, because love is stronger than anything at the end of the day."

— Lisa, married 11 years

"Have separate places where you can just go to chill. My hubby has the garage. I have the house."

— Donna, married 26 years

"We decided early on, to lessen the stress of dealing with our families, he would make the decisions about his and I make them about mine. Discussions, but no arguments."

— Sally, married 32 years

"Make a mental list of all the good little deeds and great times, so the annoying and bad ones won't weigh much. Walk together, not behind or ahead. Holding hands can erase a lot of negative feelings. It's always more of the little gestures that shouldn't be taken for granted."

— Corel, married 22 years

"Let him wear the pants; you just tell him which ones!"

— Flora, married six years

"Laugh, be real with one another, bad hair, bad days and all. Give and take space when needed. Be equally generous with respect and empathy. You are a couple comprised of two individuals, but love is like two pieces of weird Lego that just fit together. Adversity and experience are all part of building real intimacy. And go to the bathroom in front of one another — because that's real life."

— Stacey, married 15 years

"We basically renewed our vows when we were hit with an atomic flu one fall. I was crying and showering off baby barf while cradling a toddler. He asked me if he could get me anything; through tears, I said, 'Yes, I'd like a gun to end this pain.' He said, 'All we have to do is make it through the night.' And we did — that night, and many more. So I guess my love advice is find someone who knows how to turn your ship around when you feel like you're so beyond underwater you'll never make it to shore."

— Katherine, married six years

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"Don't fight each other, be a team, be one. No one's wrong or right, find what works as a duo. Also, just f*cking relax... everyone's so crazy!"

— Julie, married 10 years

"Don't stop dating each other. Make time to go out, just the two of you, no kids, no phones, so you can reconnect with each other. Do it at least once a month. Even if it's just for a walk and a coffee."

— Shona, married 14 years

"You need to be happy with yourself or you can't be happy with someone else. You start to look for other things and do stupid stuff that may hurt or push your partner away. We went through some crap and it was all me; I had a period of being lost and unhappy. My partner hung on and waited for me to come back. We are in such a solid place and I thank my lucky stars every day he never gave up on me. Once you are in that great place you need to be grateful for each other and show your love and appreciation daily. Don't take each other for granted. It happens so easily."

— Taryn, married 15 years

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"It's OK to go to bed a little mad — but only if you're willing to make up."

— Stephenie, married 17 years

"Let the little things go but don't bottle it up either. Communication and respect are key."

— Anna, married 15 years

"My husband and I joke that the key to a successful marriage is a king size bed. When I am sleeping, I don’t like to be interrupted, so this bed literally saved me from killing him."

— Sherry, married 15 years

"Do not marry anyone that does not pass an ear plug test. If you can still hear them snoring with ear plugs in and despite nudging them 32 times in a row and they do not go on their side — run. Find someone who purrs ocean waves in their sleep."

— Melanie, married 17 years

You might also like these celebrity tweets about married life to which you can totally relate.

"Appreciate each other. Don't take for granted the laughter, the attention and time, the effort, the little things, the dedication to family and commitment to making each other happy and building your strong family. Each member is an equally important piece of the pie. Choose gratitude every day and as I say to myself all the time, just keep it simple, sunshine, and keep calm when things go wrong. I feel so lucky, truly. It's not dumb luck, it's perspective."

— Karen, married 20 years

"Patience, patience, patience. That's the name of the game. Patience with him, yourself and your marriage."

— Chandra, married 16 years

"We were very young when we married. Comes down to being honest and open, always voice your opinion whether it's good or bad. We've come this far; we can handle 37 more years. Two grandbabies later gave us a new lease of different life."

— Teresa, married 37 years

"Spoil each other once in a while and laugh often. Oh, and if you find you argue badly and are getting really nasty with each other, you might be hungry! It took us a couple years to realize we both get hangry, so now when one of us says we need to eat, we get the person something real quick!"

— Dana, married 25 years

"You won't like them all the time, but your love will help you keep your mouth shut about the truly annoying stuff."

— Gerry, married 11 years

"Hubby was in the military until he retired a few years ago. We were posted to Petawawa when first married and he was often away on exercise. When we were posted back to Southwestern Ontario, he was posted to many different cities (or overseas) while I worked and lived in the GTA. I highly recommend living in different cities Monday to Friday and seeing each other on weekends. Kind of like a part-time marriage! I also recommend marrying military; I haven't ironed anything or packed for trips in 18 years! In all seriousness, a sense of humour is key!"

— Sadaf, married 18 years

"Respect. Respect each other's views, feelings, opinions and emotion. Don't always need to agree with them, but show them respect. Don't sweat the small stuff (I'm still getting the hang of this one)!! You can't pick at each other constantly about the stupid little things. Look at the big picture."

— Maria, married 10 years

You may also want to check out these signs he's not as happy in the marriage as you think he is.

"Learn to laugh a lot! Snuggle often. Let many of the small battles go. And always kiss goodbye."

— Regina, married 24 years

"Sex and food, two key ingredients for a happy marriage. I realized when I had my son that I did so much praising and saw how well it worked for him — so I started doing it to my hubby. He loves it."

— Niki, married 10 years

"Marriage is a roller coaster: There will be ups and downs but try to keep on track with love and respect and your journey will be amazing!"

— Camila, married 19 years

More marriage advice, this time from relationship experts.