Emily V. Gordon

After my divorce, I took some time off from having a romantic life to begin the tough work of figuring out where I'd gone wrong and what on Earth I could do to understand how to be a whole person in a relationship. ”

Men - not all men but a good majority of the ones I have known and worked with - tend to think of difficult situations in their lives as problems that need to be solved. ”

It's easy to isolate yourself when you're buried in work, or to rely only on work friends for empathy. And while your work friends will always 'get it' more than your life partner, they don't know how to comfort you like your partner does. ”

Balanced, passionate, grounded people are the ones whose careers are ultimately the most successful. ”

If you've had a marriage that ended because of a betrayal in trust on your spouse's behalf, the idea of trusting another person with your heart can seem completely ridiculous. ”

Do remember to pick your battles when you start parenting your stepchildren. ”

It's absolutely amazing to me that anyone allowed their children to watch 'The Ren & Stimpy Show' in the '90s; it's dark, gross, nihilistic, and absolutely bizarre. ”

A lot of new stepparents fall into the trap of letting children disobey household expectations in order to gain favor with them. ”

Holiday food is rich and indulgent. Going-home-to-see-family food is richer and even more indulgent. ”

People all want and need different emotional responses - some people like to be talked down when they're angry; some people want to be left alone. ”