16 People Share Their Wisest Lesson From Their Worst Relationship

“If you’re being a doormat to make the relationship work, the other person probably doesn’t actually like you. They just like that you’re a doormat.” — SinfullySinless

“A healthy relationship has a healthy power balance. Don’t give up too much power or you’ll be manipulated, don’t take too much or you’ll be manipulative.” — infestedgrowth

“Cheaters cheat because that’s who they are. If it wasn’t with you, it would be with someone else. You deserve committed love.” — bbgmedusa

“If he won’t shut up about his mother and is constantly comparing you to her, leave (unless you want to become mommy 2.0). You’ll never measure up to her anyway.” — LJGHunter

“You don’t need to definitive proof someone is cheating to know they are cheating. Knowing beyond a reasonable doubt is enough to leave.” — sophlog

“Love comes in many forms; just because someone says it, does not mean they do. Love is not controlling, manipulative, or guilt inducing. If someone does not respect you when you say no, believe that they will continue to push boundaries to get what they want.” — hkatst

“Heal yourself before jumping into a relationship or else your wounds will kill your new one.” — keepyourbible

“It’s cliche but actions really do speak louder than words. Doesn’t matter how flowery of a way they can tell you they love you, if they only consistently show it by telling you they don’t mean it.” — Starfish_Hero

“You can’t out-love the self loathing someone has. It’s like pouring water into a funnel instead of a cup.” — dharmoniedeux

“Getting dumped is far from the worst possible outcome. The worst is when someone doesn’t have the guts or the character to dump you, they just treat you like trash until you leave them. Bonus points when they actually make it so difficult for you to leave them that you have to blow-up your own life just to get away.” — zazzlekdazzle

“You can’t communicate with someone who is choosing not to understand.” — LadyLatte

“High maintenance partners are not worth your time. Regardless of how good they look. I have enough going on without having to please someone else 24 hours a day. This isn’t a daycare.” — StevieHandjobs

“When you start to feel scared, you need to leave. Don’t question it, just LEAVE. You need to choose yourself.” — bbgmedusa

“Falling in love is more like being in love with the potential relationship rather than the individual. This isn’t a bad thing, necessarily, because it drives you to work on yourself and the relationship. However, it can be misleading if you allow it to cloud your judgement about the person, yourself, and the overall situation between the two of you. Most important, never enter a relationship with an aspiration to ‘fix’ them. That’s the step to conditional love which is toxic and unsatisfiable.” — DoolFall

“There are far, far, far worse things than being on your own.” — stuloch

“Never, ever let fear of the unknown stop you from doing what you need to do. You will be fine on your own. You can do what you need to. You need to take care of you.” — macdugan818