When I was a kid, we used to play 'Madden' and 'NCAA Football' all the time. I have two brothers, so we grew up on these games.

The reality is people are impressed with all kinds of things: intelligence, power, money, charm, talent, and so on. But the ones we tend to stay in love with are, in the long run, the ones who do a decent job loving us back.

But it's better when you have somebody to go home to and talk about it with, somebody who is more in love with you than impressed by you.

Sometimes the real bonding happens in conversations about nothing, Don," she said. "Sometimes being willing to talk about nothing shows how much we want to be with each other. And that's a powerful thing.

The last thing I learned about relationships by swimming in the pond was there are more lifeguards than sharks. What I mean is, for the most part, other people aren't out to get us.

We think stories are about getting money and security, but the truth is, it all comes down to relationships.

We didn't become the best of friends, but he was my best friend. By best friend I mean he was the best person for me to talk to. Every time I walked away from a beer or a lunch with him I was, somehow, a more centered person. He never let me control the conversation with distractions. He'd just laugh them off and repeat the question I was running from.

As long as you're willing to turn the other cheek with the mean ones, vulnerability can get you a wealth of friends.

We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.

Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.

Marriages built on friendship are forever since they are built on companionship.