Amy Dickinson

Do not make your current partner pay for the crimes and misdemeanors of your previous partners.

— Amy Dickinson

Life is both short and complicated. People sometimes make baffling choices.

— Amy Dickinson

Marriage is an intimate relationship between two people. It is a bad idea to involve a third party.

— Amy Dickinson

One of the benefits of being divorced is that you no longer need to listen to your ex's assessment of the appropriateness…

— Amy Dickinson

Ask 10 people about their family relationships and at least five of them will report an estrangement.

— Amy Dickinson

Boredom has an important function, because pushing through it can unleash creativity.

— Amy Dickinson

People who are combative in one relationship tend to be combative in other relationships.

— Amy Dickinson

Bullies often act out by marshaling aggression to cover up for insecurity.

— Amy Dickinson

You should not be hovering in the background, inflating the drama. Simply envelop him in love and affection and let him know…

— Amy Dickinson

When you are wondering whether to say something negative about someone - even if it is true - the best rule to…

— Amy Dickinson

Your job in life is to look after yourself and to find ways to get what you need - emotionally and otherwise…

— Amy Dickinson

We human beings are definitely capable of loving more than one person, but it seems to go more smoothly if we don't…

— Amy Dickinson

Bullies never want to acknowledge their own actions. They want to move through life without reflection or apology.

— Amy Dickinson

Mature people must find their own ways to cope with their own temptations.

— Amy Dickinson

One of the privileges of adulthood is that your parents don't get to tell you what to do.

— Amy Dickinson

When you're a single parent, you're often lonely, yet seldom alone. There is no backup ... It is mothering without a net.

— Amy Dickinson

Absence really can make the heart grow fonder, even when the [man's] feet wander.

— Amy Dickinson

I believe that everyone deserves love, and sometimes looking outside your own culture is a good way to find it.

— Amy Dickinson

Healthy boundaries are important, but you may be building a brick wall when a picket fence would do.

— Amy Dickinson

Friends tell each other the truth, and then friends stick around for the aftermath.

— Amy Dickinson

The ability to break a loved one's heart is the essential contradiction in human relationships.

— Amy Dickinson

Climb aboard life's elevator, hit the "up" button, and see where it takes you.

— Amy Dickinson

Attraction happens when you feel important, valued, appreciated and wanted.

— Amy Dickinson

Sometimes the way through someone's tough outer shell is to do something obvious, thoughtful and sweet.

— Amy Dickinson

[from a reader] I hope she learns to look for the joy in life instead of picking out negatives - it will…

— Amy Dickinson

As an advice columnist, I spend a lot of time reading through psychology journals to ensure that I give the most up-to-date…

— Amy Dickinson

Love is an irrational force, making humans do all sorts of strange and wonderful things like write poetry and take up the…

— Amy Dickinson

There is nothing more painful than being rejected simply for being who you are.

— Amy Dickinson

[from a reader] Whenever I feel myself resenting someone, I reach out. I have made good friends that way.

— Amy Dickinson

You should not propose marriage until you have resolved your feelings about your ex.

— Amy Dickinson

Weddings and funerals are when you figure out who your real friends are.

— Amy Dickinson

Groveling for connection from someone who compares you to Hitler is not good for a person's self-esteem.

— Amy Dickinson

Friendships can survive after massive disappointment, but only if both parties are honest with one another.

— Amy Dickinson

If you feel guilty about not "playing nice," then you could easily alleviate your guilt by playing nice.

— Amy Dickinson

When someone repeatedly insists that something isn't true, it increases the likelihood that it is.

— Amy Dickinson

When you are criticizing someone, you should speak only to your own experience - not others'.

— Amy Dickinson

Individuals who are uncomfortable with themselves sometimes emit vibes that make others uncomfortable.

— Amy Dickinson

When the choice is between a demanding relationship and a vintage pickup truck, I'll choose the truck every time.

— Amy Dickinson