--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only thing that really matters in…" description: "\"The only thing that really matters in life are your relationships to other people.\" — George Vaillant" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb0/george-vaillant-30630_life_the-only-thing-that-really-matters-in-li_1534892.png" --- # The only thing that really matters in life are your… ![“The only thing that really matters in life are your relationships to other people.” quote by George Vaillant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb0/george-vaillant-30630_life_the-only-thing-that-really-matters-in-li_1534892.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb0/george-vaillant-30630_life_the-only-thing-that-really-matters-in-li_1534892.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb0/george-vaillant-30630_life_the-only-thing-that-really-matters-in-li_1534892.png) > “The only thing that really matters in life are your relationships to other people.” [George Vaillant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-vaillant/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human fulfillment depends on the quality of our connections with others, not material success. **In simple terms:** Relationships matter most in life. Key Takeaway Invest in meaningful connections. Themes relationships humanity well‑being Mood reflective empathetic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - family life - workplace - community service - friendship Key Concepts social bonds emotional intelligence Questions to Reflect On - How do you nurture your key relationships? - What relationships need more attention? A Different Perspective Strong bonds require effort and vulnerability, which can be uncomfortable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Our relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-relationship/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationship/) [Relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationships/) ## Related quotes > [Relationships with parents, grandparents, friends, and siblings were important to me when I was young and have remained so throughout my life. Our relationships…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-creech/relationships-with-parents-grandparents-friends-and-siblings-were/) [Sharon Creech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-creech/) > [What really matters in life is that we are loved by Christ and that we love Him in return. In comparison to the love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/what-really-matters-in-life-is-that-we-are-loved-by-christ-and-that-2/) [Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/) > [What really matters in life is that we are loved by Christ and that we love Him in return](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/what-really-matters-in-life-is-that-we-are-loved-by-christ-and-that/) [Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/) > [Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orebela-gbenga/time-has-a-wonderful-way-of-showing-us-what-really-matters-in-life/) [Orebela Gbenga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orebela-gbenga/) > [The older I get, the more I realize what really matters in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-older-i-get-the-more-i-realize-what-really-matters-in-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“At the end of the day or week or month what really matters is that you & your loved ones are safe & well,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajesh-goyal-2/at-the-end-of-the-day-or-week-or-month-what-really-matters-is-that/) [Rajesh Goyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajesh-goyal-2/) > [At the end of the day, it's important to know what really matters most in life...your sanity, your health, your family, and the ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-brown/at-the-end-of-the-day-it-s-important-to-know-what-really-matters-most/) [Les Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-brown/) > [“The only thing that really matters in life is to love and be loved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-critchley/the-only-thing-that-really-matters-in-life-is-to-love-and-be-loved/) Andrew Critchley > [I know what really matters in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-stoops/i-know-what-really-matters-in-my-life/) [Bob Stoops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-stoops/) > [The sociological evidence of the contagion of happiness and sadness suggests something quite remarkable: of all your relationships, of all the people capable of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-mctaggart/the-sociological-evidence-of-the-contagion-of-happiness-and-sadness/) [Lynne McTaggart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-mctaggart/) > [Our primary relationship is really with ourselves. Our relationships with other people constantly reflect exactly where we are in the process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakti-gawain/our-primary-relationship-is-really-with-ourselves-our-relationships/) [Shakti Gawain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakti-gawain/) > [God reveals herself through our relationships not only to other people but also to other creatures and nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-heyward/god-reveals-herself-through-our-relationships-not-only-to-other/) [Carter Heyward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-heyward/) > [Your success will be determined by the quality of your relationships with people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/your-success-will-be-determined-by-the-quality-of-your-relationships/) [Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/) > [“One comes in the end to realize that there is no permanent pure-relationship and there should not be. It is not even something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/one-comes-in-the-end-to-realize-that-there-is-no-permanent-pure/) [Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [I feel 'The Street' is a really accurate comment on the relationships between people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-beecham/i-feel-the-street-is-a-really-accurate-comment-on-the-relationships/) [Emily Beecham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-beecham/) ## More by George Vaillant > [We can laugh from either joy or happiness, but we weep only from grief or joy...Without the pain of farewell, there is no joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-vaillant/we-can-laugh-from-either-joy-or-happiness-but-we-weep-only-from-grief/) [George Vaillant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-vaillant/) > [If you want to treat an illness that has no easy cure, first of all, treat them with hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-vaillant/if-you-want-to-treat-an-illness-that-has-no-easy-cure-first-of-all/) [George Vaillant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-vaillant/) > [Happiness is only the cart; love is the horse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-vaillant/happiness-is-only-the-cart-love-is-the-horse/) [George Vaillant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-vaillant/) > [It is not stress that kills us. It is effective adaptation to stress that allows us to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-vaillant/it-is-not-stress-that-kills-us-it-is-effective-adaptation-to-stress/) [George Vaillant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-vaillant/) > [Whether we live to a vigorous old age lies not so much in our stars or in our genes but in ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-vaillant/whether-we-live-to-a-vigorous-old-age-lies-not-so-much-in-our-stars/) [George Vaillant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-vaillant/) > [It is all too common for caterpillars to become butterflies and then to maintain that in their youth they had been little butterflies. Maturation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-vaillant/it-is-all-too-common-for-caterpillars-to-become-butterflies-and-then/) [George Vaillant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-vaillant/) > [Our lives become the sum of all whom we have loved. It is important not to waste anyone. One task of living out the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-vaillant/our-lives-become-the-sum-of-all-whom-we-have-loved-it-is-important/) [George Vaillant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-vaillant/) > [Anxiety and depression are the price you pay for a well-lived life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-vaillant/anxiety-and-depression-are-the-price-you-pay-for-a-well-lived-life/) [George Vaillant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-vaillant/) > [It's very hard, for most of us to tolerate being loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-vaillant/it-s-very-hard-for-most-of-us-to-tolerate-being-loved/) [George Vaillant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-vaillant/) > [Our lives are like the talents in the parable of the three stewards. It is something that has been given to us for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-vaillant/our-lives-are-like-the-talents-in-the-parable-of-the-three-stewards/) [George Vaillant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-vaillant/) > [Life ain't easy. Terrible things happen to everyone. You have to keep your sense of humor, give something of yourself to others, make friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-vaillant/life-ain-t-easy-terrible-things-happen-to-everyone-you-have-to-keep/) [George Vaillant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-vaillant/) > [Creativity can never be explained by appeal to reason alone. Like the birth of a child, creativity compels us not to explanation but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-vaillant/creativity-can-never-be-explained-by-appeal-to-reason-alone-like-the/) [George Vaillant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-vaillant/) > [Aging happy and well, instead of sad and sick, is at least under some personal control. We have considerable control over our weight, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-vaillant/aging-happy-and-well-instead-of-sad-and-sick-is-at-least-under-some/) [George Vaillant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-vaillant/) > [Joy is connection… The more areas in your life you can make connection, the better,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-vaillant/joy-is-connection-the-more-areas-in-your-life-you-can-make-connection/) [George Vaillant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-vaillant/) > [The recent years of the Grant Study have shown that our lives when we are old are the sum of all of our loves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-vaillant/the-recent-years-of-the-grant-study-have-shown-that-our-lives-when-we/) [George Vaillant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-vaillant/) [Explore all 17 George Vaillant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-vaillant/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) Deanna L. Lawlis > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The only thing that really matters in life are your relationships to other people.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Vaillant" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-vaillant/the-only-thing-that-really-matters-in-life-are-your-relationships-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-vaillant/the-only-thing-that-really-matters-in-life-are-your-relationships-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb0/george-vaillant-30630_life_the-only-thing-that-really-matters-in-li_1534892.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb0/george-vaillant-30630_life_the-only-thing-that-really-matters-in-li_1534892.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb0/george-vaillant-30630_life_the-only-thing-that-really-matters-in-li_1534892.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only thing that really matters in life are your relationships to other people.” — George Vaillant", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "George Vaillant", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-vaillant/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The only thing that really matters...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-vaillant/the-only-thing-that-really-matters-in-life-are-your-relationships-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-vaillant/the-only-thing-that-really-matters-in-life-are-your-relationships-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```