--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The secret to a long-lasting relationship…" description: "\"The secret to a long-lasting relationship is perpetually imagining the worst. It's a world view tracing back to my Eastern European ancestry and one I ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/zoe-lister-jones-11211_ancestry_the-secret-to-a-long-lasting-relationshi_594296.png" --- # The secret to a long-lasting relationship is perpetually… ![“The secret to a long-lasting relationship is perpetually imagining the worst. It's a world view tracing back to my Eastern European ancestry and one I draw upon regularly.” quote by Zoe Lister-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/zoe-lister-jones-11211_ancestry_the-secret-to-a-long-lasting-relationshi_594296.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/zoe-lister-jones-11211_ancestry_the-secret-to-a-long-lasting-relationshi_594296.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/zoe-lister-jones-11211_ancestry_the-secret-to-a-long-lasting-relationshi_594296.png) > “The secret to a long-lasting relationship is perpetually imagining the worst. It's a world view tracing back to my Eastern European ancestry and one I draw upon regularly.” [Zoe Lister-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-lister-jones/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Continuously anticipating problems keeps a partnership resilient by preparing for challenges before they arise. **In simple terms:** Expecting problems helps keep a relationship strong. Key Takeaway Plan for difficulties, not just enjoy good times. Themes relationships resilience anticipation Mood thoughtful cautious Type advice reflective When to use this quote - marriage - business partnership - friendship - team projects Key Concepts risk management emotional intelligence Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance vigilance with trust? - What signs show this mindset is helping or harming? A Different Perspective It may create anxiety if taken to extremes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancestry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestry/) [Lasting relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasting-relationship/) [Relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationships/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-view/) ## Related quotes > [Truly getting to know someone, then dating them for the right reasons and with hopes for a long lasting relationship is ideal in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/truly-getting-to-know-someone-then-dating-them-for-the-right-reasons/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm a lone wolf. I run by myself on most things. 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To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burden/relationships-that-start-fast-most-of-the-time-don-t-last-because-the/) [Bryan Burden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burden/) > [Marriage Is An Agreement Between Two People To Explore Their Deepest Darkest Sexual Desire, While They Make The World Believe They're Trying To Build…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juru-samuels/marriage-is-an-agreement-between-two-people-to-explore-their-deepest/) [Juru Samuels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juru-samuels/) > [I see is that there are many people who destroy their marriages because of one-night stands with someone else. And as the French say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-see-is-that-there-are-many-people-who-destroy-their-marriages/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“I’ll tell him that if he hopes to get any kind of a long lasting relationship with you he better do more than make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milly-taiden/i-ll-tell-him-that-if-he-hopes-to-get-any-kind-of-a-long-lasting/) [Milly Taiden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milly-taiden/) > [I never let my heart to trust any guy, sorry I want long lasting relationship. Be serious with me, not making me happy with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-never-let-my-heart-to-trust-any-guy-sorry-i-want-long-lasting/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Want to know the key to a long-lasting relationship? Don't go with your loved one to Ikea. One psychologist says the stress of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/want-to-know-the-key-to-a-long-lasting-relationship-don-t-go-with/) [Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-williams/) > [A long term relationship takes a lot of ingredients to make it last. There's got to be spice in a relationship! The two have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burden/a-long-term-relationship-takes-a-lot-of-ingredients-to-make-it-last/) [Bryan Burden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burden/) > [If you want a long lasting relationship just follow the golden rule NEVER LIE.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-want-a-long-lasting-relationship-just-follow-the-golden-rule/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A long lasting relationship is not just about romancing each other or being passionate in the bed each day. It is all about complete…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-long-lasting-relationship-is-not-just-about-romancing-each-other-or/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Love + Trust + Honesty = Long Lasting Relationship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-trust-honesty-long-lasting-relationship/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I want a long lasting relationship. Someone who will be there for me, support me, trust me, comfort me, appreciate me, and love me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhat/i-want-a-long-lasting-relationship-someone-who-will-be-there-for-me/) [Zhat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhat/) > [I believe having religion in your life creates the potential for long-lasting relationships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-believe-having-religion-in-your-life-creates-the-potential-for-long/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Zoe Lister-Jones > [I've been an audience member for friends in plays that I don't enjoy and I have to lie to their faces. It's just part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-lister-jones/i-ve-been-an-audience-member-for-friends-in-plays-that-i-don-t-enjoy/) [Zoe Lister-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-lister-jones/) > [For any couple, once you delve into the idea of non-monogamy, you're entering pretty frightening territory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-lister-jones/for-any-couple-once-you-delve-into-the-idea-of-non-monogamy-you-re/) [Zoe Lister-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-lister-jones/) > [There's no shame in owning a New Kids on the Block t-shirt. They were my first concert when I was eight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-lister-jones/there-s-no-shame-in-owning-a-new-kids-on-the-block-t-shirt-they-were/) [Zoe Lister-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-lister-jones/) > [See, I will always shop, and that's sort of a problem. Clothes are always exploding out of my closet!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-lister-jones/see-i-will-always-shop-and-that-s-sort-of-a-problem-clothes-are/) [Zoe Lister-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-lister-jones/) > [I think Girls is pretty brilliant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-lister-jones/i-think-girls-is-pretty-brilliant/) [Zoe Lister-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-lister-jones/) > [As artists, it's really important to take time to see what other art is happening and to know what's happening in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-lister-jones/as-artists-it-s-really-important-to-take-time-to-see-what-other-art/) [Zoe Lister-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-lister-jones/) > [Writing becomes a really good creative outlet when you're sitting there and feeling creatively frustrated or stilted, but also you then get to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-lister-jones/writing-becomes-a-really-good-creative-outlet-when-you-re-sitting/) [Zoe Lister-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-lister-jones/) > [Sometimes I think that kids who are given junk food then don't crave it as adults in the same way. I don't know. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-lister-jones/sometimes-i-think-that-kids-who-are-given-junk-food-then-don-t-crave/) [Zoe Lister-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-lister-jones/) > [At this moment, glyphosate is the biggest threat. And because of its overuse, we are seeing the emergence of superweeds, which have grown resistant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-lister-jones/at-this-moment-glyphosate-is-the-biggest-threat-and-because-of-its/) [Zoe Lister-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-lister-jones/) > [I think a lot of people, especially women, feel like to be whole, you need to find part of yourself in another person -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-lister-jones/i-think-a-lot-of-people-especially-women-feel-like-to-be-whole-you/) [Zoe Lister-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-lister-jones/) > [I guess actors are very sensitive people. We're porous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-lister-jones/i-guess-actors-are-very-sensitive-people-we-re-porous/) [Zoe Lister-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-lister-jones/) > [It's human nature to want to be with other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-lister-jones/it-s-human-nature-to-want-to-be-with-other-people/) [Zoe Lister-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-lister-jones/) > [Most actors and actresses are performative as people. It goes part and parcel with the profession and New York actors who are out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-lister-jones/most-actors-and-actresses-are-performative-as-people-it-goes-part-and/) [Zoe Lister-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-lister-jones/) > [Theater is a really exciting place to return to all the time because it's incredible training for an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-lister-jones/theater-is-a-really-exciting-place-to-return-to-all-the-time-because/) [Zoe Lister-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-lister-jones/) > [There's a lot of people desperately seeking to find 'the one,' and I think we should learn to be more at peace with ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-lister-jones/there-s-a-lot-of-people-desperately-seeking-to-find-the-one-and-i/) [Zoe Lister-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-lister-jones/) [Explore all 61 Zoe Lister-Jones quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-lister-jones/) ## More Ancestry quotes > [It is worthwhile for anyone to have behind him a few generations of honest, hard-working ancestry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-worthwhile-for-anyone-to-have-behind-him-a-few-generations-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Blood is a destiny. One's genius descends in the stream from long lines of ancestry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/blood-is-a-destiny-one-s-genius-descends-in-the-stream-from-long/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [My life shall be free and broad and great, and I will not be the slave to the sense delights which chained my ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/my-life-shall-be-free-and-broad-and-great-and-i-will-not-be-the-slave/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [High birth is an accident, not a virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietro-metastasio/high-birth-is-an-accident-not-a-virtue/) [Pietro Metastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietro-metastasio/) > [Being a mixed-blood person of Ojibway and European ancestry, I always found that I only heard one side of the story - that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-boyden/being-a-mixed-blood-person-of-ojibway-and-european-ancestry-i-always/) [Joseph Boyden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-boyden/) > [Bird taxonomy is a difficult field because of the severe anatomical constraints imposed by flight. There are only so many ways to design a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-diamond/bird-taxonomy-is-a-difficult-field-because-of-the-severe-anatomical/) [Jared Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-diamond/) > [I've got German, Cornish and Scottish ancestry. It might help explain my affinity for forests, the sea, and fatty foods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-maclachlan/i-ve-got-german-cornish-and-scottish-ancestry-it-might-help-explain/) [Kyle MacLachlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-maclachlan/) > [“I have always found it difficult not to be moved by Jerusalem, even when I hated it—and God knows I have hated it for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-abulhawa/i-have-always-found-it-difficult-not-to-be-moved-by-jerusalem-even/) [Susan Abulhawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-abulhawa/) > [I've never felt grounded because of my ancestry or my gender. I think until women get away from that they're not going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-ve-never-felt-grounded-because-of-my-ancestry-or-my-gender-i-think/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I get anxious. That lovely Jewish guilt that comes with ancestry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-rudolph/i-get-anxious-that-lovely-jewish-guilt-that-comes-with-ancestry/) [Maya Rudolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-rudolph/) > [The function of the artist is to disturb. His duty is to arouse the sleeper, to shake the complacent pillars of the world. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-bethune/the-function-of-the-artist-is-to-disturb-his-duty-is-to-arouse-the/) Norman Bethune > [Both the ancestry and posterity of Grief go further than the ancestry and posterity of Joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/both-the-ancestry-and-posterity-of-grief-go-further-than-the-ancestry/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [I wasn't trying to work out my own ancestry. I was trying to get people to feel slavery. I was trying to get across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wasn-t-trying-to-work-out-my-own-ancestry-i-was-trying-to-get/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Ancestry is not destiny,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/ancestry-is-not-destiny/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > […Even the idea of a city never entered his mind. It was as if he had walked under the millimeter of haze just above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/even-the-idea-of-a-city-never-entered-his-mind-it-was-as-if-he-had/) [Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/) [Browse all 256 Ancestry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestry/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The secret to a long-lasting relationship is perpetually imagining the worst. 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