Rules of Love, The: A Personal Code for Happier, More Fulfilling Relationships

Product Author Bios

Richard Templar is the author of international bestsellers The Rules of Money, The Rules of Work, The Rules of Management, The Rules of Life, and The Rules of Parenting.

Love.

Some people know how to find it...Share it...Make it last.  

Were they born that way? No. They’ve learned the rules.

Rules you can learn, too.

The Rules of Love.

Here they are:

100 simple rules to live and love by... 

Rules for finding a partner you can love for a lifetime...

and keeping your partner just as happy...

for keeping your relationship fresh, intimate, and wonderfully surprising...

for getting past game playing, jealousy, arguments, and history...

for actually, really communicating...

for knowing what matters, and what doesn’t...

for building better relationships with your entire family

(including your kids...maybe even your in-laws)

The most important rules you will ever follow

Follow them to joy,

to contentment,

to lifelong love.

Table of Contents

Introduction  xii

Part I          Rules for Finding Love  1

Rule 1         Be Yourself  4

Rule 2         Get Over It Before You Get on with It  5

Rule 3         You Won’t Be Happy with a Partner Until You Can Be Happy on Your Own  8

Rule 4         You’ll Know Them When You Meet Them  10

Rule 5         Choose Someone Who Makes You Laugh  12

Rule 6         Being Less than a Hundred Percent Attractive Is a Great Filter  14

Rule 7         Don’t Keep Making the Same Mistakes  16

Rule 8         Certain People Are Off Limits (You Know Who They Are)  18

Rule 9         You Can’t Change People  20

Rule 10       Relationships Aren’t About Sex  22

Rule 11       You Should Know Someone Through All the Seasons Before You Make Any Major Decisions  24

Rule 12       Don’t Stay with Someone Who Doesn’t Care  26

Rule 13       If You Can’t Trust Them, You Haven’t Got a Relationship  28

Rule 14       Be Honest (While You Still Have the Chance)  30

Rule 15       Don’t Play Games  32

Rule 16       Don’t Paint New Partners with Old Brushes  34

Rule 17       Make Sure You Both Have the Same Shared Goals  36

Rule 18       You Can’t Make Someone Love You  38

Rule 19       Be Cruel to Be Kind  40

Part II         Rules of Relationships  43

Rule 20       Be Nice  46

Rule 21       Be Together Because You Want to, Not Because You Need To  48

Rule 22       Allow Your Partner the Space to Be Themselves  50

Rule 23       Look to Your Own Faults  52

Rule 24       Be Honorable  54

Rule 25       Put Each Other First  56

Rule 26       Recognize the Signs  58

Rule 27       Be a Hero--or a Heroine  60

Rule 28       Accept the Differences, Embrace What You Have in Common  62

Rule 29       Houston, We Have a Problem  64

Rule 30       You Want to Do What?  66

Rule 31       Let Not the Sun Go Down Upon Your Wrath  68

Rule 32       Be the First to Say Sorry  70

Rule 33       Don’t Belittle Your Partner  72

Rule 34       Don’t Put Them on a Pedestal and Expect Them to Stay There  74

Rule 35       Don’t Dump Responsibility on Your Partner  76

Rule 36       Never Stop Trying to Be Attractive  78

Rule 37       If You Can Say Anything Nice, Do  80

Rule 38       Don’t Try to Be Their Parent  82

Rule 39       Don’t Be a Nag  84

Rule 40       If Little Things Annoy You, Say So--with Humor  86

Rule 41       Go that Extra Step in Trying to Please Them  88

Rule 42       Make Sure Your Partner Is Always Pleased to See You  90

Rule 43       Know When to Listen and When to Act  92

Rule 44       Let Them Know If You Don’t Like Their Friends  94

Rule 45       Jealousy Is Your Stuff, Not Theirs  96

Rule 46       Your Partner Is More Important than Your Kids  98

Rule 47       Make Time for Romance  100

Rule 48       Have a Passion for Your Life Together  102

Rule 49       Share the Workload  104

Rule 50       Trust the Other One to Do the Job  106

Rule 51       Be Part of Their Life  108

Rule 52       Make Sure Your Love Making Is Making Love  110

Rule 53       Don’t Control Them  112

Rule 54       Listen to What They’re Not Saying  114

Rule 55       Most Everyday Arguments Are About Something Else  116

Rule 56       Respect Privacy  118

Rule 57       Treat Your Partner Better than Your Best Friend  120

Rule 58       Don’t Be Offended If They Want Some Space  122

Rule 59       Men Like Flowers, Too  124

Rule 60       Keep Your Finances Separate  126

Rule 61       Contentment Is a High Aim  128

Rule 62       Be Generous to Each Other Financially  130

Rule 63       You Make a Choice Every Day  132

Rule 64       Don’t’ Be a Martyr  134

Rule 65       You Don’t Both Have to Have the Same Rules  136

Rule 66       Put Yourself in Their Shoes  138

Rule 67       In-Laws Are Part of the Package  140

Rule 68       Keep Talking  142

Part III        Rules of Parting  145

Rule 69       Listen to Your Own Internal Voice  148

Rule 70       Recognize That It Takes Two  150

Rule 71       Keep the Moral High Ground  152

Rule 72       Don’t Keep Reliving It Over and Over  154

Rule 73       Leave the Kids Out of It  156

Part IV       Rules for Family  159

Rule 74       Don’t Blame Your Parents  162

Rule 75       Don’t Let Your Parents Control Your Feelings  164

Rule 76       Your Children Come Before You  166

Rule 77       Nothing Is Worth Falling Out Over  168

Rule 78       Treat Them the Way You Believe Is Right, No Matter How They Treat You  170

Rule 79       Don’t Pressure Your Family Just Because You Can  172

Rule 80       Never Be Too Busy for Loved Ones  174

Rule 81       Your Children Need to Fall Out with You to Leave Home  176

Rule 82       They Don’t Have to Be the Same as You  178

Rule 83       There’s Always Stuff with Siblings  180

Rule 84       Let Go of Your Role  182

Part V        Rules of Friendship  185

Rule 85       There Are No Rules  188

Rule 86       Your Best Friend Was Once a Stranger  190

Rule 87       Only Have People in Your Life Who Make It Better, Not Worse  192

Rule 88       If You’re Going to Be a Friend, Be a Good Friend  194

Rule 89       Never Give Advice  196

Rule 90       Find Friends Who Love the Truth  198

Rule 91       Never Lend Money Unless You’re Prepared to Write It Off  200

Rule 92       If You Don’t Like Their Partner, Tough  202

Rule 93       When One Finger Points Forward, Three Point Back  204

Rule 94       Friendships Change  206

Rule 95       Know When to Let Go  208

Rule 96       Bitterness Helps No One  210

Part VI       Rules for Everyone  213

Rule 97       Guilt Is a Selfish Emotion  216

Rule 98       Love Equals Time  218

Rule 99       The More You Give, the More You Get Back  220

Rule 100     Other People Are Where It’s At  222