Tracy McMillan

“Ask anyone who has been in a love relationship for a while: nothing is perfect.”

“Though it's safe to say there are a whole lotta American gals who agree with the core ideals of feminism, they are somehow nevertheless watching 'Say Yes to the Dress' by the millions.”

“Putting my words piece online was an important part of my plan to help women learn how to love themselves and have a better life.”

“One of the beautiful things about men is that they're very in the moment. That's why they don't want to have an argument about what happened six months ago.”

“There is no such thing as 'getting' a guy, house and kids. There is only surrendering to them.”

“I'm the straight-talking woman in your life who is going to be really honest with you, but come from a place of love. I'm not talking down to you; I do this from my heart.”

“Being all about me is not a good thing - I don't care what 1978 tried to say - because as long as you mostly think about yourself, you're not going to be a wonderful person. You're just not.”

“Women with low self-esteem love bad boys. Women who have work to do love bad boys. Women who love themselves love good men.”

“The deal is: most men just want to marry someone who is nice to them.”

“When relationships don't work out, it doesn't mean you're a bad person, it just means you weren't meant to be together.”

“The good news is that I believe every woman who wants to can find a great partner. You're just going to need to get rid of the idea that marriage will make you happy. It won't. Once the initial high wears off, you'll just be you, except with twice as much laundry. Because ultimately, marriage is not about getting something -- it's about giving it. Strangely, men understand this more than we do. Probably because for them marriage involves sacrificing their most treasured possession -- a free-agent penis -- and for us, it's the culmination of a princess fantasy so universal, it built Disneyland.”

“I'm a blunt person, not mean-spirited. I come from a place of love, but I'm interested in being real.”

“Yes, I have 'failed' at marriage - a lot.”

“For every year past the age of 27, you need to take another step toward commitment somewhere in your life. Instead of freelancing, you get a staff job. Instead of renting, you buy. Fine, instead of couch-surfing, you rent.”

“Caring - about people, about things, about life - is an act of maturity.”

“You can't trick The Universe - it's like Santa Claus that way.”

“Work is a different type of pursuit than relationships. You can't take the skills that you know that have gotten you into that great school or into that great job and apply them to your relationships.”

“Here's the thing: you're not really ready for love until you have enough self-respect that if you met your exact self, but in a guy, you would totally, completely, absolutely want to be with him.”

“Lots of people feel more alive when they're riding a roller-coaster relationship. But while this might be fun for a while, it can't possibly last.”

“Somehow, married or single, we'd rather anesthetize ourselves with love substitutes than go for the real thing, because let's face it: The real thing is pretty scary.”