“That common thread, the number one cause of marriage and relationship failure, is rigidity. Relationships take work, and with rigidity, there is no way to move forward—it's like trying to move a concrete wall.”

“Rigidity is the inability to see the other’s point of view and, therefore, the inability to take that point of view into consideration and respond in a way that communicates connection. Rigidity is the inability to consider that the other’s perspective, though different from one's own, is valid and deserving of thought. Rigidity is the inability to change one’s mindset in the face of the other’s needs and requests. Rigidity is the refusal to budge on specific issues, or anything at all, for that matter.”