What happens when your happily-ever-after doesn’t feel so happy anymore? It can be a jarring feeling to realize that your picture-perfect ending isn't all that perfect, but no marriage is. All marriages go through hardships. When partners come together and work as a team, they can overcome these obstacles and come out stronger than ever. Through this, you will find the passion you once had that kept your marriage going every day.

If you are currently in a marriage that is on the rocks, these quotes will help give you the motivation needed to rebuild the foundation of your relationship. These words of wisdom will help guide you back on the right path to marriage stability. It's not time to give up yet.

Not Giving Up on Marriage

When life gets hard, our first reaction is to give up. With marriage, though, that should be the last resort. A couple should never give up on their relationship, and choose to fight for it every single day. Love wins when you never stop trying to show it to your spouse, despite everything else that is going on in your life. These quotes will motivate you to keep pushing forward when it feels like it is too hard.

• "In marriage it is never about not falling, it is always about getting back up." – Dr. Emerson Eggerichs
• "You can’t just give up on someone because the situation is not ideal. Great relationships aren’t great because they have no problems. They are great because both people care enough about the other person to find a way to make it work." – Unknown
• “All marriages have dark periods, even the great ones. Don’t give up when you’re in the valley.” – Michele Weiner-Davis
• “A strong marriage requires loving your spouse even in those moments when they aren’t being lovable; it means believing in them even when they struggle to believe in themselves.” – Dave Willis
• “A husband and wife may disagree on many things but they must absolutely agree on this: to never, ever give up.” — Unknown
• "Happily ever after in not a fairy tale, it’s a choice." – Fawn Weaver
• "People say love doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend renewing it daily." – Unknown

Marriage is Sacred

When you took your vows on your wedding day, you made a promise to your partner that you would stick by them until the end of time. That did not mean "just when things are good". Those vows mean you will stick by them through it all and promise to work things out when they are difficult. Marriage is not something that should so easily be thrown away. Take a moment to remember that marriage is a sacred bond between you two that is something special to honor.

• "Marriage is meant to keep people together, not just when things are good, but particularly when they are not. That’s why we take marriage vows, not wishes." – Ngina Otiende
• "The more you invest in a marriage, the more valuable it becomes." - Amy Grant
• "The best thing to hold onto in life is each other." —Audrey Hepburn
• “Marriage: Love is the reason. Lifelong friendship is the gift. Kindness is the cause. Til’ death do us part is the length.” - Fawn Weaver
• “Marriage is a mosaic you build with your spouse. Millions of tiny moments that create your love story.” - Jennifer Smith

Making Your Marriage Survive

Marriage requires a lot of hard work, dedication, and determination to keep it going. While love is an important factor, love isn't the only thing required to have a good relationship. Communication, respect, and willingness to overcome obstacles are all important. No pair is going to be perfect. Through teamwork, though, you can get past each other's differences and learn how to cohabitate as partners.

• “More marriages might survive if the partners realized that sometimes the better comes after the worse.” – Doug Larson
• “Real giving is when we give to our spouses what’s important to them, whether we understand it, like it, agree with it, or not.” – Michele Weiner-Davis
• "A marriage is a like a house. When a light bulb goes out, you do not go and buy a new house, you fix the light bulb." – Happy Wives Club
• “There is no challenge strong enough to destroy your marriage as long as you are both willing to stop fighting against each other and start fighting for each other.” — Dave Willis
• “A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.” - Mignon McLaughlin
• “What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are but how you deal with incompatibility.” – Leo Tolstoy
• “The greatest marriages are built on teamwork. A mutual respect, a healthy dose of admiration, and a never-ending portion of love and grace.” - Fawn Weaver

Remember the Past

There was once a time when you and your partner were so madly in love with each other, that you thought nothing could ever tear you two apart. Those moments of bliss and happiness can quickly be forgotten when something bumpy pops up in the relationship. These quotes will remind you of how you once felt about your spouse, and motivate you to get your marriage back to that again.

• “One day, in your search for happiness, you discover a partner by your side, and you realize that your happiness has come to help you search.” - Robert Brault
• “Love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness.” - Oliver Wendell Holmes
• “Write a list of ways that you have benefited from being married to your spouse. Then write a list of your spouse’s positive patterns and qualities. Keep adding to the lists and reread them frequently.” - Rabbi Pliskin
• "All that you are is all that I’ll ever need." - Ed Sheeran
• "You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." - Dr. Seuss

No one ever said marriage would be easy, but they did say it would be worth it. While it might not feel that your marriage is going anywhere right now, reflect on these motivational quotes to help shift your mindset. The person you married is still there and your relationship is worth saving. You just need to put in a little bit of time and dedication.