"The best way to find someone you want to be with forever is to become that person yourself." ~Patricia H. Taylor

When I first read this, I realized it could be interpreted two ways. The first is the 'loner' interpretation - where you literally become the person you want to be with forever. And the second interpretation is where you become someone like someone you want to be with forever. In my opinion, both interpretations are flawed: one obviously much more than the other.

In the second interpretation, if we take it too literally we run the risk of becoming intolerant of another's differences. There is a fine line between what we can expect in another person without compromising their freedom. I, personally, believe that the big core values can be asked for and expected in a partner while the nuances can not. To me this is a little like house hunting: you can be inflexible when it comes to things such as how many bedrooms a house has and where it is located - but if you start expecting things such as wall color and furniture placement, you might have to look very long. And of course the risk is, that what is in your mind may not be what you really need.