Honesty and trust are absolutely crucial to a close relationship.  Never, ever lie to your partner, and tell them more and more about yourself as you get closer.  There will probably be some things that you wouldn't want to tell them in the early stages of your relationship, but it's always better to explain that you can't answer a particular question yet than to lie.

A relationship is like a bank account: the more effort and care and love you put in, the stronger the relationship will become and the more you will be able to draw out.

Good relationships involve equal amounts of give and take over time.  If you find you're doing all the giving, have a serious chat with your partner.  If you're doing all the taking, think how you can start giving your time and effort to the relationship before you lose it!

Make sure you tell your partner how much you care about them whenever you feel it: never assume that they will just know.  If you don't tell them whenever you feel close to them, they may start doubting that you still care.  If you feel you can say it every day, make sure you do.

Be sensitive to the needs and wishes of your partner, and keep trying to adjust what you do to keep them happy whenever you can.  You should, of course, expect that they will do the same for you, but you need to keep watching them and thinking about their needs in order to be able to respond to them.  If you're not tuned into your partner, they will feel neglected by you and wonder how close you really are.

Make sure that no matter how busy you are each day, you always find time to sit down together and just chat about things that are on your minds.  If you never make time for serious conversation, the serious things that need to be said will never be said at all.

If you have a special relationship with someone, you have to let that specialness shine through even when there are lots of other people around.  Of course you'll want to share your time with friends when they visit, but you still have to find a way to show your partner that they have a special place above all the others.  If you don't, your partner will see you spending all your time with other people whenever you can, which suggests that they are more important to you.

If there are days when you are apart, try to find some way to communicate with your partner so you can show you still care.  You may both need reassurance that your relationship is perhaps even more important when you are apart, that you miss each other and look forward to the time when you will be together again.  With no communication, fears and doubts can build that can cause serious damage to the trust between you.

It's really important to show your love for your partner whenever you feel it, in whatever way you can.  Love is a very special gift that feels strongest when the moment is right, so don't let the moment slip away.

Live every day of your relationship as though it were the last.  You never know what tomorrow will bring, so make the very best of what you have today.  Then you will never have any regrets.

Make sure you find time for trips out together.  A relationship will never survive if you have all your fun trips out with other people: to maintain and grow your relationship you need to share those special times together as well as the ordinary times.  And make sure that usually it's just the two of you: having others along with you is OK once in a while, but the old saying "two is company, three is a crowd" definitely has a lot of truth in it. 

When your partner is ill or upset, be ready to give them all the extra care they need to help them through.  You'll need to be doing all the giving during those difficult periods, and your willingness to do that will show your partner that you really do care, and that you're not just interested in what you can receive.  Treat them the way you would like to be treated when you are ill or upset.

The longer your relationship continues, the harder it will be for it to break apart.  In the early stages a couple of mistakes can end the relationship, but as time goes on your partner will need more and more mistakes from you to give up on the relationship.

Be understanding if there is something your partner needs to do, and try to help them do it if you can.

Have fun together every single day.  Relationships are about fun and happiness, so make sure you have plenty of time for them.

Don't allow yourself to be drawn so far into a relationship that you have to give up all your friends, family and interests.  If your partner respects you and cares about you they would never expect you to give up things that are of long-term importance to you.

If you are unhappy about anything that your partner is doing, make time to talk about it as soon as you can and talk about it until you have agreed a solution.  Small problems that are not sorted quickly can grow into big problems.