Lifelong couples told me their secrets. This is what they said.

In my work as a palliative care doctor, I meet people of all ages in the hospital who are grappling with serious illness. But when I meet couples that have been together for decades, I always wonder what has kept them together for so long.

Selfishly, I’m hoping for pointers, but their responses offer a window into their lives and what matters to them. These are a sampling of their answers — from the unattainable to the inspiring — plus, the one characteristic they all have in common.