Using that phrase is strong evidence of both bad character and poor analytic skills. Of course most relationships don't work. Thank god. How many of us would really want to be stuck with that kid they went steady with in the eighth grade?! It's great if you find someone who is right for you for the rest of your life, but it makes no sense to think of relationships that only make sense for a bounded amount of your life as failures. Even as a mature adult you outgrow people, or circumstances change and you don't suit each other anymore.