Will and Jada Reveal the Secrets to Their Nearly 20-Year Marriage

Updated on 7/2/2016 at 2:00 PM

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have a love that most people dream of. With nearly 20 years of marriage under their belts and two children between them, the couple have found a way to keep the spark alive and stand the test of time. While the road hasn't always been easy, Will has gone on record saying that the secret to their long-lasting marriage is "just not quitting." Jada has also expressed similar sentiments, stating, "You've got to be strong . . . it takes work." And that's just the tip of the iceberg. See what other sweet tidbits the duo have revealed about their union, then check out 11 examples that prove Will is still Bel-Air royalty.

Jada on Will

On being married to Will: "I never thought about being married or having a family. I didn't know anything about that because I came from a single mom so I always thought I'd be a single mom and have a career. But then I found this beautiful man, Will. I got married to him and I got my bonus son, Trey, and then I got Jaden and I got Willow and I was able to create, for myself, something I never had — which means family."
On why their relationship works: "You gotta trust who you're with. At the end of the day, I'm not here to be anybody's watcher . . . he's a grown man. Thank God I have a husband who's just a gangster partner because can you just imagine taking that road together from 25 to 44? You've got to be strong . . . it takes work."
On her trust toward Will: "Here's what I trust: The man that Will is, is a man of integrity. He's got all the freedom in the world . . . as long as Will can look in the mirror and be okay, I'm good."

On how she keeps the spark alive: "One of the things that I've realized about Will is to keep it spontaneous. I surprise him because he's a thinker, he's always in his head. He's always thinking, so I always surprise him. Even during the day, I might send a sexy picture of some sort. Just a reminder of what's waiting at home. If he's on the set with me on Hawthorne, we might take a little break."
On whether Will ever gets jealous of her being surrounded by hot guys: "After you've been with somebody for 20 years, do you think there's any room for that? He knows he's got me on lockdown."
On what made Jada fall in love with Will: "I would say Will came at a time in my life where he saw beauty in me that I didn't see in myself at the time and he saw a diamond in a rough and he kind of picked me up and blew off all the dust and said, 'I'm telling you, I'm going to make you shine, girl!' I was going through a really rough time and you know, he created a safe space for me to get healthy and to grow and to find myself."

Will on Jada

On when they "made" their two children: "It's just amazing. It's like you take Jada Pinkett Smith and an obscure town in Mexico and some tequila and you end up with great kids!"
On his love for Jada: "Jada is magical. Part of why I love her is things happen in a way they shouldn't happen, they shouldn't go that way. She has this magical power."

On Jada being his best friend: "For us, at the end of the day, it comes down to you either want what's best for the other person or you don't. At the core of it for us is friendship. It's like, 'That's my best friend.'"
On his and Jada's secret to their long-lasting marriage: "We've been married 20 years and we've been asking ourselves [what's the secret to marriage] and really at the end of the day it's just not quitting. You can't expect it to be easy, it's like our marriage was the most difficult, grueling, excruciating thing that we have ever taken on in our lives and you know, were just not quitters. If there is a secret I would say is that we never went into working in our relationship. We only ever worked on ourselves individually, and then presented ourselves to one another better than we were previously."