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aac092c And - I think you know, don't you? - that I love you, Anne.' I feel as if I have been living in a loveless world for too long. The last tender face I saw was my father's when he sailed for England. 'You do? Truly?' 'I do.' He rises to his feet and pulls me up to stand beside him. My chin comes to his shoulder, we are both dainty, long-limbed, coltish: well-matched. I turn my face into his jacket. 'Will you marry me?' he whispers. 'Yes,' I say. marriage love match richard-iii Philippa Gregory
e8f162b In his old life, the answer would have been easy: He'd have just put a gun to Vin's head and dragged the fucker to the altar. Now? He needed to be a little more civilized. marriage jim-heron vin J.R. Ward
4bba276 "The youngest one," she interrupted. "The youngest son, I mean. The one who is unmarried." "I know who he is." "Very well, then. What is wrong with him?" At that she cocked her head to the side and waited expectantly. He thought for a moment. "Nothing." "You--wait." She blinked. "Nothing?" He shook his head, then shifted his weight a little; his good foot was beginning to fall asleep. "Nothing comes immediately to mind." It was true. She could do a good deal worse than Gregory Bridgerton. "Really?" she asked suspiciously. "You find nothing at all objectionable about him." Marcus pretended to think about this a bit longer. Clearly he was supposed to be playing a role here, probably that of the villain. Or if not that, then the grumpy old man. "I suppose he's a bit young," he said." marriage humor Julia Quinn
5555deb And so it was settled. Sam Gamgee married Rose Cotton in the spring of 1420 (which was also famous for its weddings), and they came and lived at Bag End. And if Sam thought himself lucky, Frodo knew that he was more lucky himself; for there was not a hobbit in the Shire that was looked after with such care. When the labours or repair had all been planned and set going he took to a quiet life, writing a good deal and going through all his notes. He resigned the office of Deputy Mayor at the Free Fair that Midsummer, and dear old Will Whitfoot had another seven years of presiding at Banquets. marriage rosie-cotton the-lord-of-the-rings the-return-of-the-king sam j-r-r-tolkien J.R.R. Tolkien
69fd83a Women are also property in our bible; adultery is a property crime in the Old Testament, not a sex crime. marriage history women religion bible old-testament objectification personhood property objectification-of-women infidelity inequality Bill Maher
2d1d4fb New Rule: If you're one of the one-in-three married women who say your pet is a better listener than your husband, you talk too much. And I have some bad news for you: Your dog's not listening, either; he's waiting for food to fall out of your mouth. marriage humor listening pets Bill Maher
18a1c16 Sometimes life begins when the marriage ends marriage Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
6b2cd99 They were married before they were friends, which is another way of saying: Their marriage was the occasion of their friendship. They were married before they noticed many small differences in background, aspiration, education, ambition. (...) Noting such differences, Leah was in some sense disappointed in herself that they did not cause real conflict between them. It was hard to get used to the fact that the pleasure her body found in his, and vice versa, should so easily overrule the many objections she had, or should have had, or thought she should have had. sex marriage Zadie Smith
acf4755 The quickest way to stop noticing something, may be to buy it--just as the quickest way to stop appreciating someone may be to marry him or her. marriage psychology Alain de Botton
d1fef86 "Dorothea, with all her eagerness to know the truths of life, retained very childlike ideas about marriage. She felt sure that she would have accepted the judicious Hooker, if she had been born in time to save him from that wretched mistake he made in matrimony; or John Milton when his blindness had come on; or any of the other great men whose odd habits it would have been glorious piety to endure; but an amiable handsome baronet, who said "Exactly" to her remarks even when she expressed uncertainty,--how could he affect her as a lover? The really delightful marriage must be that where your husband was a sort of father, and could teach you even Hebrew, if you wished it." marriage George Eliot
5585c76 "You don't understand," Mairelon said dully. "Kim doesn't want to marry a toff." Was that what was bothering him? "Well, of all the bacon-brained, sapskulled, squirish, buffle-headed nod cocks!" Kim said with as much indignation as she could muster. "I was talking about the marquis, not about you!" Mairelon's eyes kindled. "Then you would?" "You've whiddled it," Kim informed him. As he kissed her again, she heard Mrs. Lowe murmur, "Mind your language, Kim," and Shoreham say in an amused tone, "Yes, Your Grace, I believe that was an affirmative answer." marriage love Patricia C. Wrede
63db753 "Pop, why didn't you ever marry again?" "I was a good husband to your mother," Pop said. "I would not be a good husband to another woman. It would not be fair, because I gave everything I had to my first marriage. Love is like that for some people." marriage Susan Wiggs
b290ac4 How many times would he disappoint you in a day if you were married to him, Ursula wondered? marriage Kate Atkinson
7987c92 In all human love it must be realized that every man promises a woman, and every woman promises a man that which only God alone can give, namely, perfect happiness. One of the reasons why so many marriages are shipwrecked is because as the young couple leave the altar, they fail to realize that human feelings tire and the enthusiasm of the honeymoon is not the same as the more solid happiness of enduring human love. One of the greatest trials of marriage is the absence of solitude. In the first moments of human love, one does not see the little hidden deformities which later on appear. marriage happiness love Fulton J. Sheen
b2dcb04 To a shameful extent, the charm of marriage boils down to how unpleasant it is to be alone. This isn't necessarily our fault as individuals. Society as a whole appears determined to render the single state as nettlesome and depressing as possible: once the freewheeling days of school and university are over, company and warmth become dispiritingly hard to find; social life starts to revolve oppressively around couples; there's no one left to call or hang out with. It's hardly surprising, then, if when we find someone halfway decent, we might cling. marriage love social-life Alain de Botton
18d0f56 Divorce is a marital welfare. It's just couples asking society to bail them out because they didn't do enough research before they got married. How is that our fault? Don't drag down my country's statistics just because you ran off and got hitched before you ever saw each other in a bad mood. marriage humor welfare satire Stephen Colbert
39897c1 I was very happy in both my marriages. I was unfaithful and so were they, just like any other normal couple. marriage relationships love inspirational divorce faithfulness Paulo Coelho
ad36c14 That's what's so touching about weddings: Two people fall in love, and decide to see if their love might stand up over time, if there might be enough grace and forgiveness and memory lapses to help the whole shebang hang together. marriage love weddings Anne Lamott
9288d8c "You mean we're going chronological order within each author?" he gasped. "But no one even knows for sure when Shakespeare wrote his plays!" "Well," I blustered, "we know he wrote Romeo and Juliet before The Tempest. I'd like to see that reflected on our shelves." George says that was one of the few times he has seriously contemplated divorce." -- marriage organization Anne Fadiman
a8b911a ...it seemed marriage by its very design was meant to seek out love and destroy it. marriage Kelly O. McNees
18c5b48 "But how did you know that it was Stacy?" "There wasn't a green light flashing, that's for sure," he said. "Mostly, I felt I'd met a person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. That I didn't need to look any further."" "But how can you be sure?" I persisted. "You can't. There's not just one person in the world who's your type. There's a whole group with the same likes and dislikes. But you want to spend your whole life looking for all of them? You just feel that everything's right. You're at peace with yourself." marriage true-love the-one Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
2a0e728 I have not yet learned to use our television DVR. One of the points of marriage is that you split labor. In the olden days that meant one hunted and one gathered; now it means one knows where the tea-towels are kept and the other knows how to program the DVR, for why should we both have to know? marriage love tasks Elizabeth Alexander
13fdad5 "Nothing," I said. "It's quiet. It's like-- I don't know. It's like falling off a cliff." I laughed. "I guess my life will just stop when I get married." It didn't. It wasn't quiet either. And in the end, I lost him. I did it on purpose, the way Garance lost Baptiste in the crowd. I needed to be alone, I felt. I wanted to be going on alone to my future." marriage Susanna Kaysen
a0d7bda "She broke off a piece of bacon and offered it to the cat who sat staring holes through her. "For him, this is makeup sex. That's all you get," she said when Galahad inhaled the bacon then affectionately butted his head against her calf. "Just FYI, if you let another man rub up against you, and I sniff it out, you won't be able to buy me off with bacon." He handed her the syrup pitcher so she could drown her French toast. "So noted." marriage J.D. Robb
aafba22 "If you're as detached as that, why does the obsolete institution of marriage survive with you?" Oh, it still has its uses. One couldn't be divorced without it." marriage Edith Wharton
2a2284e For better or for worse, but not for lunch,... marriage relationships Abigail Thomas
96b8457 It was as if they'd discovered something that had once been there but had gotten hidden or misunderstood or forgotten over time, and they were charmed by it once more, and by one another. Which seems only right and expectable for married people. They caught a glimpse of the person they fell in love with, and who sustained life. For some, that vision must never dim - as is true of me. But it was odd that our parents should catch their glimpse, and have frustration, anxiety and worry pass away like clouds dispersing after a storm, refind their best selves, but for that glimpse to happen just before landing our family in ruin. marriage literary crime Richard Ford
49d73f9 "If she lives, she shall be my wedded wife. If she dies--mother, I can't speak of what I shall feel if she dies." His voice was choked in his throat." marriage loss love jem Elizabeth Gaskell
81995e9 The emotional place where a marriage begins is not nearly as important as the emotional place where a marriage finds itself toward the end, after many years of partnership. marriage love Elizabeth Gilbert
46a5456 Archer had reverted to all his old inherited ideas about marriage. It was less trouble to conform with the tradition and treat May exactly as all his friends treated their wives than to try to put into practice the theories with which his untrammelled bachelorhood had dallied. marriage tradition Edith Wharton
5fb286d At the same time, eroticism in the home requires active engagement and willful intent. It is an ongoing resistance to the message that marriage is serious, more work than play; and that passion is for teenagers and the immature. We must unpack our ambivalence about pleasure, and challenge our pervasive discomfort with sexuality, particularly in the context of family. Complaining of sexual boredom is easy and conventional. Nurturing eroticism in the home is an act of open defience. marriage passion eroticism sexuality pleasure Esther Perel
99dc879 You have asked her to marry you, I hope'' ''I might have demanded it'', he admitted. ''Even better marriage Julia Quinn
e52a40e ...they who exchange their independence for the sweet name of Wife must be prepared to find all is not gold that glitters... ...Es gibi tatli bir kelime karsiliginda ozgurluklerinden vazgecenler, parlayan her seyin altin olmadigini gormeye hazirlikli olmalidirlar... marriage independence bunner evelina glitters ramy exchange letter gold wife sisters Edith Wharton
9b0f875 One of the greatest advantages of singleness is the potential for greater focus on Christ and accomplishing work for Him. marriage work god life love potential calling single singleness christian young Elizabeth George
b565aa2 And now, while he didn't particularly think any of these stories was a bit truer, he did realize that he didn't really know his wife at all; and that in fact the entire conception of knowing another person--of trust, of closeness, of marriage itself--while not exactly a lie since it existed if only as an idea (in his parents' life, at least marginally) was still completely out-of-date, defunct, was something typifying another era, now unfortunately gone. Meeting a girl, falling in love, marrying her, moving to Connecticut, buying a fucking house, starting a life with her and thinking you really knew anything about her--the last part was a complete fiction, which made all the rest a joke. marriage Richard Ford
cf28c25 Destructive behavior--or simply behavior that constantly annoys your spouse to the point of desperation--is not right, and there will always be a serious consequence for it in your marriage and personal life. But every attempt you make to rid yourself of that behavior and do what's right will bring reward. Today, ask God to help break any bad habits that you or your spouse may have. marriage relationships prayer love Stormie Omartian
3d99bc1 A good marriage is supposed to be one where each spouse secretly thinks he or she got the better deal. marriage spouse Anne Lamott
090a146 "When she found a place of her own and packed her bags he asked her to marry him. She kissed him, and quoted in his ear, "He married a woman to stop her getting away, Now she's there all day." -- marriage relationship love proposal Ian McEwan
69fcb91 It was a fact generally acknowledged by all but the most contumacious spirits at the beginning of the seventeenth century that woman was the weaker vessel; weaker than man, that is. ... That was the way God had arranged Creation, sanctified in the words of the Apostle. ... Under the common law of England at the accession of King James I, no female had any rights at all (if some were allowed by custom). As an unmarried woman her rights were swallowed up in her father's, and she was his to dispose of in marriage at will. Once she was married her property became absolutely that of her husband. What of those who did not marry? Common law met that problem blandly by not recognizing it. In the words of [the leading 17th century compendium on women's legal status]: 'All of them are understood either married or to be married.' In 1603 England, in short, still lived in a world governed by feudal law, where a wife passed from the guardianship of her father to her husband; her husband also stood in relation to her as a feudal lord. fathers marriage men feminism women-s-rights history self-determination independence women empowerment wedlock common-law guardianship feudalism subjugation married-life property matrimony social-norms misogyny inequality gender husbands Antonia Fraser
a3b6370 Kaldar almost never stops and thinks about the consequences of his actions. Something is fun or not fun, and my brother's fun often lands him in interesting places such as jails or castles belonging to California robber barons. Where other people see certain death, my brother sees an opportunity for a hilarious, thrilling adventure. But when I got the tattoo, Kaldar warned me that marrying her was a bad idea. marriage Ilona Andrews
6fc17c9 "Liza Hempstock, who had been Bod's friend for the last six years, was different in another way; she was less likely to be there for him when Bod went down to the nettle patch to see her, and on the rare occasions when she was, she would be short-tempered, argumentative and often downright rude. Bod talked to Mr Owens about this, and after a few moments' reflection, his father said, "It's just women, I reckon. She liked you as a boy, probably isn't sure who you are now you're a young man. I used to play with one little girl down by the duck pond every day until she turned about your age, and then she threw an apple at my head and did not say another word to me until I was seventeen." Mrs Owens stiffened. "It was a pear I threw," she said, tartly, "and I was talking to you again soon enough, for we danced a measure at your cousin Ned's wedding, and that was but two days after your sixteenth birthday." Mr Owens said, "Of course you are right, my dear." He winked at Bod, to tell him that it was none of it serious. And then mouthed "Seventeen" to show that, really, it was." marriage romance love Neil Gaiman
d679676 Dor felt a warm, calming feeling when he said those words--She is my wife--because ever since they were children she was like the sky to him, forever around. marriage Mitch Albom
4d3ddb1 Love isn't just about feeling sure of the other person, knowing what he would give up for you. It's knowing with certainty what you are willing to surrender for his sake. Make no mistake; each partner gives up something. Individual dreams are surrendered for a shared one. In some marriages, one partner gives up almost everything she once thought she wanted. But it's not always the woman who does so. Such sacrifice is not shameful. It's love. If you think the man is worth it, it works. marriage sacrifice Robin Hobb
d07c480 He owe his wife a debt he couldn't hope to pay with any coin save one: open the cage and let the bird fly. marriage husband-and-wife-relationship Colleen McCullough
6a92e81 "You're all right, Blue Eyes." She lifted her head to look into them. "You're all right, down the line. You ever want a free bang, you got one coming." "It would, no doubt be a memorable bang. But my wife is fiercely jealous and territorial." He grinned over at a very cold-eyed Eve. "Her? You? That's a kick in the ass." "Every damn day," Eve muttered, and strode out. She kept striding, out of the club, back into the comparatively fresh air of the city street. And fisted her hands on her hips as she spun to him. "Did you have to do the 'my wife' crap?" His grin remained, and only widened. "I did, yes. I felt a desperate need for your protection. I believe that woman had designs on me." "I'll put a design on you that won't come off in the shower." "See, now I'm excited." Reaching out, he toyed with the lapel of her coat."What have you got in mind ?" marriage roarke hilarious J.D. Robb
17e799f I mean what else is there for a woman to do if she doesn't want to go from the parental to the marital home with nothing in between? 'An educated woman,'Millie amended. 'An educated woman,' Ursula agreed. marriage feminism spinster single Kate Atkinson
265c7c2 In that quietness they were speaking their own language, with their eyes, with the way they stood, with what they put into the air about them, each knowing what the other was saying, and having strength one from the other, for they had been learning through forty years of being together, and their minds were one. marriage long-marriages minds-as-one-in-marriage oneness-in-marriage Richard Llewellyn
8f14b46 Saving and pinching to get married, you're losing the best time of your life. marriage newlyweds engagement existentialism Muriel Spark
8fc4376 She wondered how she would feel to be a married woman. It would be the end of her life, she decided, if life was a time of choices. marriage Neil Gaiman
d68111b A marriage is a delicate thing, Maggie, a balance of two hearts and two hopes. Sometimes the weight's just too heavy on the one side, and the other can't lift to it. marriage Nora Roberts
22c490b Oh, I forgot to tell you the rest of it --he's a widower now, so they can ride off together into the sunset, their wedding rings glinting. marriage love sunset Brenda Joyce
69db0cc My mother was tickled and I think kind of proud when my father got hit on my an attractive middle-aged Asian lady who hadn't noticed he was with his family. He was certainly pleased about it. marriage humor Craig Ferguson
c4462a6 Say yes,' he whispers. 'Marry me.' I hesitate. I open my eyes. 'You will get my fortune,' I remark. 'When I marry you, everything I have becomes yours. Just as George has everything that belongs to Isabel.' 'That's why you can trust me to win it for you,' he says simply. 'When your interests and mine are the same, you can be certain that I will care for you as for myself. You will be my own. You will find that I care for my own.' 'You will be true to me?' 'Loyalty is my motto. When I give my word, you can trust me. marriage trust love equality-between-partners husband-and-wife richard-iii loyalty Philippa Gregory
385f749 Unless she married soon, Bond thought for the hundredth time, or had a lover, her cool air of authority might easily become spinsterish and she would join the army of women who had married a career. marriage women careers Ian Fleming
59e4d32 He had never thought the question over clearly, but vaguely imagined that his wife had long suspected him of being unfaithful to her and was looking the other way. It even seemed to him that she, a worn-out, aged, no longer beautiful woman, not remarkable for anything, simple, merely a kind mother of a family, ought in all fairness to be indulgent. It turned out to be quite the opposite. marriage Leo Tolstoy
387a966 Your assignment from God is not to change your husband, but to love, follow, assist, and minister to him. marriage men good women god love truth assist minister wife pure christian follow husband Elizabeth George
1c28b82 "At eleven, Kate woke Jake up when she went searching in the cooler for juice. "You know, you used to be peaceful," he grumbled. "I can't believe you were ever married." Kate said, as she cracked the can open. "What did you do, make her stand in the corner all the time?" marriage men-and-women Jennifer Crusie
66794e2 Liberating ourselves from the traditional strictures of marriage altogether, and/or transforming those strictures to include all of us -- gay, feminist, career-focused, baby crazy, monogamous, non-monogamous, skeptical, romantic, and everyone in between -- is the challenge facing this generation. As we consciously opt out or creatively reimagine marriage one loving couple at a time, we'll be able to shift societal expectations wholesale, freeing younger generations from some of the antiquated assumptions we've faced (that women always want to get married and men always shy away from commitment, that gender parity somehow disempowers men, that turning 30 makes an unmarried woman into an old maid). marriage men women love nonmonogamy monogamy Courtney E. Martin
99fdc23 We have talked about Suzy and about her last days, but it's as if our lives stopped then and there. If I say anything to him about feeling lonesome, he goes outside and does some little chore. I can't tell if he is secretly blaming me, or himself, or just too full of pain to talk. That was the one thing we could always do together. I wish for the old days. I wish for the struggling days and the days of Geronimo, and the days of birthing Charlie with no one but Jack to help me. How happy and in love we were then. I want to be in love again, but all I feel is darkness and shadows. Everything is changed and different loneliness marriage depression death sadness life Nancy E. Turner
95948ef I had begun to feel that life was a repetition of the same thing; that there was nothing new either in me or in him; and that, on the contrary, we kept going back as it were on what was old. marriage relationships old-habits stagnant Leo Tolstoy
7578823 There is no 'eugenics' in Nietzsche - despite occasional references to 'breeding'- at least no more than is implicit in the recommendation to choose a partner under decent lightning conditions and with one's self-respect intact. Everything else falls under training, discipline, education and self-design - the Ubermensch implies not a biological but an artistic, not to say an acrobatic programme. The only thought-provoking aspect of the marriage recommendation quoted above is the difference between onward and upward propagation. This coincides with a critique of mere repetition - obviously it will no longer suffice in future for children, as one says, to 'return' in their children. There may be a right to imperfection, but not to triviality. marriage education self-design training Peter Sloterdijk
2c9d5c1 But when, as is most often the case, the husband and wife accept the external obligation to live together all their lives and have, by the second month, come to loathe the sight of each other, want to get divorced and yet go on living together, it usually ends in that terrible hell that drives them to drink, makes them shoot themselves, kill and poison each other marriage murder love problems Leo Tolstoy
7e2d518 Be a wife of whom he can make no complaint, Margaret. That is the best advice I can give to you. You will be his wife; that is to be his servant, his possession. He will be your master. You had better please him. marriage women personhood ownership Philippa Gregory
62bd747 I was a crazy creature with a head full of carnival spangles until I was thirty, and then the only man I ever really cared for stopped waiting and married someone else. So in spite, in anger at myself, I told myself I deserved my: fate for not having married when the best chance was at hand. I started traveling. My luggage was snowed under blizzards of travel stickers. I have been alone in Paris, alone in Vienna, alone in London, and all in all, it is very much like being alone in Green Town, Illinois. It is, in essence, being alone. Oh, you have plenty of time to think, improve your manners, sharpen your conversations. But I sometimes think I could easily trade a verb tense or a curtsy for some company that would stay over for a thirty-year weekend. marriage travelling Ray Bradbury
70d1cfb That would be Axelroot all over, to turn up with an extra wife or two claiming that's how they do it here. Maybe he's been in Africa so long he's forgotten that we Christians have our own system of marriage, and it's called Monotony. marriage monogamy Barbara Kingsolver
7d3a183 The man loves you with everything he has, everything he is. Eve, that means you can hurt him. marriage romance love roarke J.D. Robb
9d87f65 "The wife's gotta know. You can't hook up like that for what looks like about six or seven years without the wife figuring it out. Unless she's another idiot. "I'm not an idiot." Smiling, Roarke continued to stroke. "I'll keep that in mind when I decide to have a long-term affair." "Yeah, you do that. They'll never find your body," she murmured, then dropped into sleep. His smiled warmed, and feeling well loved, he dropped off with her." marriage love funny-humor J.D. Robb
3fe387a She hoped that her baby was happy and would be waiting for her when she herself left Botswana and went to heaven. Would Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni get round to naming a wedding date before then? She hoped so, although he certainly seemed to be taking his time. Perhaps they could get married in heaven, if he left it too late. That would certainly be cheaper. ramotswe marriage heaven Alexander McCall Smith
8eff2f8 And nevertheless, when they watched him leave the house, this man they themselves had urged to conquer the world, then they were the ones left with the terror that he would never return. That was their life. Love, if it existed, was something separate: another life. marriage love Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez
ee9bcda The question was whether James would love me if I was someone else. marriage Barbara Delinsky
c994c61 His eagerness had turned into a routine; he embraced her at the same time every day. It was a habit like any other, a favourite pudding after the monotony of dinner. marriage routine husband habit Gustave Flaubert
c33df72 I'm married, honey. My social life consists of work, church, taxiing the kids around and trying to schedule sex with my husband at least once a month. marriage Marilyn Pappano
1e8e6e4 "When I focus on the way "men" or "husbands" generally behave, I start to lump Jamie along with half of humanity. I find myself feeling angry or annoyed with Jamie for things he hasn't even done." marriage Gretchen Rubin
10593e8 "He was through with this conversation. As a rule, they tended to avoid questions like "How sane are we?" and "Do our lives have meaning?" The need for avoidance was acute and apparent to both of them." marriage conversation Michael Chabon
0a59fa1 Ballimore! Ballimore, where's the inkwell?' Dobbilan's voice echoed down the corridor, interrupting Cimorene in mid-sentence. 'Where are you? Why can't I find anything around here when I want it?' 'Because you never look in the right place, dear,' Ballimore called. 'The inkwell is in the kitchen next to the grocery list, where it's been for the past six months, and I'm in the dining room. Which is where you'd be if you'd done what I asked you to, instead of wandering off in all directions. marriage Patricia C. Wrede
c1683fc "He followed her into the bathroom and sat on the shut toilet seat while she washed her back with a brush. "I forgot to tell you," he said. "Liza sent us a wheel of Brie." "That's nice," she said, "but you know what? Brie gives me terribly loose bowels." He hitched up his genitals and crossed his legs. "That's funny," he said. "It constipates me." That was their marriage then--not the highest paving of the stair, the clatter of Italian fountains, the wind in the alien olive trees, but this: a jay-naked male and female discussing their bowels." marriage John Cheever
c638206 Your ultimate goal for marriage is that both of you--as husband and wife--commit to keep growing spiritually. marriage god spiritual life love ultimate grow goal married faithfulness wife christian husband Elizabeth George
6e14de0 Of course, these were only dreams. How could a sensible woman leave a happy marriage? All the same, a seductive voice from afar kept breaking into her conjugal peace: it was the voice of solitude. solitude marriage spinster Milan Kundera
b594042 All things being equal, why not be married to a rich man? (Somewhere, Hannah thinks, there must be a needlepoint pillow asking this very question in a cleverer way.) marriage riches Curtis Sittenfeld
1401a41 I asked him what his work was. He answered that he devoted all his time to his political activities... He was undoubtedly busy with the diplomatic relations between his testicles and women's breast. marriage love testicles seperation iran west Marjane Satrapi
44050f1 "Would you like to become my wife?" "Imbecile! What a question. It's my greatest dream!!!" -- marriage love proposal Marjane Satrapi
29d432e Do you know, I began to see what marriage is for. It's to keep people away from each other. Sometimes I think that two people who love each other can be saved from madness only by the things that come between them--children, duties, visits, bores, relations--the things that protect married people from each other. We've been too close together--that has been our sin. We've seen the nakedness of each other's souls. madness marriage Edith Wharton
1634ed4 So when modern-day religious conservatives wax nostalgic about how marriage is a sacred tradition that reaches back into history for thousands of uninterrupted years, they are absolutely correct, but in only one respect--only if they happen to be talking about Judaism. marriage religion Elizabeth Gilbert
85b8708 "Sara," I ask finally, "what do you want from me?" "I want to look at you and remember what it used to be like," she says thickly. "I want to go back, Brian. I want you to take me back." But she is not the woman I used to know, the woman who traveled a countryside counting prairie dog holes, who read aloud the classifieds of lonely cowboys seeking women and told me, in the darkest crease of the night, that she would love me until the moon lost its footing in the sky. To be fair, I am not the same man. The one who listened. The one who believed her." marriage relationships change falling-apart nostalgia Jodi Picoult
c8ca9e1 "There was no one she wanted to see more. There was no one she wanted to see less. "Why?" she whispered. "Why are you here?" "The winds blew," he said." marriage heaven death Mitch Albom
68eec65 Though in single life your joys may not be very many, your sorrows, at least will not be more than you can bear. Marriage may change your circumstances for the better, but in my private opinion, it is far more likely to produce a contrary result marriage happiness love sorrows reality-of-life Anne Brontë
635991f FatherMichael: OK we should get on with this; I don't want to be late for my 2 o'clock. First I have to ask, is there anyone in here who thinks there is any reason why these two should not be married? LonelyLady: Yes. SureOne: I could give more than one reason. Buttercup: Hell yes. SoOverHim: DON'T DO IT! marriage humor Cecelia Ahern
c65fb76 Even if we have grown so far apart that we don't recognize each other when we pass, we have this life, this block of time, and what do you think about that? marriage life vows sharing promises Jodi Picoult
075a17d That's what a good wife does, keeps your dreams alive even when you don't believe anymore. marriage relationships dreams Michael J. Sullivan
55f96b2 Don't touch me. Don't tell me how beautiful my eyes are, how soft my hair is, how you love to hear my voice. Don't. Don't pretend you are falling in love with me. I know you are lying, and every word you say hurts even more. Let us just be friends, if we can start there. Can't we? Can't we at least be friends? Get to know each other a little? Before the wedding, and the bedding, when I will have to take you as my lord and husband? marriage fiction love empire historical-fic marie-victoria the-ring-and-the-crown royalty princess kingdom prince teens ya melissa de la cruz
034c542 "Nick and I, we sometimes laugh, laugh out loud, at the horrible things women make their husbands do to prove their love. The pointless tasks, the myriad sacrifices, the endless small surrenders. We call these men the dancing monkeys. Nick will come home, sweaty and salty and beer-loose from a day at the ballpark,and I'll curl up in his lap, ask him about the game, ask him if his friend Jack had a good time, and he'll say, 'Oh, he came down with a case of the dancing monkeys - poor Jennifer was having a "real stressful week" and really needed him at home.' Or his buddy at work, who can't go out for drinks because his girlfriend really needs him to stop by some bistro where she is having dinner with a friend from out of town. So they can finally meet. And so she can show how obedient her monkey is: He comes when I call, and look how well groomed! Wear this, don't wear that. Do this chore now and do this chore when you get a chance and by that I mean now. And definitely, definitely, give up the things you love for me, so I will have proof that you love me best. It's the female pissing contest - as we swan around our book clubs and our cocktail hours, there are few things women love more than being able to detail the sacrifices our men make for us. A call-and-response, the response being: 'Ohhh, that's so sweet.' I am happy not to be in that club. I don't partake, I don't get off on emotional coercion, on forcing Nick to play some happy-hubby role - the shrugging, cheerful, dutiful taking out the trash, honey! role. Every wife's dream man, the counterpoint to every man's fantasy of the sweet, hot, laid-back woman who loves sex and a stiff drink. I like to think I am confident and secure and mature enough to know Nick loves me without him constantly proving it. I don't need pathetic dancing-monkey scenarios to repeat to my friends, I am content with letting him be himself. I don't know why women find that so hard." marriage love Gillian Flynn
939fb0e I don't want to be married anymore. In daylight hours, I refused that thought, but at night it would consume me. What a catastrophe. How could I be such a criminal jerk as to proceed this deep into a marriage, only to leave it? We'd only just bought this house a year ago. Hadn't I wanted this nice house? Hadn't I loved it? So why was I haunting its halls every night now, howling like Medea? Wasn't I proud of all we'd accumulated--the prestigious home in the Hudson Valley, the apartment in Manhattan, the eight phone lines, the friends and the picnics and the parties, the weekends spent roaming the aisles of some box-shaped superstore of our choice, buying ever some appliances on credit? I had actively participated in every moment of the creation of this life--so why did I feel like none of it resembled me? Why did I feel so overwhelmed with duty, tired of being the primary breadwinner and the housekeeper and the social coordinator and the dog-walker and the wife and the soon-to-be mother, and--somewhere in my stolen moments--a writer...? I don't want to be married anymore. marriage Elizabeth Gilbert
06ae49b "My funeral," the Blue Man said. "Look at the mourners. Some did not even know me well, yet they came. Why? Did you ever wonder? Why people gather when others die? Why people feel they should? "It is because the human spirit knows, deep down, that all lives intersect. That death doesn't just take someone, it misses someone else, and in the small distance between being taken and being missed, lives are changed. "You say you should have died instead of me. But during my time on earth, people died instead of me, too. It happens every day. When lightning strikes a minute after you are gone, or an airplane crashes that you might have been on. When your colleague falls ill and you do not. We think such things are random. But there is a balance to it all. One withers, another grows. Birth and death are part of a whole. "It is why we are drawn to babies . . ." He turned to the mourners. "And to funerals." marriage karma spirit death life love connected cycle we-are-one birth funeral Mitch Albom
7e6dbc8 Feeling unable to maintain this detachment of attitude towards human- and, in especial, matrimonial- affairs, I asked whether it was not true that she had married Bob Duport. She nodded; not exactly conveying, it seemed to me, that by some happy chance their union had introduced her to an unexpected terrestrial paradise. marriage sardonic Anthony Powell
4df60cb The union of their shared lives could be a masterpiece, even if the colors of one piece clashed with another, even if uneven stitches showed, even if, from time to time, they had to pick out seams, realign the pieces, and sew them back together again. It would not be perfect, but it could be beautiful, if they worked together and persevered. marriage Jennifer Chiaverini
08842bc "First of all understand that I get it. That there are millions and millions of women who are steely eyed realists. And millions and millions of men who are anything but. However. For lack of a better term I would say that the feminine values are the values of america : Sensitivity is more important than Truth. Feelings are more important than Facts. Commitment is more important than Individuality. Children are more important than People. Safety is more important than Fun. truth-telling marriage feminism truth marriage-humor married-men mens-rights the-red-pill culture masculinity femininity Bill Maher
d8edc01 He said, I always thought the woman I'd marry would hit me easy, in a bolt of lightning, and there is not lightning there is not even thunder there is not even rain. marriage woman Aimee Bender
a929c67 Love may start out as a good feeling, but to love someone long-term is an act of the will. marriage men women faith relationship family god hope love feeling lady will Elizabeth George
adfcf95 "Sounds like a plan. I owe Tammy a big thank-you." Ty sighed. "I think I'm too old for this bachelor party crap." "We'll be planning yours soon enough." That was so not appealing, Ty was almost scared. "Let's just go fishing and call it good." "Done." marriage friendships Erin McCarthy
294a026 I couldn't fit my whole self into a marriage, no matter who my husband was. There were parts of me that John liked, and different parts for the others, but no one could deal with all of me, So I'd lop some part off, but then I'd start missing it, wanting it back. marriage relatiionships Karen Joy Fowler
9361267 A man will will never know a woman until he knows her work. marriage work-ethic Richard Llewellyn
aca235c If you really want to get to know someone, you have to divorce him. marriage life love Elizabeth Gilbert
7788a74 What all couples have ever wanted, a little bit of privacy in which to practice all manners of love. marriage marriage-equality Elizabeth Gilbert
ec007ef She is afraid of divorce, which will free her, as she was not enough afraid of marriage, which trapped her. marriage relationships love a.s. byatt
45529ae I tell him his business, all business, is legalized throat-cutting, like marriage is legalized fornication. marriage fornication Patricia Highsmith
2d3ba45 "You know all of the young gentlemen better than I do," Lady Manston continued. "Are there any we should avoid?" All of them, George wanted to say. ''What about Ashbourne's son?'' "No." "No?" his mother echoed. "No, as in you don't have an opinion?" "No, as in no. He is not for Billie." Who, George could not help but note, was watching the mother-son exchange with an odd mix of curiosity and alarm. "Any particular reason?" Lady Manston asked. "He gambles," George lied. Well, maybe it wasn't a lie. All gentlemen gambled. He had no idea if the one in question did so to excess. "What about the Billington heir? I think he --" "Also no." His mother regarded him with an impassive expression. "He's too young," George said, hoping it was true. "He is?" She frowned. "I suppose he might be. I can't remember precisely." jealousy lies marriage men love Julia Quinn
1170472 "Oh, come now, you two," Lady Manston said, "surely it can be no surprise that I have long hoped for an alliance between the Rokesbys and Bridgertons." "Alliance?" Billie echoed, and all George could think was that it was a terrible, clinical word, one that could never encompass all that he had come to feel for her." marriage feelings family love word Julia Quinn
917797f I want you to know that if I could've stayed with you I would have. I fought as hard as I could. I will never understand why I had to be taken from you so soon, but I have accepted it. Yet I want you to know that there is nothing more important to me than you. I loved you from the moment I saw you. And the happiest day of my life was when you agreed to share your life with mine. I promised that I would always be there for you. And my love for you is so strong that even though I won't be there physically, I will be there in every other way. I will watch over you. I will be there if you need to talk. I will never stop loving you. Not even death is powerful enough to overcome my feelings for you. My love for you, Lizzie, is stronger than anything. marriage life love inspirational powerful David Baldacci
63f5b03 What I'm trying to say is that it will be okay between you and Nate. Because you both want that. Because you both want that more than anything. It sounds simple, but I'm learning that the problems start when you want different things marriage relationships motivation Laura Dave
a4c8832 Pop stars AREN'T cool. Cheating on your husband or your wife isn't cool. Having no modesty with your body and no self-respect is NOT cool. It doesn't matter how pretty someone's voice is, or if they SAY they are Christian, God calls us to modesty and faithfulness, so we need to be careful to not idolize anyone that goes way off of what God wants. marriage jesus honesty god holiness-of-god pop-stars mariah-carey faithfulness church modesty respect Lisa Bedrick
281b573 There is no trick of a magician or spell of a witch doctor, no drug or mesmerism or bribery or torture or coercion that can compare in power with the force for change unleashed in the human breast through the touch of love. marriage relationships Mike Mason
1ed4ee4 "I'm thirty-four." "You don't look thirty-four." "That's because I'm not married." Mae's smile felt as if it were set in concrete. "Marriage tends to age a woman." marriage youth Jennifer Crusie
078f800 people have managed to marry without arithmetic marriage bible tenets maths rules Geoffrey Chaucer
1fdb890 Husbands and wives always loved each other, and that was what marriage meant. It was just so. Janie felt glad of the thought, for then it wouldn't seem so destructive and mouldy. She wouldn't be lonely anymore. marriage love Zora Neale Hurston
502e87a My friend, love is a verb. Love--the feeling--is a fruit of love, the verb. So love her. Serve her. Sacrifice. Listen to her. Empathize. Appreciate. Affirm her. Are you willing to do that? marriage love Stephen R. Covey
50e47f0 "Nick and I, we sometimes laugh, laugh out loud, at the horrible things women make their husbands do to prove their love. The pointless tasks, the myriad sacrifices, the endless small surrenders. We call these men the dancing monkeys. Nick will come home, sweaty and salty and beer-loose from a day at the ballpark,and I'll curl up in his lap, ask him about the game, ask him if his friend Jack had a good time, and he'll say, 'Oh, he came down with a case of the dancing monkeys - poor Jennifer was having a "real stressful week" and really needed him at home.' Or his buddy at work, who can't go out for drinks because his girlfriend really needs him to stop by some bistro where she is having dinner with a friend from out of town. So they can finally meet. And so she can show how obedient her monkey is: He comes when I call, and look how well groomed! Wear this, don't wear that. Do this chore now and do this chore when you get a chance and by that I mean now. And definitely, definitely, give up the things you love for me, so I will have proof that you love me best. It's the female pissing contest - as we swan around our book clubs and our cocktail hours, there are few things women love more than being able to detail the sacrifices our men make for us. A call-and-response, the response being: 'Ohhh, that's so sweet.' I am happy not to be in that club. I don't partake, I don't get off on emotional coercion, on forcing Nick to play some happy-hubby role - the shrugging, cheerful, dutiful taking out the trash, honey! role. Every wife's dream man, the counterpoint to every man's fantasy of the sweet, hot, laid-back woman who loves sex and a stiff drink. I like to think I am confident and secure and mature enough to know Nick loves me without him constantly proving it. I don't need pathetic dancing-monkey scenarios to repeat to my friends, I am content with letting him be himself. I don't know why women find that so hard." -- marriage love Gillian Flynn
97ab058 I am not a twenty-two-year-old boy; I am not a besotted fool. If you think to jilt me, think again. For I will not turn tail and run the other way as he did, oh no. I will find you, and I will drag you to the altar on your back if need be, no matter how you might be screaming. No matter how scandalous it might be. marriage love male-female-relationships romance-novels Brenda Joyce
eb5b8c8 He'd passed the longest night of his life locked in mortal combat with his ghosts, calling up and then disavowing twenty years of memories. He would banish that bitch from his heart if it meant cutting her out with his own dagger. And when at last he allowed himself to grieve, he did so silently and unwillingly, his tears hidden by the darkness, his rage congealing into a core of ice. marriage treason Sharon Kay Penman
ff61bba It was a dark story. marriage dark death short kidnapping pirate theft ominous Joseph Conrad
d06f857 It's like marriage. The race there is between total knowledge of each other and death. If death comes first, it's considered a successful marriage. marriage laura-durand michael-morgan successful-marriage Peter S. Beagle
239d28e I wonder which is worse-the death, not knowing what comes after, or the wedding, when you think you know, but you're wrong. marriage frankie-silver hanging Sharyn McCrumb
5ddc5e2 I do not grieve for him as a wife, as Anne Devereux has grieved for her husband William Herbert. She promised him she would never remarry, she swore she would go to her grave hoping to meet him in heaven. I suppose they were in some sort of love, thought married by contract. I suppose they found some sort of passion in their marriage. It is rare but not impossible. I do hope that they have no given my son ideas about loving his wife; a man who is to be king can marry only for advantage. A woman of sense would marry only for the improvement of her family. Only a lustful fool dreams every night of a marriage of love. marriage love Philippa Gregory
c7fde4c [I]nfidelity has a tenacity that marriage can only envy. marriage tenacity infidelity Esther Perel
38cc531 He had slept next to her for thirty-six years, and the mattress felt different without her weight, however slight, and without the rhythm of her breath the dark had no measure. There were times he woke feeling cold from the lack of the heat that once came from between her thighs and behind her knees. He might have even called her, if he could have momentarily forgotten that he already knew everything she could possibly say. marriage love sleeping-together Nicole Krauss
78fa727 Then I'll have more fun searching in vain then marrying one of the wrong sort. marriage romance happiness inspirational minset life-philosophy Erle Stanley Gardner
b76510d For marriage has nothing in common with love. marriage makes for security; love makes only for suffering. On the other hand, love could be so distilled, spun so fine as to implicate third and fourth persons, as to take up three or four exciting acts in a play. marriage life love nobel-prize quotes Günter Grass
da9ecac "To love somebody is not just a strong feeling -- it is a decision, it is a judgment, it is a promise," writes psychologist Erich Fromm. "If love were only a feeling, there would be no basis for the promise to love each other forever. A feeling comes and it may go. How can I judge that it will stay forever, when my act does not involve judgment and decision?" marriage love promises Ada Calhoun
2ea889a I like this marriage thing, because it's the best of all of us. We get to be the whole meal. The appetizer, the entree, the luxurious dessert... And yes, the peas and the carrots. marriage love Cassie Mae
0a750c7 People don't break up because someone's family is a little . . . messy. If that were the case, no one would ever get married. marriage family Laura Dave
16f0b08 He sat down in his chair by the fire and began to chat, as was his habit before he and his wife parted to dress for dinner. When he was out during the day he often looked forward to these chats, and made notes of things he would like to tell his Mary. During her day, which was given to feminine duties and pleasures, she frequently did the same thing. Between seven and eight in the evening they had delightful conversational opportunities. He picked up her book and glanced it over, he asked her a few questions and answered a few... marriage love regard courtesy faithfulness wife communication husband respect Frances Hodgson Burnett
35297b5 You are not by any manner of means the sort of woman I am in search of as a wife, and I am in a totally different universe from the husband you hope to find. But I feel a powerful urge to kiss you, for all that. marriage passion romance love regency-romance Mary Balogh
867b999 There are no words that can be said to justify the beauty of a bride walking down the aisle in anticipation of sharing the rest of her life with the man she esteems and loves the most, nor of the look on that man's face, when he beholds the one who will be entrusting her life to him to protect and her heart for him to love. All that can be said is that all who witnessed it found themselves overwhelmed with the joy that comes with seeing that one moment when all feels and is as it should be. marriage wedding-quotes wedding Trix Wilkins
004af5d Love coaxes and even hood-winks us into the making of a decision so radical that if left to our own devices we would never have entertained it for a moment. marriage Mike Mason
c035683 A man is always a little shamefaced on his wedding day, like a fox caught in a baited trap, ensnared because his greed overcame his better judgment. The menfolk laughed at Charlie that spring day, and said he was caught for sure now. As the bride, I was praised and fussed over, as if I had won a prize or done something marvelous that no one ever did before, and I could not help feeling pleased and clever that I had managed to turn myself from an ordinary girl into a shining bride. Now I think it is a dirty lie. The man is the one who is winning the game that day, though they always pretend they are not, and the poor girl bride is led into a trap of hard work and harsh words, the ripping of childbirth and the drubbing of her man's fists. It is the end of being young, but no one tells her so. Instead they make over her, and tell her how lucky she is. I wonder do slaves get dressed up in finery on the day they are sold. marriage slavery Sharyn McCrumb
bda738e We leave this life the same way that we enter it, totally alone, bereft. marriage science love parallel-universes thriller children Blake Crouch
10d3db3 You and I are faced with one of those situations (which fortunately are not very numerous in one lifetime) which cannot possibly be adequately judged beforehand. It strikes me as a colossal gamble, or rather, a very great adventure. And personally I am considerably exhilarated by the risks! ... The greatness of the adventure perhaps consists partly in the fact that as a Catholic I can marry only once! But, as with being born, perhaps once is quite sufficient! In the Church, you know, there is a great heightening of every moment of experience, since every moment is played against a supernatural backdrop. Nothing can be humdrum in this scheme. marriage marshall-mcluhan Marshall McLuhan
40e4337 "First of all understand that I get it. That there are millions and millions of women who are steely eyed realists. And millions and millions of men who are anything but. However. For lack of a better term I would say that the feminine values are the values of america : Sensitivity is more important than Truth. Feeling are more important than Facts. Commitment is more important than Individuality. Children are more important than People. Safety is more important than Fun. truth-telling marriage feminism truth marriage-humor married-men mens-rights the-red-pill culture masculinity femininity Bill Maher
e9fabce I'm a lazy man. With lazy dreams. I need Tai to wake me up, make me vibrate, irritate me. I need my angry woman, my unforgiving friend. marriage laziness Ursula K. Le Guin
ac7f166 Eddie told her he had made things square and her eyebrows lifted and her lips spread and Eddie felt and old, warm feeling he had missed for years, the simple act of making his wife happy marriage life Mitch Albom
5099335 Marrying Gretchen is a good idea, darling; I would enjoy bringing her up. Teaching her to shoot, helping her with her first baby, coaching her in how to handle a knife, working out with her in martial arts, all the homey domestic skills a girl needs in this modern world. marriage skills Robert A. Heinlein
413f8df "Poor May!" he said. "Poor? Why poor?" she echoed with a strained laugh. "Because I shall never be able to open a window without worrying you," he rejoined, laughing also. For a moment she was silent; then she said very low, her head bowed over her work: "I shall never worry if you're happy." "Ah, my dear; and I shall never be happy unless I can open the windows!" "In THIS weather?" she remonstrated; and with a sigh he buried his head in his book." marriage happiness Edith Wharton
d0ccc97 "People have been sleeping and/or marrying their way to the top since the first cavewoman said: 'Ugh, that one's the strongest and has the biggest club. I'll shake my mastodon-skin-covered ass at him.'" "Ugh?" "Or whatever cave people said. And it's not just women who do it. Cave guy goes: 'Ugh, that one catches the most fish, I'll be dragging her off to my cave now.' Ava sees Tommy and--" "Says ugh." "Or today's equivalent thereof." -Eve & Roarke. ." marriage reality in-death roarke hilarious J.D. Robb
a81f3e8 Can you imagine, finally showing your true self to your spouse, your soul mate, and having him not like you? marriage messed-up gone-girl sad-but-true thriller Gillian Flynn
d6d5b20 "Getting out of a marriage is rough, though, and not just for the legal / financial complications or the massive lifestyle upheaval. (As my friend Deborah once advised me wisely: "Nobody ever died from splitting up furniture.") It's the emotional recoil that kills you, the shock of stepping off the track of a conventional lifestyle and losing all the embracing comforts that keep so many people on that track forever." marriage separation Elizabeth Gilbert
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