The comic spirit is given to us in order that we may analyze, weigh, and clarify things in us which nettle us, or which we are outgrowing, or trying to reshape
Thornton WilderRead
I didn't marry you because you were perfect. I didn't even marry you because I loved you. I married you because you gave me a promise. That promise made up for your faults. And the promise I gave you made up for mine. Two imperfect people got married and it was the promise that made the marriage. And when our children were growing up, it wasn't a house that protected them; and it wasn't our love that protected them--it was that promise.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes that love and perfection are not the foundations of a strong marriage, but rather the commitments and promises made to each other.
Thornton Wilder's quote reflects on the nature of marriage and relationships, asserting that true partnership is built on the promises made to one another, rather than idealized expectations of perfection or love. His perspective suggests that while every individual has imperfections, it is the commitment to uphold one another and the trust in that commitment that create a solid foundation for both the relationship and the family. The quote highlights that in a marriage, it is the promise of support and reliability that ultimately safeguards the partnership and nurtures the growth of children.
Themes
MarriagePromiseLoveCommitmentImperfection
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a wedding ceremony to emphasize the importance of commitment.
More from Thornton Wilder
All quotes →A man looks pretty small at a wedding, George. All those good women standing shoulder to shoulder, making sure that the knot's tied in a mighty public way.
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Good-by, Good-by, world. Good-by, Grover's Corners... Mama and Papa. Good-by to clocks ticking... and Mama's sunflowers. And food and coffee. And new-ironed dresses and hot baths...and sleeping and waking up. Oh, earth, you're too wonderful for anybody to realize you.
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Many great writers have been extraordinarily awkward in daily exchange, but the greatest give the impression that their style was nursed by the closest attention to colloquial speech.
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I want you to try and remember what it was like to have been very young. And particularly the days when you were first in love; when you were like a person sleepwalking, and you didn’t quite see the street you were in, and didn’t quite hear everything that was said to you. You’re just a little bit crazy. Will you remember that, please?
Thornton WilderRead
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