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Is not marriage an open question, when it is alleged, from the beginning of the world, that such as are in the institution wish to get out, and such as are out wish to get in?
Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Marriage often seems elusive, with people wanting what they don't have.

Ralph Waldo Emerson's quote highlights the paradoxical nature of marriage, suggesting that those who are married often desire freedom while those who are single yearn for the commitment of marriage. This reflects a broader commentary on human desires and societal expectations regarding relationships.

Themes

MarriageRelationshipsDesireCommitmentFreedom

In practice

Example use cases

During a wedding toast, reflecting on the complexities of love and commitment.

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It is plain that there is no separate essence called courage, no cup or cell in the brain, no vessel in the heart containing drops or atoms that make or give this virtue; but it is the right or healthy state of every man, when he is free to do that which is constitutional to him to do.
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Few people have any next, they live from hand to mouth without a plan, and are always at the end of their line.
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The world belongs to the energetic.
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Hast thou named all the birds without a gun?
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