---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A happy marriage perhaps represents the…"
description: "\"A happy marriage perhaps represents the ideal of human relationship -- a setting in which each partner, while acknowledging the need of the other, feel..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ded/anthony-storr-15918_accepting_a-happy-marriage-perhaps-represents-the_2002523.png"
---

#  A happy marriage perhaps represents the ideal of human…

![“A happy marriage perhaps represents the ideal of human relationship -- a setting in which each partner, while acknowledging the need of the other, feels free to be what he or she by nature is: a relationship in which instinct as well as intellect can find expression; in which giving and taking are…” quote by Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ded/anthony-storr-15918_accepting_a-happy-marriage-perhaps-represents-the_2002523.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ded/anthony-storr-15918_accepting_a-happy-marriage-perhaps-represents-the_2002523.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ded/anthony-storr-15918_accepting_a-happy-marriage-perhaps-represents-the_2002523.png)

> “A happy marriage perhaps represents the ideal of human relationship -- a setting in which each partner, while acknowledging the need of the other, feels free to be what he or she by nature is: a relationship in which instinct as well as intellect can find expression; in which giving and taking are equal; in which each accepts the other, and I confronts Thou.”

[Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A marriage works best when both partners can be authentic, balancing instinct and intellect, giving and taking equally, and accepting each other fully.

**In simple terms:** Healthy marriage = authentic, balanced, reciprocal partnership.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate authenticity and equality in partnership.

Themes

authenticity balance reciprocity acceptance growth

Mood

content reflective

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- couples therapy
- relationship counseling
- daily partnership practices
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

psychology human relationships marital dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you support your partner’s authentic self?
- What habits foster equal give‑and‑take?

A Different Perspective

Ideal balance may be hard to maintain during stress or change.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Accepting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepting/) [Equal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equal/) [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Giving and taking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-and-taking/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Happy marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-marriage/) [Human relations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-relations/) [Human relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-relationship/) [Human relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-relationships/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Ideals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideals/) [Instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinct/) [Intellect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellect/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Marriage Represents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage-represents-1811080/) [Nature Relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-relationship-1467296/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Partners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/partners/) [Relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationship/) [Relationship Setting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationship-setting-3531578/) [Relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationships/) [Setting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/setting/) [Settings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/settings/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/)

## Related quotes

> [A cynic should never marry an idealist. For the cynic, marriage represents the welcome end of romantic life, with all its agony and ecstasy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-burchill/a-cynic-should-never-marry-an-idealist-for-the-cynic-marriage/)

[Julie Burchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-burchill/)

> [If you expect to get what you want 100% of a time in a relationship, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Healthy relationships…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sumesh-nair/if-you-expect-to-get-what-you-want-100-of-a-time-in-a-relationship/)

[Sumesh Nair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sumesh-nair/)

> [If you expect to get what you want 100% of a time in a relationship, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Healthy relationships…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-nwakama/if-you-expect-to-get-what-you-want-100-of-a-time-in-a-relationship-2/)

[Anne Nwakama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-nwakama/)

> [Learn something from marriage. Marriage represents the whole world in a miniature form: it teaches you many things. It is only the mediocre ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/learn-something-from-marriage-marriage-represents-the-whole-world-in/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [“That's the nature of our relationship". A spark lit his eyes. "We both do what's necessary, and after it's over, I watch you freak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/that-s-the-nature-of-our-relationship-a-spark-lit-his-eyes-we-both-do/)

[Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/)

> [Economy without ecology means managing the human nature relationship without knowing the delicate balance between humankind and the natural world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satish-kumar/economy-without-ecology-means-managing-the-human-nature-relationship/)

[Satish Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satish-kumar/)

> [“But ask anyone, such is the nature of relationship. We carry each other’s pain. We learn together, or we do not learn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-bateson/but-ask-anyone-such-is-the-nature-of-relationship-we-carry-each-other/)

[Nora Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-bateson/)

> [“Love is a matter of inner nature, not of relationship. Love has nothing to do with relationship, love is a state of being. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/love-is-a-matter-of-inner-nature-not-of-relationship-love-has-nothing/)

[Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/)

> [Nature is purposeless. Nature simply is. We may find nature beautiful or terrible, but those feelings are human constructions. Such utter and complete mindlessness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/nature-is-purposeless-nature-simply-is-we-may-find-nature-beautiful/)

[Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/)

> [The solution of present-day problems lie in the re-establishment of a harmonious relationship between man and nature. To keep this relationship permanent we will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunderlal-bahuguna/the-solution-of-present-day-problems-lie-in-the-re-establishment-of-a/)

[Sunderlal Bahuguna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunderlal-bahuguna/)

> [None of us can claim to be fair and square in love - and I'm definitely not a hypocrite! Humans are built to evolve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randeep-hooda/none-of-us-can-claim-to-be-fair-and-square-in-love-and-i-m-definitely/)

[Randeep Hooda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randeep-hooda/)

> [We have to shift our attitude of ownership of nature to relationship with nature. The moment you change from ownership to relationship, you create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satish-kumar/we-have-to-shift-our-attitude-of-ownership-of-nature-to-relationship/)

[Satish Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satish-kumar/)

> [It was the nature of our relationship to be lusty and emotional, earthy and raw. The trust that held us together also opened us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-day/it-was-the-nature-of-our-relationship-to-be-lusty-and-emotional/)

[Sylvia Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-day/)

> [No relationship would be successful without a little compromise. If you can't learn to do that then I'm sorry to say your relationship will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glennon-melton/no-relationship-would-be-successful-without-a-little-compromise-if/)

[Glennon Melton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glennon-melton/)

> [“I don't like taking from anyone. I'd rather be a giver, though not for any worthy reason. It's about control, obviously. If I give,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-forster/i-don-t-like-taking-from-anyone-i-d-rather-be-a-giver-though-not-for/)

[Margaret Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-forster/)

## More by Anthony Storr

> [Part of what we admire about a painting or a piece of music is the order which the artist has imposed upon what would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/part-of-what-we-admire-about-a-painting-or-a-piece-of-music-is-the/)

[Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/)

> [All the world loves a lover, and a lover loves all the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/all-the-world-loves-a-lover-and-a-lover-loves-all-the-world/)

[Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/)

> [I owed Lewis one thing, at least. Once you had suffered the experience of presenting a case at one of his Monday morning conferences,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/i-owed-lewis-one-thing-at-least-once-you-had-suffered-the-experience/)

[Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/)

> [In a culture in which interpersonal relationships are generally considered to provide the answer to every form of distress, it is sometimes difficult to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/in-a-culture-in-which-interpersonal-relationships-are-generally/)

[Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/)

> [If creative work protects a man against mental illness, it is small wonder that he pursues it with avidity; and even if the state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/if-creative-work-protects-a-man-against-mental-illness-it-is-small/)

[Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/)

> [Some split between the inner world and outer world is common to all behaviour, and the need to bridge the gap is the source…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/some-split-between-the-inner-world-and-outer-world-is-common-to-all/)

[Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/)

> [When a man suffers from delusions he is described as mad but when a million do so they belong to a world religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/when-a-man-suffers-from-delusions-he-is-described-as-mad-but-when-a/)

[Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/)

> [What chiefly concerns and alarms many of us are the problems arising from religious fanaticism. As long as large numbers of militant enthusiasts are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/what-chiefly-concerns-and-alarms-many-of-us-are-the-problems-arising/)

[Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/)

> [ “\[A\]voidance behavior is a response designed to protect the infant from behavioural disorganization. If we transfer this concept to adult life, we can see… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/a-voidance-behavior-is-a-response-designed-to-protect-the-infant-from/)

[Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/)

> [Idiosyncratic belief systems which are shared by only a few adherents are likely to be regarded as delusional. Belief systems which may be just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/idiosyncratic-belief-systems-which-are-shared-by-only-a-few-adherents/)

[Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/)

> [Whether a belief is considered to be a delusion or not depends partly upon the intensity with which it is defended, and partly upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/whether-a-belief-is-considered-to-be-a-delusion-or-not-depends-partly/)

[Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/)

> [The creative consequences of man's imaginative strivings may never make him whole; but they constitute his deepest consolations and his greatest glories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/the-creative-consequences-of-man-s-imaginative-strivings-may-never/)

[Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/)

> [I want to show that the dividing lines between sanity and mental illness have been drawn in the wrong place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/i-want-to-show-that-the-dividing-lines-between-sanity-and-mental/)

[Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/)

> [Since I was not able wholly to subscribe to any one set of beliefs advanced by any 'guru' I had to fall back on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/since-i-was-not-able-wholly-to-subscribe-to-any-one-set-of-beliefs/)

[Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/)

> [Avoidance behavior is a response designed to protect the infant from behavioral disorganization. If we transfer this concept to adult life, we can see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/avoidance-behavior-is-a-response-designed-to-protect-the-infant-from/)

[Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/)

[Explore all 41 Anthony Storr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/)

## More Accepting quotes

> [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/)

[Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/)

> [Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/laughing-laughing-laughing-laughing-it-is-the-jester-a-voice-from-the/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [This duo inside of me causes the perfect opportunity to live and learn twice as fast as those who choose to accept simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/this-duo-inside-of-me-causes-the-perfect-opportunity-to-live-and/)

[Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/)

[Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/)

> [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [It takes an unusually philosophic mind to accept that all one’s suffering might be to no end, really, in the larger scheme of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-takes-an-unusually-philosophic-mind-to-accept-that-all-one-s/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [No nation being under another nation can accept gifts, and kick at the responsibility attached to those gifts, imposed by the conquering nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-nation-being-under-another-nation-can-accept-gifts-and-kick-at-the/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/)

[Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/)

> [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/)

[Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/)

> [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/)

[Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/)

> [Losing someone is easy, but accepting it is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/losing-someone-is-easy-but-accepting-it-is-hard/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/)

[John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/)

> [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/)

[Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/)

> [As my films are born at the moment when they are reflected into another person's mind and memories, there are no misconceptions. I totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pirjo-honkasalo/as-my-films-are-born-at-the-moment-when-they-are-reflected-into/)

[Pirjo Honkasalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pirjo-honkasalo/)

[Browse all 6,788 Accepting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepting/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "A happy marriage perhaps represents the ideal of human relationship -- a setting in which each partner, while acknowledging the need of the other, feels free to be what he or she by nature is: a relationship in which instinct as well as intellect can find expression; in which giving and taking are equal; in which each accepts the other, and I confronts Thou.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anthony Storr"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/a-happy-marriage-perhaps-represents-the-ideal-of-human-relationship-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Accepting"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/a-happy-marriage-perhaps-represents-the-ideal-of-human-relationship-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ded/anthony-storr-15918_accepting_a-happy-marriage-perhaps-represents-the_2002523.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ded/anthony-storr-15918_accepting_a-happy-marriage-perhaps-represents-the_2002523.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ded/anthony-storr-15918_accepting_a-happy-marriage-perhaps-represents-the_2002523.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A happy marriage perhaps represents the ideal of human relationship -- a setting in which each partner…” — Anthony Storr",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Anthony Storr",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A happy marriage perhaps represents the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/a-happy-marriage-perhaps-represents-the-ideal-of-human-relationship-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/a-happy-marriage-perhaps-represents-the-ideal-of-human-relationship-a/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
