--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An affair now and then is good for a…" description: "\"An affair now and then is good for a marriage. It adds spice, stops it from getting boring... I ought to know.\" — Bette Davis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8c/bette-davis-2218_affair_an-affair-now-and-then-is-good-for-a-mar_3211023.jpg" --- # An affair now and then is good for a marriage. It adds… ![“An affair now and then is good for a marriage. It adds spice, stops it from getting boring... I ought to know.” quote by Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8c/bette-davis-2218_affair_an-affair-now-and-then-is-good-for-a-mar_3211023.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8c/bette-davis-2218_affair_an-affair-now-and-then-is-good-for-a-mar_3211023.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8c/bette-davis-2218_affair_an-affair-now-and-then-is-good-for-a-mar_3211023.jpg) > “An affair now and then is good for a marriage. It adds spice, stops it from getting boring... I ought to know.” [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An occasional affair can refresh a marriage by breaking monotony and adding excitement. **In simple terms:** Spice can revive a marriage. Key Takeaway Consider occasional novelty. Themes marriage infidelity excitement Mood conflicted curious Type advice cautionary When to use this quote - long‑term couples - married with children - relationship counseling Key Concepts relationship dynamics novelty risk Questions to Reflect On - Is novelty worth potential betrayal? - How to keep marriage exciting without infidelity? A Different Perspective May cause trust issues and emotional harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/) [Good marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-marriage/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) ## Related quotes > [The End of the Affair is a good movie because it about things, things that really matter. Love, sex, death. Have you ever seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-rea/the-end-of-the-affair-is-a-good-movie-because-it-about-things-things/) [Stephen Rea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-rea/) > [You always knew there was love, but marriage adds this layer of security. We're going through our life together, forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-taylor/you-always-knew-there-was-love-but-marriage-adds-this-layer-of/) [Maria Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-taylor/) > [In a good marriage each is the others better half.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-hitchcock/in-a-good-marriage-each-is-the-others-better-half/) [Alfred Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-hitchcock/) > [A good marriage isn't something you find; it's something you make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/a-good-marriage-isn-t-something-you-find-it-s-something-you-make/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) > [“The aim of marriage, as I feel it, is not by means of demolition and overthrowing of all boundaries to create a hasty communion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/the-aim-of-marriage-as-i-feel-it-is-not-by-means-of-demolition-and/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [A good marriage is a game in which both players win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/a-good-marriage-is-a-game-in-which-both-players-win/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [The secret to a good marriage, as far as I am concerned, is a joke I make: Keep the fights clean and the sex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/the-secret-to-a-good-marriage-as-far-as-i-am-concerned-is-a-joke-i/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [Most inexperienced cooks believe, mistakenly, that a fine cake is less challenging to produce than a fine souffle or mousse. I know, however, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/most-inexperienced-cooks-believe-mistakenly-that-a-fine-cake-is-less/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [A good marriage winds up as a meeting of minds, which had better be pretty good to start with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-good-marriage-winds-up-as-a-meeting-of-minds-which-had-better-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [a good marriage is that in which each appoints the other guardian of his solitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/a-good-marriage-is-that-in-which-each-appoints-the-other-guardian-of/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/there-is-no-more-lovely-friendly-and-charming-relationship-communion/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [I think even in a good marriage, especially if you stay together long enough, there are going to be events that happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-amos/i-think-even-in-a-good-marriage-especially-if-you-stay-together-long/) [Tori Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-amos/) > [A good marriage is not one where perfection reigns: it is a relationship where a healthy perspective overlooks a multitude of "unresolvables."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dobson/a-good-marriage-is-not-one-where-perfection-reigns-it-is-a/) [James Dobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dobson/) > [A good marriage is like a casserole, only those responsible for it really know what goes in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-good-marriage-is-like-a-casserole-only-those-responsible-for-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The point of marriage is not to create a quick commonality by tearing down all boundaries; on the contrary, a good marriage is one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/the-point-of-marriage-is-not-to-create-a-quick-commonality-by-tearing/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) ## More by Bette Davis > [In this business, until you're known as a monster you're not a star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/in-this-business-until-you-re-known-as-a-monster-you-re-not-a-star/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [You will never be happier than you expect. To change your happiness, change your expectation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/you-will-never-be-happier-than-you-expect-to-change-your-happiness/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [The male ego with few exceptions is elephantine to start with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/the-male-ego-with-few-exceptions-is-elephantine-to-start-with/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [“Oh Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars. - Now, Voyager”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/oh-jerry-don-t-let-s-ask-for-the-moon-we-have-the-stars-now-voyager/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [Almost as many inhumanities are committed in the name of love as in the name of religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/almost-as-many-inhumanities-are-committed-in-the-name-of-love-as-in/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [I have eyes like a bullfrog, a neck like an ostrich and long, limp hair. You just have to be good to survive with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/i-have-eyes-like-a-bullfrog-a-neck-like-an-ostrich-and-long-limp-hair/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [Dramatic art in her opinion is knowing how to fill a sweater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/dramatic-art-in-her-opinion-is-knowing-how-to-fill-a-sweater/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [I do not regret one professional enemy I have made. Any actor who doesn't dare to make an enemy should get out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/i-do-not-regret-one-professional-enemy-i-have-made-any-actor-who/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [I never did pal around with actresses. Their talk usually bored me to tears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/i-never-did-pal-around-with-actresses-their-talk-usually-bored-me-to/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [The secret of marriage is: separate bedrooms and separate bathrooms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/the-secret-of-marriage-is-separate-bedrooms-and-separate-bathrooms/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [I was never very interested in boys - and there were plenty of them - vying with one another to see how many famous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/i-was-never-very-interested-in-boys-and-there-were-plenty-of-them/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [The only way you can become a legend is in your coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/the-only-way-you-can-become-a-legend-is-in-your-coffin/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [If Hollywood didn't work out, I was prepared to be the best secretary in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/if-hollywood-didn-t-work-out-i-was-prepared-to-be-the-best-secretary/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [Everybody has a heart. Except some people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/everybody-has-a-heart-except-some-people/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [I've been lucky. I'll be lucky again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/i-ve-been-lucky-i-ll-be-lucky-again/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) [Explore all 176 Bette Davis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) ## More Affair quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [Our guiding principle was that design is neither an intellectual nor a material affair, but simply an integral part of the stuff of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-gropius/our-guiding-principle-was-that-design-is-neither-an-intellectual-nor/) [Walter Gropius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-gropius/) > [I wonder if it's possible to have a love affair that lasts forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-wonder-if-it-s-possible-to-have-a-love-affair-that-lasts-forever/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [For a young man to start his career with a love affair with an older woman was quite de rigueur ... Of course, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/for-a-young-man-to-start-his-career-with-a-love-affair-with-an-older/) [Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/) > [As long as the state permits itself to interfere in the affairs of literature, literature has the right to interfere with the affairs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/as-long-as-the-state-permits-itself-to-interfere-in-the-affairs-of/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [Love is mainly an affair of short spasms. If these spasms disappoint us, love dies. It is very seldom that it weathers the experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/love-is-mainly-an-affair-of-short-spasms-if-these-spasms-disappoint/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [The Fundamental Principle that governs - or ought to govern -human affairs if we wish to avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, or pointless utopias, is negotiation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-fundamental-principle-that-governs-or-ought-to-govern-human/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [My hope does not rest in the affairs of this world. It rests in Christ who is coming again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/my-hope-does-not-rest-in-the-affairs-of-this-world-it-rests-in-christ/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [In 1953, the United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh. The Eisenhower administration believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-1953-the-united-states-played-a-significant-role-in-orchestrating/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [Not everyone likes the stable, gradual rise of our country. There are some who are using the democratic ideology to interfere in our internal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/not-everyone-likes-the-stable-gradual-rise-of-our-country-there-are/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [The archives recall not one single incriminating incident, not one drunken escapade, not one reported affair, not one spat with a team-mate or reporter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-atherton/the-archives-recall-not-one-single-incriminating-incident-not-one/) Michael Atherton > [“I ripped the sketch from the wall. "Liar." Edward looked more ravaged than usual. "That is a terrible word, coming from you." "Yup." "And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jensen/i-ripped-the-sketch-from-the-wall-liar-edward-looked-more-ravaged/) [Melissa Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jensen/) > [For some people, a one-night stand doesn't make any difference in a seven-year love affair. I don't believe the degree of betrayal is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-some-people-a-one-night-stand-doesn-t-make-any-difference-in-a/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [And what is literature, Rabo," he said, "but an insider's newsletter about affairs relating to molecules, of no importance to anything in the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-what-is-literature-rabo-he-said-but-an-insider-s-newsletter-about/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Browse all 2,218 Affair quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "An affair now and then is good for a marriage. It adds spice, stops it from getting boring... I ought to know.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bette Davis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/an-affair-now-and-then-is-good-for-a-marriage-it-adds-spice-stops-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Affair" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/an-affair-now-and-then-is-good-for-a-marriage-it-adds-spice-stops-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8c/bette-davis-2218_affair_an-affair-now-and-then-is-good-for-a-mar_3211023.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8c/bette-davis-2218_affair_an-affair-now-and-then-is-good-for-a-mar_3211023.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8c/bette-davis-2218_affair_an-affair-now-and-then-is-good-for-a-mar_3211023.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“An affair now and then is good for a marriage. It adds spice, stops it from getting boring... I ought to know.” — Bette Davis", "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": "Bette Davis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "An affair now and then is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/an-affair-now-and-then-is-good-for-a-marriage-it-adds-spice-stops-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/an-affair-now-and-then-is-good-for-a-marriage-it-adds-spice-stops-it/#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 } } ] } ```