--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Wasn't marriage, like life, unstimulating…" description: "\"Wasn't marriage, like life, unstimulating and unprofitable and somewhat empty when too well ordered and protected and guarded. Wasn't it finer, more sp..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb8/edna-ferber-3893_beauty_wasn-t-marriage-like-life-unstimulating_1162455.jpg" --- # Wasn't marriage, like life, unstimulating and unprofitable… ![“Wasn't marriage, like life, unstimulating and unprofitable and somewhat empty when too well ordered and protected and guarded. Wasn't it finer, more splendid, more nourishing, when it was, like life itself, a mixture of the sordid and the magnificent; of mud and stars; of earth and flowers; of…” quote by Edna Ferber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb8/edna-ferber-3893_beauty_wasn-t-marriage-like-life-unstimulating_1162455.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb8/edna-ferber-3893_beauty_wasn-t-marriage-like-life-unstimulating_1162455.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb8/edna-ferber-3893_beauty_wasn-t-marriage-like-life-unstimulating_1162455.jpg) > “Wasn't marriage, like life, unstimulating and unprofitable and somewhat empty when too well ordered and protected and guarded. Wasn't it finer, more splendid, more nourishing, when it was, like life itself, a mixture of the sordid and the magnificent; of mud and stars; of earth and flowers; of love and hate and laughter and tears and ugliness and beauty and hurt.” [Edna Ferber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-ferber/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life and marriage become dull when overly protected; true richness comes from embracing both beauty and ugliness, joy and pain. **In simple terms:** Life is richer when messy. Key Takeaway Embrace life's contradictions. Themes marriage life balance Mood nostalgic hopeful Type literary reflective When to use this quote - relationships - parenting - creative pursuits Key Concepts Existentialism romance human experience Questions to Reflect On - What messy experiences have enriched your life? - How do you balance safety with spontaneity? A Different Perspective Perfect order can strip meaning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Empty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empty/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Guarded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guarded/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurt/) [Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life itself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-itself/) [Life Unstimulating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-unstimulating-3334625/) [Like Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-life/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love and hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-and-hate/) [Magnificent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magnificent/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Marriage Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage-like/) [Mixtures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mixtures/) [Mud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mud/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Protected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protected/) [Splendid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/splendid/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [Tears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tears/) [Ugliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ugliness/) [Wasn Finer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasn-finer-3334626/) [Wasn Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasn-marriage-1660410/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [“It wasn’t marriage per se that mattered to me but rather a life with Guy, and therefore I wasn’t in need of a big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-white/it-wasn-t-marriage-per-se-that-mattered-to-me-but-rather-a-life-with/) [Kate White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-white/) > [“Nora was sitting up in bed, surrounded by lace pillows, sipping tea. Hugh perched on the edge of the bed and said: "You were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/nora-was-sitting-up-in-bed-surrounded-by-lace-pillows-sipping-tea/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [“And really, a formal ceremony and a piecce of paper wasn't what made a marriage. It was the feeling bursting apart my chest-the overwhelming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-c-stephens/and-really-a-formal-ceremony-and-a-piecce-of-paper-wasn-t-what-made-a/) [S.C. Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-c-stephens/) > [“Sometimes you can't stand the sound of her voice and other times you wonder how you'd even breathe if she wasn't there. That's marriage,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-stacey/sometimes-you-can-t-stand-the-sound-of-her-voice-and-other-times-you/) [Shannon Stacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-stacey/) > [Maybe marriage, like life, is'nt only about the big moments, whether they be good or bad. 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It is not advisable to crash your gears and go right through to love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/marriage-is-like-a-three-speed-gearbox-affection-friendship-love-it/) [Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/) > [And, there are negatives and positives to it. Like, you know, just like a marriage, where you're like, "Well, this... you know, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-duplass/and-there-are-negatives-and-positives-to-it-like-you-know-just-like-a/) [Mark Duplass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-duplass/) > [The first year of marriage is like wet cement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-wolgemuth/the-first-year-of-marriage-is-like-wet-cement/) [Robert Wolgemuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-wolgemuth/) > [Marriage is like a vacuum cleaner. You stick it to your ear and it sucks out all your energy and ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-thomas/marriage-is-like-a-vacuum-cleaner-you-stick-it-to-your-ear-and-it/) [Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/) > [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/) > [A bad marriage is like an electrical thrilling machine: it makes you dance, but you can't let go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/a-bad-marriage-is-like-an-electrical-thrilling-machine-it-makes-you/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Marriage is like a coffin and each kid is like another nail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-simpson/marriage-is-like-a-coffin-and-each-kid-is-like-another-nail/) [Homer Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-simpson/) > [There can be no disparity in marriage like unsuitability of mind and purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/there-can-be-no-disparity-in-marriage-like-unsuitability-of-mind-and/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) ## More by Edna Ferber > [People in big empty places are likely to behave very much as the gods did on Olympus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-ferber/people-in-big-empty-places-are-likely-to-behave-very-much-as-the-gods/) [Edna Ferber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-ferber/) > [Housework's the hardest work in the world. That's why men won't do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-ferber/housework-s-the-hardest-work-in-the-world-that-s-why-men-won-t-do-it/) [Edna Ferber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-ferber/) > [It was part of theTexas ritual? We know about champagne and caviar but we talk hog and hominy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-ferber/it-was-part-of-thetexas-ritual-we-know-about-champagne-and-caviar-but/) [Edna Ferber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-ferber/) > [It's terrible to realize that you don't learn how to live until you're ready to die; and, then it's too late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-ferber/it-s-terrible-to-realize-that-you-don-t-learn-how-to-live-until-you/) [Edna Ferber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-ferber/) > [The goat's business is none of the sheep's concern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-ferber/the-goat-s-business-is-none-of-the-sheep-s-concern/) [Edna Ferber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-ferber/) > [I sometimes wonder ... if the land is not destroying the people who inhabit it as the people who inhabit it are destroying the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-ferber/i-sometimes-wonder-if-the-land-is-not-destroying-the-people-who/) [Edna Ferber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-ferber/) > [All the difference in the world between the movies and the thrill I get out of a play at the theater. Ay, yes! Like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-ferber/all-the-difference-in-the-world-between-the-movies-and-the-thrill-i/) [Edna Ferber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-ferber/) > [It's difficult to write a really good short story because it must be a complete and finished reflection of life with only a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-ferber/it-s-difficult-to-write-a-really-good-short-story-because-it-must-be/) [Edna Ferber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-ferber/) > [Now gae your wa'sTho'anes as gude As ever happit flesh and blude, Yet part we maunthe case sae hard is, Amang the writers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-ferber/now-gae-your-wa-stho-anes-as-gude-as-ever-happit-flesh-and-blude-yet/) [Edna Ferber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-ferber/) > [But I have felt that to be a Jew was, in some ways at least, to be especially privileged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-ferber/but-i-have-felt-that-to-be-a-jew-was-in-some-ways-at-least-to-be/) [Edna Ferber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-ferber/) > [I think in order to write really well and convincingly, one must be somewhat poisoned by emotion, dislike, displeasure, resentment, fault-finding, imagination, passionate remonstrance,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-ferber/i-think-in-order-to-write-really-well-and-convincingly-one-must-be/) [Edna Ferber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-ferber/) > [“Then there were long, lazy summer afternoons when there was nothing to do but read. And dream. And watch the town go by to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-ferber/then-there-were-long-lazy-summer-afternoons-when-there-was-nothing-to/) [Edna Ferber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-ferber/) > [A woman can look both moral and exciting... if she also looks as if it was quite a struggle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-ferber/a-woman-can-look-both-moral-and-exciting-if-she-also-looks-as-if-it/) [Edna Ferber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-ferber/) > [Funny, isn't it, how your whole life goes by while you think you're only planning the way you're going to live it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-ferber/funny-isn-t-it-how-your-whole-life-goes-by-while-you-think-you-re/) [Edna Ferber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-ferber/) > [There's no sauce for play like work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-ferber/there-s-no-sauce-for-play-like-work/) [Edna Ferber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-ferber/) [Explore all 120 Edna Ferber quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-ferber/) ## More Beauty quotes > [We do not want nowadays temples of worship and outward rites and ceremonies. What we really want is an Asram. We want a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/we-do-not-want-nowadays-temples-of-worship-and-outward-rites-and/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [To fathom the power, to witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain, to swing on the spiral of our divinity, and still be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tool/to-fathom-the-power-to-witness-the-beauty-to-bathe-in-the-fountain-to/) [Tool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tool/) > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [“We've all met people who are beautiful on the outside, however, when they open their mouths to speak, they have nothing of substance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/we-ve-all-met-people-who-are-beautiful-on-the-outside-however-when/) [Susan C. 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When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/) [Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/) > [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/) [Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/) > [“I already love in you your beauty, but I am only beginning to love in you that which is eternal and ever precious –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-already-love-in-you-your-beauty-but-i-am-only-beginning-to-love-in/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/) [Tumblr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tumblr/) > [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [“What about you? What do you do?” I needed to ask questions, draw him out. I needed to find out all the information I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-avery-ellison/what-about-you-what-do-you-do-i-needed-to-ask-questions-draw-him-out/) [Kate Avery Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-avery-ellison/) [Browse all 24,662 Beauty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Wasn't marriage, like life, unstimulating and unprofitable and somewhat empty when too well ordered and protected and guarded. 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