--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Any mature, spiritually sensitive view of…" description: "\"Any mature, spiritually sensitive view of marriage must be built on the foundation of mature love rather than romanticism. But this immediately casts u..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/622/gary-l-thomas-15836_casts_any-mature-spiritually-sensitive-view-of_1111025.jpg" --- # Any mature, spiritually sensitive view of marriage must be… ![“Any mature, spiritually sensitive view of marriage must be built on the foundation of mature love rather than romanticism. But this immediately casts us into a countercultural pursuit.” quote by Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/622/gary-l-thomas-15836_casts_any-mature-spiritually-sensitive-view-of_1111025.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/622/gary-l-thomas-15836_casts_any-mature-spiritually-sensitive-view-of_1111025.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/622/gary-l-thomas-15836_casts_any-mature-spiritually-sensitive-view-of_1111025.jpg) > “Any mature, spiritually sensitive view of marriage must be built on the foundation of mature love rather than romanticism. But this immediately casts us into a countercultural pursuit.” [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mature love, not romance, should be the basis of marriage, making it a countercultural act. **In simple terms:** Real love is deeper than romance and challenges cultural norms. Key Takeaway Build marriage on mature love, not fleeting romance. Themes marriage love culture Mood thoughtful hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - long‑term relationships - counseling - faith communities Key Concepts mature love countercultural values spiritual sensitivity Questions to Reflect On - What does mature love look like in daily life? - How can couples nurture depth over romance? A Different Perspective Mature love can be misunderstood as lacking passion; need to balance depth and excitement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Casts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/casts/) [Countercultural Pursuit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/countercultural-pursuit-2960315/) [Foundation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foundation/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Romanticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-romanticism-2960316/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Marriage Built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage-built-2105512/) [Mature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mature/) [Mature love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mature-love/) [Mature Spiritually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mature-spiritually-2940693/) [Pursuit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursuit/) [Romanticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romanticism/) [Sensitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensitive/) [Views](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/views/) ## Related quotes > [As we mature spiritually, we exhibit a growing capacity to care for and appreciate one another in the body of Christ, regardless of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stowell/as-we-mature-spiritually-we-exhibit-a-growing-capacity-to-care-for/) [Joseph Stowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stowell/) > [Marriage is built around complementarity of the sexes and therefore the institution of marriage is a support for stable families and societies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sentamu/marriage-is-built-around-complementarity-of-the-sexes-and-therefore/) [John Sentamu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sentamu/) > [“But some of us, a very few in the end, bet on marriage against the odds. And though I didn’t feel holy, exactly, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/but-some-of-us-a-very-few-in-the-end-bet-on-marriage-against-the-odds/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [I left India after marriage and built a home in U.K.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mumtaz/i-left-india-after-marriage-and-built-a-home-in-u-k/) [Mumtaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mumtaz/) > [My love for you is still strong. Upon the foundation our marriage is built on. On this special day that I share with you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-love-for-you-is-still-strong-upon-the-foundation-our-marriage-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If there are any cages in this marriage, it is I who have built them. And I who hold the key to their locks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/if-there-are-any-cages-in-this-marriage-it-is-i-who-have-built-them/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [A marriage built on Lust stands on a sandy foundation, it will never stand a single storm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/a-marriage-built-on-lust-stands-on-a-sandy-foundation-it-will-never/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [Immature love says: I love u bcoz Ineed u . . . >>-. - - .> .. mature love says: I need u bcoz I love u](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhatsprincess/immature-love-says-i-love-u-bcoz-ineed-u-mature-love-says-i-need-u/) [ZhatsPrincess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhatsprincess/) > [You can drive at 16, go to war at 18, drink at 21, and retire at 65. So who can say what age you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-drive-at-16-go-to-war-at-18-drink-at-21-and-retire-at-65-so/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All a person needs is a hand to hold, and a heart to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-a-person-needs-is-a-hand-to-hold-and-a-heart-to-understand/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Real, sane, mature love—the kind that pays the mortgage year after year and picks up the kids after school—is not based on infatuation but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/real-sane-mature-love-the-kind-that-pays-the-mortgage-year-after-year/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [Mature love is composed and sustaining; a celebration of commitment, companionship, and trust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-jackson-brown-jr/mature-love-is-composed-and-sustaining-a-celebration-of-commitment/) [H. Jackson Brown, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-jackson-brown-jr/) > [When I hear your voice I will begin to dream of you being here, Love as we share is miles away, baby if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-hear-your-voice-i-will-begin-to-dream-of-you-being-here-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Mature love is loving, not being loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/mature-love-is-loving-not-being-loved/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [True love is not a potion one person can swallow and another refuse to drink. It happens only when the souls of two join…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/true-love-is-not-a-potion-one-person-can-swallow-and-another-refuse/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Gary L. Thomas > [“The mark of a spiritual man or woman is a listening heart, not a lecturing tongue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/the-mark-of-a-spiritual-man-or-woman-is-a-listening-heart-not-a/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) > [“With Christ in us and the Holy Spirit transforming us, we really have no excuse for continuing immaturity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/with-christ-in-us-and-the-holy-spirit-transforming-us-we-really-have/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) > [The older I get the more I realize that a significant portion of a parent's happiness or sadness in middle-age will be directly impacted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/the-older-i-get-the-more-i-realize-that-a-significant-portion-of-a/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) > [Done well, marital sexuality can be a supremely healing experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/done-well-marital-sexuality-can-be-a-supremely-healing-experience/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) > [“Contempt is conceived with expectations. Respect is conceived with expressions of gratitude. We can choose which one we will obsess over-expectations, or thanksgivings. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/contempt-is-conceived-with-expectations-respect-is-conceived-with/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) > [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/) > [If you want to be free to serve Jesus, there’s no question—stay single. Marriage takes a lot of time. But if you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/if-you-want-to-be-free-to-serve-jesus-there-s-no-question-stay-single/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) > [“One of these early thinkers, Augustine (A.D. 354–430), suggested that there are three benefits of marriage: offspring, faith (fidelity), and sacrament. Of the three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/one-of-these-early-thinkers-augustine-a-d-354-430-suggested-that/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) > [“Righteousness—true holiness—is seen over time in our persistence. It is relatively easy to “flirt” with righteousness—being occasionally courteous to other drivers (if you happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/righteousness-true-holiness-is-seen-over-time-in-our-persistence-it/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) > [“This is a book that looks at how we can use the challenges, joys, struggles, and celebrations of marriage to draw closer to God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/this-is-a-book-that-looks-at-how-we-can-use-the-challenges-joys/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) > [“He planted marriage among humans as yet another signpost pointing to his own eternal, spiritual existence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/he-planted-marriage-among-humans-as-yet-another-signpost-pointing-to/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) > [It's astonishing how quickly cultural references change. Each new generation of parents grows up with a new slate of cultural understanding, television shows, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/it-s-astonishing-how-quickly-cultural-references-change-each-new/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) > [“In this chapter, we’re going to explore how these various analogies use the experience of marriage to teach us valuable truths about the nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/in-this-chapter-we-re-going-to-explore-how-these-various-analogies/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) > [What if your husband’s faults are God’s tools to shape you? What if the very thing that most bugs you about your man constitutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/what-if-your-husband-s-faults-are-god-s-tools-to-shape-you-what-if/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) > [“The church must not teach the submission of wives apart from the sacrificial love and servanthood required of husbands.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/the-church-must-not-teach-the-submission-of-wives-apart-from-the/) [Gary L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) [Explore all 41 Gary L. Thomas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/) ## More Casts quotes > [Everything comes home, my mother used to say; every word spoken, every shadow cast, every footprint in the sand. It can't be helped; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/everything-comes-home-my-mother-used-to-say-every-word-spoken-every/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [Politics only makes the difficult challenge of marriage even harder, with the demands of the job and the public spotlight it casts on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/politics-only-makes-the-difficult-challenge-of-marriage-even-harder/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [The God in whose hands are all our days and ways, did cast into my hand one day a book of Martin Luthers; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/the-god-in-whose-hands-are-all-our-days-and-ways-did-cast-into-my/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [I was focused on The Hunger Games movie with my director, with the studio, and with the cast and crew. We all just focused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-jacobson/i-was-focused-on-the-hunger-games-movie-with-my-director-with-the/) [Nina Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-jacobson/) > [All my life I've been involved with racial politics. I was a Freedom Rider in the South. I was the author of books on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hayden/all-my-life-i-ve-been-involved-with-racial-politics-i-was-a-freedom/) [Tom Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hayden/) > [God hath work to do in this world; and to desert it because of its difficulties and entanglements, is to cast off His authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-owen/god-hath-work-to-do-in-this-world-and-to-desert-it-because-of-its/) [John Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-owen/) > [The bullet that will kill me is not yet cast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/the-bullet-that-will-kill-me-is-not-yet-cast/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [All progress in literary style lies in the heroic resolve to cast aside accretions and exuberances, all the conventions of a past age that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/all-progress-in-literary-style-lies-in-the-heroic-resolve-to-cast/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) > [And as regards Adam and Eve we must maintain that before the fall they were virgins in Paradise: but after they sinned, and were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-jerome/and-as-regards-adam-and-eve-we-must-maintain-that-before-the-fall/) [St. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-jerome/) > [I think that people who stand up for what they believe in, no matter how unpopular, should be celebrated, not cast aside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-lancaster/i-think-that-people-who-stand-up-for-what-they-believe-in-no-matter/) [Craig Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-lancaster/) > [Unless a man gives himself entirely to the Cross, in a spirit of humility and self-abasement; unless he casts himself down to be trampled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-the-evangelist/unless-a-man-gives-himself-entirely-to-the-cross-in-a-spirit-of/) [Mark the Evangelist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-the-evangelist/) > [Now, we are agreed, I and my destinies. The total world, Above, below, whate'er is seen or known, And all that men, and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hartley-coleridge/now-we-are-agreed-i-and-my-destinies-the-total-world-above-below/) [Hartley Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hartley-coleridge/) > [Sometimes you choose the wrong actor, he could be the best actor ever, but hes not cast in the right part then it doesnt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-marceau/sometimes-you-choose-the-wrong-actor-he-could-be-the-best-actor-ever/) [Sophie Marceau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-marceau/) > [I would always cast Meryl Streep for everything. I would do with something inspired by the work of Guy Bourdin, my favorite photographer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-cruz/i-would-always-cast-meryl-streep-for-everything-i-would-do-with/) [Penelope Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-cruz/) [Browse all 2,106 Casts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/casts/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Any mature, spiritually sensitive view of marriage must be built on the foundation of mature love rather than romanticism. But this immediately casts us into a countercultural pursuit.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gary L. Thomas" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/any-mature-spiritually-sensitive-view-of-marriage-must-be-built-on/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Casts" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/any-mature-spiritually-sensitive-view-of-marriage-must-be-built-on/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/622/gary-l-thomas-15836_casts_any-mature-spiritually-sensitive-view-of_1111025.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/622/gary-l-thomas-15836_casts_any-mature-spiritually-sensitive-view-of_1111025.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/622/gary-l-thomas-15836_casts_any-mature-spiritually-sensitive-view-of_1111025.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Any mature, spiritually sensitive view of marriage must be built on the foundation of mature love rather…” — Gary L. Thomas", "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": "Gary L. Thomas", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-thomas/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Any mature, spiritually sensitive view of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/any-mature-spiritually-sensitive-view-of-marriage-must-be-built-on/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-thomas/any-mature-spiritually-sensitive-view-of-marriage-must-be-built-on/#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 } } ] } ```