--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If it were not for the presents, an…" description: "\"If it were not for the presents, an elopement would be preferable.\" — George Ade" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88b/george-ade-8718_marriage_if-it-were-not-for-the-presents-an-elope_2030185.jpg" --- # If it were not for the presents, an elopement would be… ![“If it were not for the presents, an elopement would be preferable.” quote by George Ade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88b/george-ade-8718_marriage_if-it-were-not-for-the-presents-an-elope_2030185.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88b/george-ade-8718_marriage_if-it-were-not-for-the-presents-an-elope_2030185.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88b/george-ade-8718_marriage_if-it-were-not-for-the-presents-an-elope_2030185.jpg) > “If it were not for the presents, an elopement would be preferable.” [George Ade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ade/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Material gifts can make relationships feel transactional; a simple elopement may be preferable without them. **In simple terms:** Too many presents can complicate love; a simple marriage is better. Key Takeaway Focus on love, not material expectations. Themes relationships materialism simplicity Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - wedding planning - gift giving - relationship counseling Key Concepts consumer culture marriage expectations Questions to Reflect On - Do gifts enhance or distract from commitment? - What is the core purpose of a wedding? A Different Perspective Some may value traditions and gifts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Elopement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elopement/) [Elopement Preferable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elopement-preferable-3724376/) [Gift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gift/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Preferable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preferable/) [Presents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presents/) [Presents Elopement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presents-elopement-3724377/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [“It’s just lunch Sophie. I’m not going to force you to elope with me in a restaurant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/somi-ekhasomhi/it-s-just-lunch-sophie-i-m-not-going-to-force-you-to-elope-with-me-in/) [Somi Ekhasomhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/somi-ekhasomhi/) > [“Interrupting what promised to be a long spate of fatherly advice, St. Vincent said in a clipped voice, “It’s not a love match. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/interrupting-what-promised-to-be-a-long-spate-of-fatherly-advice-st/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [“I’m going to tell your brother the truth. That I woke up one day and realized I loved you, and knowing you’d want an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ainsley-booth/i-m-going-to-tell-your-brother-the-truth-that-i-woke-up-one-day-and/) [Ainsley Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ainsley-booth/) > [“This had occurred due to these latter two persons deciding to marry one another and leave the profession. I have always found such liaisons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/this-had-occurred-due-to-these-latter-two-persons-deciding-to-marry/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but an elopement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/this-is-the-way-the-world-ends-not-with-a-bang-but-an-elopement/) [Connie Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/) > [This is ideal, you’ll see. We do everything backward. It’s just how we are. We began with an elopement. After that, we made love.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/this-is-ideal-you-ll-see-we-do-everything-backward-it-s-just-how-we/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“Oh! To rationalize oneself into matrimony...Oh! To decide something so grave in life 'after mature consideration'! Choose the color of a dress after a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colette/oh-to-rationalize-oneself-into-matrimony-oh-to-decide-something-so/) [Colette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colette/) > [She read Dickens in the same spirit she would have eloped with him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/she-read-dickens-in-the-same-spirit-she-would-have-eloped-with-him/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [“God, you smell intoxicating.” “It’s jasmine,” she said dreamily. “It reminds me of Damascus,” he told her, brushing the tip of his nose against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-raybourn/god-you-smell-intoxicating-it-s-jasmine-she-said-dreamily-it-reminds/) [Deanna Raybourn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deanna-raybourn/) > [I'm for gay elopement, not for gay weddings. I've been with my boyfriend for twenty years. I don't feel like that would validate our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-m-for-gay-elopement-not-for-gay-weddings-i-ve-been-with-my/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“The paradise offered by the culture industry is the same old drudgery. Both escape and elopement are pre-designed to lead back to the starting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/the-paradise-offered-by-the-culture-industry-is-the-same-old-drudgery/) [Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/) > [Presents are made for the pleasure of who gives them, not the merits of who receives them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/presents-are-made-for-the-pleasure-of-who-gives-them-not-the-merits/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [Childhood doesn't have to be perfect, and children don't have to be beautiful. From a bit of grit may grow a pearl, and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-graham/childhood-doesn-t-have-to-be-perfect-and-children-don-t-have-to-be/) [Laurie Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-graham/) > [ “Revolution from above, in some states and cases, is \[...\] often preferable to the status quo, or to no revolution at all.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/revolution-from-above-in-some-states-and-cases-is-often-preferable-to/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It is preferable not to travel with a dead man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-michaux/it-is-preferable-not-to-travel-with-a-dead-man/) [Henri Michaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-michaux/) ## More by George Ade > [A bird in the hand may be worth two in the bush, but remember also that a bird in the hand is a positive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ade/a-bird-in-the-hand-may-be-worth-two-in-the-bush-but-remember-also/) [George Ade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ade/) > [Scatter seeds of kindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ade/scatter-seeds-of-kindness/) [George Ade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ade/) > [A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but would not cost half as much during the winter months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ade/a-rose-by-any-other-name-would-smell-as-sweet-but-would-not-cost-half/) [George Ade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ade/) > [Opportunity knocks once at every man's door and then keeps on knocking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ade/opportunity-knocks-once-at-every-man-s-door-and-then-keeps-on-knocking/) [George Ade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ade/) > [Moral: Don't try to Account for Anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ade/moral-don-t-try-to-account-for-anything/) [George Ade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ade/) > [The higher they fly the harder they fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ade/the-higher-they-fly-the-harder-they-fall/) [George Ade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ade/) > [“Whom are you?” said he, for he had been to night school.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ade/whom-are-you-said-he-for-he-had-been-to-night-school/) [George Ade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ade/) > [The serpent is helpless unless he finds an apple to work with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ade/the-serpent-is-helpless-unless-he-finds-an-apple-to-work-with/) [George Ade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ade/) > [I got the breaks. Starting from nowhere in the corn belt, I helped edit a country weekly, then was jack-of-all-departments on an obscure daily,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ade/i-got-the-breaks-starting-from-nowhere-in-the-corn-belt-i-helped-edit/) [George Ade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ade/) > [Those who have tried meekness know the importance of being important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ade/those-who-have-tried-meekness-know-the-importance-of-being-important/) [George Ade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ade/) > [Never pretend to have money except when you are in straits. The poor man who pretends to have a bank account betters his credit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ade/never-pretend-to-have-money-except-when-you-are-in-straits-the-poor/) [George Ade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ade/) > [As the twig is bent the tree is inclined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ade/as-the-twig-is-bent-the-tree-is-inclined/) [George Ade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ade/) > [Moral: It all depends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ade/moral-it-all-depends/) [George Ade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ade/) > [“In the city a funeral is just an interruption of traffic; in the country it is a form of entertainment. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ade/in-the-city-a-funeral-is-just-an-interruption-of-traffic-in-the/) [George Ade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ade/) > [Nothing is improbable until it moves into past tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ade/nothing-is-improbable-until-it-moves-into-past-tense/) [George Ade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ade/) [Explore all 78 George Ade quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ade/) ## More Elopement quotes > [“The paradise offered by the culture industry is the same old drudgery. Both escape and elopement are pre-designed to lead back to the starting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/the-paradise-offered-by-the-culture-industry-is-the-same-old-drudgery/) [Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/) > [I'm for gay elopement, not for gay weddings. I've been with my boyfriend for twenty years. I don't feel like that would validate our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-m-for-gay-elopement-not-for-gay-weddings-i-ve-been-with-my/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“God, you smell intoxicating.” “It’s jasmine,” she said dreamily. “It reminds me of Damascus,” he told her, brushing the tip of his nose against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-raybourn/god-you-smell-intoxicating-it-s-jasmine-she-said-dreamily-it-reminds/) [Deanna Raybourn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deanna-raybourn/) > [She read Dickens in the same spirit she would have eloped with him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/she-read-dickens-in-the-same-spirit-she-would-have-eloped-with-him/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [“Oh! To rationalize oneself into matrimony...Oh! To decide something so grave in life 'after mature consideration'! Choose the color of a dress after a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colette/oh-to-rationalize-oneself-into-matrimony-oh-to-decide-something-so/) [Colette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colette/) > [This is ideal, you’ll see. We do everything backward. It’s just how we are. We began with an elopement. After that, we made love.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/this-is-ideal-you-ll-see-we-do-everything-backward-it-s-just-how-we/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but an elopement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/this-is-the-way-the-world-ends-not-with-a-bang-but-an-elopement/) [Connie Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/) > [“This had occurred due to these latter two persons deciding to marry one another and leave the profession. I have always found such liaisons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/this-had-occurred-due-to-these-latter-two-persons-deciding-to-marry/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“I’m going to tell your brother the truth. That I woke up one day and realized I loved you, and knowing you’d want an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ainsley-booth/i-m-going-to-tell-your-brother-the-truth-that-i-woke-up-one-day-and/) [Ainsley Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ainsley-booth/) > [“Interrupting what promised to be a long spate of fatherly advice, St. Vincent said in a clipped voice, “It’s not a love match. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/interrupting-what-promised-to-be-a-long-spate-of-fatherly-advice-st/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [“It’s just lunch Sophie. I’m not going to force you to elope with me in a restaurant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/somi-ekhasomhi/it-s-just-lunch-sophie-i-m-not-going-to-force-you-to-elope-with-me-in/) [Somi Ekhasomhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/somi-ekhasomhi/) [Browse all 12 Elopement quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elopement/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If it were not for the presents, an elopement would be preferable.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Ade" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ade/if-it-were-not-for-the-presents-an-elopement-would-be-preferable/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Elopement" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ade/if-it-were-not-for-the-presents-an-elopement-would-be-preferable/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88b/george-ade-8718_marriage_if-it-were-not-for-the-presents-an-elope_2030185.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88b/george-ade-8718_marriage_if-it-were-not-for-the-presents-an-elope_2030185.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88b/george-ade-8718_marriage_if-it-were-not-for-the-presents-an-elope_2030185.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If it were not for the presents, an elopement would be preferable.” — George Ade", "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": "George Ade", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ade/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If it were not for the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ade/if-it-were-not-for-the-presents-an-elopement-would-be-preferable/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ade/if-it-were-not-for-the-presents-an-elopement-would-be-preferable/#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 } } ] } ```