--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is a husband who requires mileage…" description: "\"“There is a husband who requires mileage receipts, another who wants sex at three a.m. One who forbids short haircuts, another who refuses to feed the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/jenny-offill-14060_chewing-gum_there-is-a-husband-who-requires-mileage_2618499.png" --- # There is a husband who requires mileage receipts, another… ![“There is a husband who requires mileage receipts, another who wants sex at three a.m. One who forbids short haircuts, another who refuses to feed the pets. I would never put up with that, all the other wives think. Never. But my agent has a theory. She says every marriage is jerry-rigged. Even the…” quote by Jenny Offill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/jenny-offill-14060_chewing-gum_there-is-a-husband-who-requires-mileage_2618499.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/jenny-offill-14060_chewing-gum_there-is-a-husband-who-requires-mileage_2618499.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/jenny-offill-14060_chewing-gum_there-is-a-husband-who-requires-mileage_2618499.png) > ““There is a husband who requires mileage receipts, another who wants sex at three a.m. One who forbids short haircuts, another who refuses to feed the pets. I would never put up with that, all the other wives think. Never. But my agent has a theory. She says every marriage is jerry-rigged. Even the ones that look reasonable from the outside are held together with chewing gum and wire and string.”” [Jenny Offill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-offill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Marriage is portrayed as a fragile construct held together by makeshift solutions, highlighting the absurdities and compromises within partnerships. **In simple terms:** Marriage often relies on imperfect fixes and compromises. Key Takeaway Recognize and address underlying marriage issues. Themes marriage compromise absurdity Mood wry observational Type satirical philosophical When to use this quote - marital counseling - communication - setting expectations - conflict resolution Key Concepts social critique relationship dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What makes a marriage resilient? - Are compromises always necessary? A Different Perspective Idealized views may ignore deeper problems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chewing gum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chewing-gum/) [Jerry Rigged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jerry-rigged-2089417/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Marriage Jerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage-jerry-2089415/) [Pets Wives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pets-wives-2089416/) [Says Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/says-marriage-721111/) [Spouses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spouses/) [Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust/) [Wives Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wives-think-1085401/) ## Related quotes > [“But my agent has a theory. She says every marriage is jerry-rigged. Even the ones that look reasonable from the outside are held together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-offill/but-my-agent-has-a-theory-she-says-every-marriage-is-jerry-rigged/) [Jenny Offill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-offill/) > [I'm looking forward to talking to Bill Parcells, too, and to seeing how that marriage with Jerry Jones goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-guerrero/i-m-looking-forward-to-talking-to-bill-parcells-too-and-to-seeing-how/) [Lisa Guerrero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-guerrero/) > [Most wives think of their husbands as bumbling braggarts with whom they happen to be in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-gleason/most-wives-think-of-their-husbands-as-bumbling-braggarts-with-whom/) [Jackie Gleason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-gleason/) > [“When a study was made a few years ago on runaway wives, what do you think was discovered to be the main reason wives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/when-a-study-was-made-a-few-years-ago-on-runaway-wives-what-do-you/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [Biographers know nothing about the intimate sex lives of their own wives, but they think they know all about Stendhal's or Faulkner's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/biographers-know-nothing-about-the-intimate-sex-lives-of-their-own/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [If the Constitution says that marriage is between a man and woman, then things that are inconsistent with that would be inconsistent with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/if-the-constitution-says-that-marriage-is-between-a-man-and-woman/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [Everybody says marriage is 'til death do you part - and I've been married 29 years - but a book is really 'til death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-leach/everybody-says-marriage-is-til-death-do-you-part-and-i-ve-been/) [Mike Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-leach/) > [“He says marriage is a continuous inevitable confrontation that can be resolved only through death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-mckenzie/he-says-marriage-is-a-continuous-inevitable-confrontation-that-can-be/) [Elizabeth Mckenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-mckenzie/) > [“How can I want to screw someone and want to kill her at the same time?” I chuckled. “My father could explain that to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-v-larson/how-can-i-want-to-screw-someone-and-want-to-kill-her-at-the-same-time/) [B.V. Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-v-larson/) > [Everyone says marriage is hard work, but they don't tell you that actually being yourself and respecting yourself is hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/everyone-says-marriage-is-hard-work-but-they-don-t-tell-you-that/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [The world says of marriage: A short joy and a long displeasure. But he who understands it finds in it delight, love, and joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/the-world-says-of-marriage-a-short-joy-and-a-long-displeasure-but-he/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [A man who says marriage is a 50-50 proposition doesn't understand two things: 1 - Women, 2 - Fractions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/a-man-who-says-marriage-is-a-50-50-proposition-doesn-t-understand-two/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [“Some people would have killed themselves and/or someone else if they were single; and some people would not have done that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/some-people-would-have-killed-themselves-and-or-someone-else-if-they/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [In marriage we have a duty to God, our spuses, the world, and future generations. But we are sinners. A husband and wife need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-driscoll/in-marriage-we-have-a-duty-to-god-our-spuses-the-world-and-future/) [Mark Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-driscoll/) > [I've come to realize how much it really was a part of my upbringing, the Georgia part. We were away from town. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-smith/i-ve-come-to-realize-how-much-it-really-was-a-part-of-my-upbringing/) [Alice Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-smith/) ## More by Jenny Offill > [“Whenever the wife wants to do drugs, she thinks about Sartre. One bad trip and then a giant lobster followed him around for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-offill/whenever-the-wife-wants-to-do-drugs-she-thinks-about-sartre-one-bad/) [Jenny Offill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-offill/) > [The Buddhists say there are 121 states of consciousness. Of these, only three involve misery or suffering. Most of us spend our time moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-offill/the-buddhists-say-there-are-121-states-of-consciousness-of-these-only/) [Jenny Offill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-offill/) > [“Everything that has eyes will cease to see,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-offill/everything-that-has-eyes-will-cease-to-see/) [Jenny Offill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-offill/) > [My plan was to never get married. I was going to be an art monster instead,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-offill/my-plan-was-to-never-get-married-i-was-going-to-be-an-art-monster/) [Jenny Offill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-offill/) > [“Anger looked like fireworks. Love was an indistinct blur.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-offill/anger-looked-like-fireworks-love-was-an-indistinct-blur/) [Jenny Offill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-offill/) > [The reason to have a home is to keep certain people in and everyone else out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-offill/the-reason-to-have-a-home-is-to-keep-certain-people-in-and-everyone/) [Jenny Offill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-offill/) > [I like to write from midnight to dawn with great stores of candy and Red Bull laid in... I'm not sure why I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-offill/i-like-to-write-from-midnight-to-dawn-with-great-stores-of-candy-and/) [Jenny Offill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-offill/) > [“Survival in space is a challenging endeavor. As the history of modern warfare suggests, people have generally proven themselves unable to live and work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-offill/survival-in-space-is-a-challenging-endeavor-as-the-history-of-modern/) [Jenny Offill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-offill/) > [These bits of poetry that stick to her like burrs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-offill/these-bits-of-poetry-that-stick-to-her-like-burrs/) [Jenny Offill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-offill/) > [“Dizzying, this happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-offill/dizzying-this-happiness/) [Jenny Offill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-offill/) > [I can be bolder on the page, as a character. I can gnash my teeth, I can scream and yell, in a way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-offill/i-can-be-bolder-on-the-page-as-a-character-i-can-gnash-my-teeth-i-can/) [Jenny Offill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-offill/) > [To live in a city is to be forever flinching,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-offill/to-live-in-a-city-is-to-be-forever-flinching/) [Jenny Offill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-offill/) > [Also she signed away the right to self-destruct years ago. The fine print on the birth certificate, her friends call it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-offill/also-she-signed-away-the-right-to-self-destruct-years-ago-the-fine/) [Jenny Offill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-offill/) > [I felt like I could write about quiet, self-contained moments and also about those moments when the world rushes in again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-offill/i-felt-like-i-could-write-about-quiet-self-contained-moments-and-also/) [Jenny Offill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-offill/) > [I think part of what I like about being a fiction writer is that I can inhabit something that's beyond the limits of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-offill/i-think-part-of-what-i-like-about-being-a-fiction-writer-is-that-i/) [Jenny Offill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-offill/) [Explore all 48 Jenny Offill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-offill/) ## More Chewing gum quotes > [Some television programs are so much chewing gum for the eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mason-brown/some-television-programs-are-so-much-chewing-gum-for-the-eyes/) [John Mason Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mason-brown/) > [Did they practice looking suspicious in mirrors? Welcome to the United States. Don’t even think about chewing gum the wrong way.’ (Carlos)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/did-they-practice-looking-suspicious-in-mirrors-welcome-to-the-united/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [It is an anomaly that information, the one thing most necessary to our survival as choosers of our own way, should be a commodity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-liebling/it-is-an-anomaly-that-information-the-one-thing-most-necessary-to-our/) [A. J. Liebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-liebling/) > [“How can men be such lummoxes, such wads of chewing gum on our ballet slippers and still feel so good?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/how-can-men-be-such-lummoxes-such-wads-of-chewing-gum-on-our-ballet/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [For me, the dumbest rule is that you can't chew gum in school. For some reason, chewing gum for me gets my brain going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brie-larson/for-me-the-dumbest-rule-is-that-you-can-t-chew-gum-in-school-for-some/) [Brie Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brie-larson/) > [Each had his past shut in him like the leaves of a book known to him by heart; and his friends could only read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/each-had-his-past-shut-in-him-like-the-leaves-of-a-book-known-to-him/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [Teacher:Why are you chewing gum in my class?!?! Me:Dude, chill, it's gum, not cocaine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/teacher-why-are-you-chewing-gum-in-my-class-me-dude-chill-it-s-gum/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Then I’ll hide all the scissors and chewing gum.” It made the entire room grow quiet before he looked over at me. “I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-l-johnson/then-i-ll-hide-all-the-scissors-and-chewing-gum-it-made-the-entire/) [Amber L. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-l-johnson/) > [“(When chlorophyll chewing gum came into fashion two decades later, it was that colour.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/when-chlorophyll-chewing-gum-came-into-fashion-two-decades-later-it/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I must always, always have a box of Extra chewing gum in my bag because I have developed a terrible cheek-chewing compulsion. It's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/i-must-always-always-have-a-box-of-extra-chewing-gum-in-my-bag/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [My parents sent me from Venezuela to the Convent of Our Lady, a boarding school in Hastings, which was horrible - like Harry Potter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-busquets/my-parents-sent-me-from-venezuela-to-the-convent-of-our-lady-a/) [Carmen Busquets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-busquets/) > [So much of TV seems to be chewing gum for the eyes… TV desperately needs more self-reliance and pride in the medium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mason-brown/so-much-of-tv-seems-to-be-chewing-gum-for-the-eyes-tv-desperately/) [John Mason Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mason-brown/) > [“Great. Darcy is the ruler of our school. Prety soon, Julius is going to be like Singapore - you'll get a $500 fine for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flynn-meaney/great-darcy-is-the-ruler-of-our-school-prety-soon-julius-is-going-to/) [Flynn Meaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flynn-meaney/) > [“Do you know where bad breath comes from? Do you know where body odor comes from? Bad breath and body odor come from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jacoby/do-you-know-where-bad-breath-comes-from-do-you-know-where-body-odor/) [Jesse Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jacoby/) > [“It sounded old. Deserve. Old and tired and beaten to death. Deserve. Now it seemed to him that he was always saying or thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/it-sounded-old-deserve-old-and-tired-and-beaten-to-death-deserve-now/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) [Browse all 135 Chewing gum quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chewing-gum/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There is a husband who requires mileage receipts, another who wants sex at three a.m. One who forbids short haircuts, another who refuses to feed the pets. I would never put up with that, all the other wives think. Never. But my agent has a theory. She says every marriage is jerry-rigged. Even the ones that look reasonable from the outside are held together with chewing gum and wire and string.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jenny Offill" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-offill/there-is-a-husband-who-requires-mileage-receipts-another-who-wants/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chewing gum" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-offill/there-is-a-husband-who-requires-mileage-receipts-another-who-wants/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/jenny-offill-14060_chewing-gum_there-is-a-husband-who-requires-mileage_2618499.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/jenny-offill-14060_chewing-gum_there-is-a-husband-who-requires-mileage_2618499.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/jenny-offill-14060_chewing-gum_there-is-a-husband-who-requires-mileage_2618499.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is a husband who requires mileage receipts, another who wants sex at three a.m. One who forbids short…” — Jenny Offill", "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": "Jenny Offill", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-offill/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“There is a husband who requires...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-offill/there-is-a-husband-who-requires-mileage-receipts-another-who-wants/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-offill/there-is-a-husband-who-requires-mileage-receipts-another-who-wants/#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 } } ] } ```