---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Marriage is a relationship between a man…"
description: "\"Marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman. I don't think it is the role of the state to define what marriage is.\" — John Sentamu"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eae/john-sentamu-36262_between_marriage-is-a-relationship-between-a-man_1018464.png"
---

#  Marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman. I…

![“Marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman. I don't think it is the role of the state to define what marriage is.” quote by John Sentamu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eae/john-sentamu-36262_between_marriage-is-a-relationship-between-a-man_1018464.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eae/john-sentamu-36262_between_marriage-is-a-relationship-between-a-man_1018464.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eae/john-sentamu-36262_between_marriage-is-a-relationship-between-a-man_1018464.png)

> “Marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman. I don't think it is the role of the state to define what marriage is.”

[John Sentamu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sentamu/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Marriage definition should be personal, not dictated by government.

**In simple terms:** State shouldn't define marriage.

Key Takeaway

Advocate personal freedom in relationships.

Themes

marriage state personal liberty equality

Mood

thoughtful neutral

Type

philosophical political

When to use this quote

- policy debates
- legal reforms
- community discussions

Key Concepts

legal philosophy social contract civil rights

Questions to Reflect On

- Should the state have any role in personal unions?
- How do cultural norms influence marriage definitions?

A Different Perspective

Cultural traditions may conflict with this view.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationship/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woman/)

## Related quotes

> [Culture, what you believe, what you value, how you live matters. Now, as fundamental as these principles are, they may become topics of democratic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/culture-what-you-believe-what-you-value-how-you-live-matters-now-as/)

[Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/)

> [My view is that marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman. That's the position I've had for some time, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/my-view-is-that-marriage-is-a-relationship-between-a-man-and-a-woman/)

[Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/)

> [I believe marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/i-believe-marriage-is-a-relationship-between-a-man-and-a-woman/)

[Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/)

> [Society may no longer define marriage in the only way marriage has ever been defined in the annals of recorded history. Many societies allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/society-may-no-longer-define-marriage-in-the-only-way-marriage-has/)

[Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/)

> [“Crazy was a hard state to define.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/crazy-was-a-hard-state-to-define/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [My parents, man, they're just the most loving, encouraging... They're like those people who define themselves through their role as parents before people in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riz-ahmed/my-parents-man-they-re-just-the-most-loving-encouraging-they-re-like/)

[Riz Ahmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riz-ahmed/)

> [I am not married yet, but I think ultimately in a good marriage it is the relationship which is the most important thing. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/i-am-not-married-yet-but-i-think-ultimately-in-a-good-marriage-it-is/)

[Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/)

> [God has brought us together as families to bring to pass His eternal purposes. We are part of this plan in this marriage relationship.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/god-has-brought-us-together-as-families-to-bring-to-pass-his-eternal/)

[Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/)

> [What you are as a single person, you will be as a married person, only to a greater degree. Any negative character trait will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-mcdowell/what-you-are-as-a-single-person-you-will-be-as-a-married-person-only/)

[Josh McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-mcdowell/)

> [“But it is the marriage relationship in which the changing pattern is shown up most clearly because it is the deepest one and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/but-it-is-the-marriage-relationship-in-which-the-changing-pattern-is/)

[Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/)

> [True charity ought to begin in marriage, for it is a relationship that must be rebuilt every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/true-charity-ought-to-begin-in-marriage-for-it-is-a-relationship-that/)

[James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/)

> [She wasn't, nor ever had been, under the illusion that marriage was a relationship characterized by endless bliss and romance. Throw any two people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/she-wasn-t-nor-ever-had-been-under-the-illusion-that-marriage-was-a/)

[Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/)

> [There is no bad marriage or relationship...there are only matching or non-matching characters...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-no-bad-marriage-or-relationship-there-are-only-matching-or/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Get yourself healthy before you get yourself married. Too often we bring our unexamined selves into our marriage relationship. Also, have a cultivating commitment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-clark-warren/get-yourself-healthy-before-you-get-yourself-married-too-often-we/)

[Neil Clark Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-clark-warren/)

> [I liked the premise of this material. I love the marriage relationship. They kind of keep each other honest, and they enjoy each other's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-arquette/i-liked-the-premise-of-this-material-i-love-the-marriage-relationship/)

[Patricia Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-arquette/)

## More by John Sentamu

> [What a fantastic honour to be given the opportunity to write a column in the first ever 'Sunday Sun.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sentamu/what-a-fantastic-honour-to-be-given-the-opportunity-to-write-a-column/)

[John Sentamu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sentamu/)

> [To a bystander like me, those who made 190 million pounds deliberately underselling the shares of HBOS, in spite of its very strong capital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sentamu/to-a-bystander-like-me-those-who-made-190-million-pounds-deliberately/)

[John Sentamu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sentamu/)

> [As the week's events on reality television demonstrate, there is an ugly underbelly in society only too ready to point the finger at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sentamu/as-the-week-s-events-on-reality-television-demonstrate-there-is-an/)

[John Sentamu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sentamu/)

> [Would we be a better society if we made marriage simply a private contract between two individuals, with no wider implications of kinship and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sentamu/would-we-be-a-better-society-if-we-made-marriage-simply-a-private/)

[John Sentamu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sentamu/)

> [Multiculturalism has seemed to imply, wrongly for me, let other cultures be allowed to express themselves but do not let the majority culture at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sentamu/multiculturalism-has-seemed-to-imply-wrongly-for-me-let-other/)

[John Sentamu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sentamu/)

> [There is a difference between civil partnerships and marriage. That difference does not mean one is better than another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sentamu/there-is-a-difference-between-civil-partnerships-and-marriage-that/)

[John Sentamu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sentamu/)

> [What do you do with people in same-sex relationships that are committed, loving and Christian? Would you rather bless a sheep and a tree,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sentamu/what-do-you-do-with-people-in-same-sex-relationships-that-are/)

[John Sentamu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sentamu/)

> [The Gospel offers forgiveness for the past, new life for the present, and hope for the future,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sentamu/the-gospel-offers-forgiveness-for-the-past-new-life-for-the-present/)

[John Sentamu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sentamu/)

> [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/)

> [If the rights of civil partners are met differently in law to those of married couples, there is no discrimination in law, and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sentamu/if-the-rights-of-civil-partners-are-met-differently-in-law-to-those/)

[John Sentamu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sentamu/)

> [Child abuse is a heinous and personally damaging crime; it is therefore incumbent on the Church to treat such matters with the utmost seriousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sentamu/child-abuse-is-a-heinous-and-personally-damaging-crime-it-is/)

[John Sentamu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sentamu/)

> [The virtue of the civil partnerships scheme lay in the attempt to treat the needs of gay and lesbian couples as what they are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sentamu/the-virtue-of-the-civil-partnerships-scheme-lay-in-the-attempt-to/)

[John Sentamu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sentamu/)

[Explore all 13 John Sentamu quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sentamu/)

## More Between quotes

> [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/)

[Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/)

> [There's a difference between delivering real funny and just silly funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-rel-howery/there-s-a-difference-between-delivering-real-funny-and-just-silly/)

[Lil Rel Howery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-rel-howery/)

> [There may be little practical difference between a Ford Mondeo and a BMW three series, but in terms of perceptions of who you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/there-may-be-little-practical-difference-between-a-ford-mondeo-and-a/)

[Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/)

> [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/)

[Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/)

> [I don't think the distinction between high and low culture exists anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-scott/i-don-t-think-the-distinction-between-high-and-low-culture-exists/)

[Jeremy Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-scott/)

> [My parents are divorced, and seeing that was really painful for me. Really painful for me. But that's also a big part of why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/my-parents-are-divorced-and-seeing-that-was-really-painful-for-me/)

[Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/)

> [Hebron is a bone of contention between Israeli settlers and the Palestinians in part because Abraham is buried there, in the Tomb of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/hebron-is-a-bone-of-contention-between-israeli-settlers-and-the/)

[Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/)

> [There's overwhelming evidence... circumstantial and otherwise, to suggest a connection between Iraq and al Qaeda.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/there-s-overwhelming-evidence-circumstantial-and-otherwise-to-suggest/)

[Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/)

> [I really think there's no difference between an art piece made by a man and one made by a woman. Is it a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/i-really-think-there-s-no-difference-between-an-art-piece-made-by-a/)

[Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/)

> [On the stage, the characters express themselves more through words than images. So the arguments of the characters and the tension between characters -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/on-the-stage-the-characters-express-themselves-more-through-words/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [Close contact between science and the practice of collective farms and State farms creates inexhaustible opportunities for the development of theoretical knowledge, enabling us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trofim-lysenko/close-contact-between-science-and-the-practice-of-collective-farms/)

[Trofim Lysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trofim-lysenko/)

> [There's a difference between watching a film and watching a bit of cinema and enjoying a film as a piece of cinema.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-frost/there-s-a-difference-between-watching-a-film-and-watching-a-bit-of/)

[Nick Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-frost/)

> [I don't differentiate between acting on TV and in films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prachi-desai/i-don-t-differentiate-between-acting-on-tv-and-in-films/)

[Prachi Desai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prachi-desai/)

> [I was in Vietnam, and I was exposed to Agent Orange. And there's a high relationship between people that were exposed to Agent Orange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamilton-jordan/i-was-in-vietnam-and-i-was-exposed-to-agent-orange-and-there-s-a-high/)

[Hamilton Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamilton-jordan/)

> [It's a constant challenge trying to find balance between styling, designing and being a mom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zoe/it-s-a-constant-challenge-trying-to-find-balance-between-styling/)

[Rachel Zoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zoe/)

Browse all 3,058 Between quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman. I don't think it is the role of the state to define what marriage is.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Sentamu"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sentamu/marriage-is-a-relationship-between-a-man-and-a-woman-i-don-t-think-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Between"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sentamu/marriage-is-a-relationship-between-a-man-and-a-woman-i-don-t-think-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eae/john-sentamu-36262_between_marriage-is-a-relationship-between-a-man_1018464.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eae/john-sentamu-36262_between_marriage-is-a-relationship-between-a-man_1018464.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eae/john-sentamu-36262_between_marriage-is-a-relationship-between-a-man_1018464.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman. I don't think it is the role of the state to define…” — John Sentamu",
                "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": "John Sentamu",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sentamu/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Marriage is a relationship between a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sentamu/marriage-is-a-relationship-between-a-man-and-a-woman-i-don-t-think-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sentamu/marriage-is-a-relationship-between-a-man-and-a-woman-i-don-t-think-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
