---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I didn't get married until I was forty…"
description: "\"I didn't get married until I was forty because I wanted to be stable when I got married. I think I just avoided my first marriage and went right to the..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/862/kurt-fuller-12139_avoided_i-didn-t-get-married-until-i-was-forty-b_511656.jpg"
---

#  I didn't get married until I was forty because I wanted to…

![“I didn't get married until I was forty because I wanted to be stable when I got married. I think I just avoided my first marriage and went right to the second. It's sort of how I see it. When you're young, just trying to make it, and trying to find your way in the world, and figure things out…” quote by Kurt Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/862/kurt-fuller-12139_avoided_i-didn-t-get-married-until-i-was-forty-b_511656.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/862/kurt-fuller-12139_avoided_i-didn-t-get-married-until-i-was-forty-b_511656.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/862/kurt-fuller-12139_avoided_i-didn-t-get-married-until-i-was-forty-b_511656.jpg)

> “I didn't get married until I was forty because I wanted to be stable when I got married. I think I just avoided my first marriage and went right to the second. It's sort of how I see it. When you're young, just trying to make it, and trying to find your way in the world, and figure things out... being married is not easy.”

[Kurt Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-fuller/)

## About This Quote

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

Choosing stability before marriage reflects a desire for personal readiness, but may delay authentic partnership experiences.

**In simple terms:** Seek personal stability before commitment.

Key Takeaway

Build self‑reliance before marriage.

Themes

commitment personal growth timing

Mood

thoughtful cautious

Type

reflective philosophical

When to use this quote

- career building
- personal development
- marriage counseling

Key Concepts

life planning relationship dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “stable” mean to you?
- How might waiting affect your expectations?

A Different Perspective

Stability alone doesn’t guarantee marital success.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Get married](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get-married/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [I didn't get married until I was 38.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-didn-t-get-married-until-i-was-38/)

[Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/)

> [I didn't get married to quit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenya-moore/i-didn-t-get-married-to-quit/)

[Kenya Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenya-moore/)

> [I didn't get married to get divorced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-crowe/i-didn-t-get-married-to-get-divorced/)

[Russell Crowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-crowe/)

> [I was obsessed with work in my youth. It's why I didn't get married until I was 38 and the reason I didn't have kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-ferris/i-was-obsessed-with-work-in-my-youth-it-s-why-i-didn-t-get-married/)

[Pam Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-ferris/)

> [Ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to get married. I think because of the way I was brought up and seeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robby-benson/ever-since-i-was-a-little-kid-i-wanted-to-get-married-i-think-because/)

[Robby Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robby-benson/)

> [At the age of 23, I got married. I think it would've worked if I married a little later on, as a person with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-paul/at-the-age-of-23-i-got-married-i-think-it-would-ve-worked-if-i/)

[Amala Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-paul/)

> [Life has not changed much after marriage. I went straight back to work. But I guess changes come after having a baby, not after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-haydon/life-has-not-changed-much-after-marriage-i-went-straight-back-to-work/)

[Lisa Haydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-haydon/)

> [“We liked each other so much we skipped marriage, and went straight to the divorce.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-liked-each-other-so-much-we-skipped-marriage-and-went-straight-to/)

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

> [No one goes into a marriage - when I went into my marriage many years ago, I thought I'd end my life with Randy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-white/no-one-goes-into-a-marriage-when-i-went-into-my-marriage-many-years/)

[Paula White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-white/)

> [“After being expelled from Paradise, Adam and Eve got married.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ljupka-cvetanova/after-being-expelled-from-paradise-adam-and-eve-got-married/)

[Ljupka Cvetanova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ljupka-cvetanova/)

> [I met the man of my dreams at a gym, and then we got married in Vegas - because we're classy. When you meet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-hilty/i-met-the-man-of-my-dreams-at-a-gym-and-then-we-got-married-in-vegas/)

[Megan Hilty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-hilty/)

> [“After being expelled from Paradise, Adam and Eva got married.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ljupka-cvetanova/after-being-expelled-from-paradise-adam-and-eva-got-married/)

[Ljupka Cvetanova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ljupka-cvetanova/)

> [You don't really need to get married, but marriage is awfully nice. Everybody I know who got married, they say it really makes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/you-don-t-really-need-to-get-married-but-marriage-is-awfully-nice/)

[Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/)

> [“I got married. A bright past is ahead of me!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ljupka-cvetanova/i-got-married-a-bright-past-is-ahead-of-me/)

[ljupka Cvetanova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ljupka-cvetanova/)

> [The cardinal rule for any performer is that they should know themselves before they enter the spotlight, and I didn't. I was just Neil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-diamond/the-cardinal-rule-for-any-performer-is-that-they-should-know/)

[Neil Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-diamond/)

## More by Kurt Fuller

> [I guess show business is a lot like baseball: "Wait until next year!" You just never know. Some of the shittiest shows I've ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-fuller/i-guess-show-business-is-a-lot-like-baseball-wait-until-next-year-you/)

[Kurt Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-fuller/)

> [I am not a member of the chamber of commerce for show business, believe me, but there are some really good people in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-fuller/i-am-not-a-member-of-the-chamber-of-commerce-for-show-business/)

[Kurt Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-fuller/)

> [I understand that actors lose their looks, they change over time, but people don't lose their talent. I think that, as people get older…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-fuller/i-understand-that-actors-lose-their-looks-they-change-over-time-but/)

[Kurt Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-fuller/)

> [I didn't watch the Emmys because - well, for one, I have been to awards shows, and I understand how it works. For another,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-fuller/i-didn-t-watch-the-emmys-because-well-for-one-i-have-been-to-awards/)

[Kurt Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-fuller/)

> [I started out old, but I have to say that I've been very lucky to work consistently since I started. I've really never been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-fuller/i-started-out-old-but-i-have-to-say-that-i-ve-been-very-lucky-to-work/)

[Kurt Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-fuller/)

> [Do less than you ever thought it was possible to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-fuller/do-less-than-you-ever-thought-it-was-possible-to-do/)

[Kurt Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-fuller/)

> [Paul Michael Glaser was very nice to me, and I was again told, "Do less and less and less and less." And I still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-fuller/paul-michael-glaser-was-very-nice-to-me-and-i-was-again-told-do-less/)

[Kurt Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-fuller/)

> [Without being good enough, I started figuring out how to make my way through the minefield of a script, which is what it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-fuller/without-being-good-enough-i-started-figuring-out-how-to-make-my-way/)

[Kurt Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-fuller/)

> [In general, I did what a lot of character actors do: I did it to get girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-fuller/in-general-i-did-what-a-lot-of-character-actors-do-i-did-it-to-get/)

[Kurt Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-fuller/)

> [You don't go to Berkeley to become an actor. In fact, I don't think you go to any school to become an actor. You've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-fuller/you-don-t-go-to-berkeley-to-become-an-actor-in-fact-i-don-t-think-you/)

[Kurt Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-fuller/)

> [I was selling real estate at the time, in Pacific Palisades, California, so imagine that: getting a note and a bottle of champagne from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-fuller/i-was-selling-real-estate-at-the-time-in-pacific-palisades-california/)

[Kurt Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-fuller/)

> [I can overact in two seconds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-fuller/i-can-overact-in-two-seconds/)

[Kurt Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-fuller/)

> [I was lucky enough to be a "type." Sort of a bad-guy type at the time, because I was tall and I had dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-fuller/i-was-lucky-enough-to-be-a-type-sort-of-a-bad-guy-type-at-the-time/)

[Kurt Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-fuller/)

> [The Will Smith that you see in movies is exactly the same as Will Smith in real life. Except for when he plays a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-fuller/the-will-smith-that-you-see-in-movies-is-exactly-the-same-as-will/)

[Kurt Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-fuller/)

> [I was probably 34 when I got my first on-camera acting job, and it was through a friend of mine, who was working as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-fuller/i-was-probably-34-when-i-got-my-first-on-camera-acting-job-and-it-was/)

[Kurt Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-fuller/)

[Explore all 56 Kurt Fuller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-fuller/)

## More Avoided quotes

> [I avoided nudity unless a film couldn't be told without those scenes. If you look at my films, few of them have that element,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-scacchi/i-avoided-nudity-unless-a-film-couldn-t-be-told-without-those-scenes/)

[Greta Scacchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-scacchi/)

> [Among many other weighty objections to the Measure, it has been suggested, that it has a tendency to introduce religious disputes into the Army,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/among-many-other-weighty-objections-to-the-measure-it-has-been/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [Poetry in love is no more to be avoided than jealousy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wycherley/poetry-in-love-is-no-more-to-be-avoided-than-jealousy/)

[William Wycherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wycherley/)

> [Naive optimism and pervasive pessimism are both to be avoided, therefore. It's not an easy balance to maintain, to be asked to work away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/naive-optimism-and-pervasive-pessimism-are-both-to-be-avoided/)

[Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/)

> [“war is not so to be avoided, but is only deferred to your disadvantage”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/war-is-not-so-to-be-avoided-but-is-only-deferred-to-your-disadvantage/)

[Niccolò Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/)

> [I read actual physical books and have thus far avoided the electronic lure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-read-actual-physical-books-and-have-thus-far-avoided-the-electronic/)

[Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/)

> [Usually I avoided college students, whom I considered brutal, wrapped up in themselves, particularly in their youth, in which they found material for drama…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/usually-i-avoided-college-students-whom-i-considered-brutal-wrapped/)

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

> [Specialness as a primary mode of death transcendence takes a number of other maladaptive forms. The drive for power is not uncommonly motivated by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/specialness-as-a-primary-mode-of-death-transcendence-takes-a-number/)

[Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/)

> [I've always avoided publicity. I've never been good copy at any stage of my life. I don't strive for it, because I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-noll/i-ve-always-avoided-publicity-i-ve-never-been-good-copy-at-any-stage/)

[Chuck Noll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-noll/)

> [“Adversity Isn’t to Be Avoided”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-anthony-smith/adversity-isn-t-to-be-avoided/)

[Miles Anthony Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-anthony-smith/)

> [If in the words which the Secretary of State has just used, the use of a nuclear weapon is to be avoided 'at all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enoch-powell/if-in-the-words-which-the-secretary-of-state-has-just-used-the-use-of/)

[Enoch Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enoch-powell/)

> [I've created a narrative of the world. I live in the world - tenuously, most times. I've avoided the digital world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-ve-created-a-narrative-of-the-world-i-live-in-the-world-tenuously/)

[James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/)

> [Against specious appearances we must set clear convictions, bright and ready for use. When death appears as an evil, we ought immediately to remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/against-specious-appearances-we-must-set-clear-convictions-bright-and/)

[Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/)

> [Pound had argued - and Eliot had helped him prove - that a poem could be sustained by memorable moments. Olson proved that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-james/pound-had-argued-and-eliot-had-helped-him-prove-that-a-poem-could-be/)

[Clive James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/)

> [Never inject a man into the top, if it can be avoided. In a big organization, to have to do that, I think, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-p-sloan/never-inject-a-man-into-the-top-if-it-can-be-avoided-in-a-big/)

[Alfred P. Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-p-sloan/)

Browse all 470 Avoided quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I didn't get married until I was forty because I wanted to be stable when I got married. I think I just avoided my first marriage and went right to the second. It's sort of how I see it. When you're young, just trying to make it, and trying to find your way in the world, and figure things out... being married is not easy.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kurt Fuller"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-fuller/i-didn-t-get-married-until-i-was-forty-because-i-wanted-to-be-stable/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Avoided"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-fuller/i-didn-t-get-married-until-i-was-forty-because-i-wanted-to-be-stable/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/862/kurt-fuller-12139_avoided_i-didn-t-get-married-until-i-was-forty-b_511656.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/862/kurt-fuller-12139_avoided_i-didn-t-get-married-until-i-was-forty-b_511656.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/862/kurt-fuller-12139_avoided_i-didn-t-get-married-until-i-was-forty-b_511656.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I didn't get married until I was forty because I wanted to be stable when I got married. I think I just…” — Kurt Fuller",
                "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": "Kurt Fuller",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-fuller/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I didn't get married until I...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-fuller/i-didn-t-get-married-until-i-was-forty-because-i-wanted-to-be-stable/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-fuller/i-didn-t-get-married-until-i-was-forty-because-i-wanted-to-be-stable/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
