---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The scale of marital breakdowns in the…"
description: "\"The scale of marital breakdowns in the West since 1960 has no historical precedent that I know of, and seems unique, . . . There has been nothing like ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48d/lawrence-stone-255740_1960s_the-scale-of-marital-breakdowns-in-the-w_254363.png"
---

#  The scale of marital breakdowns in the West since 1960 has…

![“The scale of marital breakdowns in the West since 1960 has no historical precedent that I know of, and seems unique, . . . There has been nothing like it for the last 2,000 years, and probably longer.” quote by Lawrence Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48d/lawrence-stone-255740_1960s_the-scale-of-marital-breakdowns-in-the-w_254363.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48d/lawrence-stone-255740_1960s_the-scale-of-marital-breakdowns-in-the-w_254363.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48d/lawrence-stone-255740_1960s_the-scale-of-marital-breakdowns-in-the-w_254363.png)

> “The scale of marital breakdowns in the West since 1960 has no historical precedent that I know of, and seems unique, . . . There has been nothing like it for the last 2,000 years, and probably longer.”

Lawrence Stone

## About This Quote

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

The unprecedented rise in marital breakdowns in the West since 1960 is historically unique.

**In simple terms:** Marital breakdowns spiked since 1960.

Key Takeaway

Recognize shifting family dynamics.

Themes

family history marriage society change

Mood

analytical concerned thoughtful

Type

 1960s:1 Breakdown:1 Has beens:0 Historical:1 Knows:0 Lasts:0 Precedent:1 Scales:0 Seems:0 Unique:1 West:1 Years:0 000 Years:0 Years Probably:0 Historical Precedent:1 Scale Marital:1 Marital Breakdowns:1

When to use this quote

- policy making
- counseling
- academic research

Key Concepts

demographic trends social norms legal impacts

Questions to Reflect On

- What factors contributed to this rise?
- How does this compare globally?

A Different Perspective

Data may be incomplete for earlier periods.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Breakdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breakdown/) [Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [Precedent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precedent/)

## Related quotes

> [In my own recent String Trio I attempt to superimpose two quite different sets of formal strategies, both of which, ultimately, refer back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/in-my-own-recent-string-trio-i-attempt-to-superimpose-two-quite/)

[Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/)

> [Every ounce of my cynicism is supported by historical precedent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-cook/every-ounce-of-my-cynicism-is-supported-by-historical-precedent/)

[Glen Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-cook/)

> [If I had to last 20 years, I would probably be batting in a wheelchair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-ponting/if-i-had-to-last-20-years-i-would-probably-be-batting-in-a-wheelchair/)

[Ricky Ponting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-ponting/)

> [Really you don't need more information. If you've lived twenty years, you probably have enough material for the rest of your life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/really-you-don-t-need-more-information-if-you-ve-lived-twenty-years/)

[Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/)

> [After I was 70, I realized that, 'Okay, I would like to have another 50 years, and I probably could.' But part of me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/after-i-was-70-i-realized-that-okay-i-would-like-to-have-another-50/)

[Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/)

> [You know, if I wrote the arrangements two years from now, they would probably be a lot slicker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-johnston/you-know-if-i-wrote-the-arrangements-two-years-from-now-they-would/)

[Bruce Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-johnston/)

> [Yet, if we accept the solution offered today by this bill to explore and develop for oil on the coastal plain of ANWR, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-olver/yet-if-we-accept-the-solution-offered-today-by-this-bill-to-explore/)

[John Olver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-olver/)

> [Let's also say that the Justice Department and the courts are making sure, as I've said in a speech before, that when Jamal sends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/let-s-also-say-that-the-justice-department-and-the-courts-are-making/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [We went on to become the No. 1 band in the country for three or four years. And that was probably the worst thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butch-trucks/we-went-on-to-become-the-no-1-band-in-the-country-for-three-or-four/)

[Butch Trucks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/butch-trucks/)

> [Going back to that idea that painting sits still and that we give ourselves over to it over time. There's a difference between living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/going-back-to-that-idea-that-painting-sits-still-and-that-we-give/)

[Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/)

> [“So your junk food has a shelf life of twenty-two years and will probably outlive your fat, sorry ass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-freedman/so-your-junk-food-has-a-shelf-life-of-twenty-two-years-and-will/)

[Rory Freedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-freedman/)

> [Five years from now I'm probably going to look back on the things I'm doing and cringe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-apple/five-years-from-now-i-m-probably-going-to-look-back-on-the-things-i-m/)

[Fiona Apple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-apple/)

> [I've had two great years, probably five good years. So I had 20 years of just kind of uncertainty and suffering and ego destruction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/i-ve-had-two-great-years-probably-five-good-years-so-i-had-20-years/)

[Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/)

> [My dad, he worries a bit, usually with good reason. There were quite a few years there where he was probably trying to resign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/my-dad-he-worries-a-bit-usually-with-good-reason-there-were-quite-a/)

[Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/)

> [“Maybe in a few years I'll be able to explain things better, but after a few years it probably won't matter anymore, will it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/maybe-in-a-few-years-i-ll-be-able-to-explain-things-better-but-after/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

## More 1960s quotes

> [We do need different types of propulsion to get to Mars. I wrote one of the first Ph.D. theses on that in the 1960s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-do-need-different-types-of-propulsion-to-get-to-mars-i-wrote-one/)

[Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/)

> [Each year more than 100,000 high school graduates, with proved ability, do not enter college because they cannot afford it. And if we cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/each-year-more-than-100-000-high-school-graduates-with-proved-ability/)

[Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/)

> [Nearly all the writing of our time is likely to disappear in a hundred years. Certainly most readers - and nearly all critics -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/nearly-all-the-writing-of-our-time-is-likely-to-disappear-in-a/)

[Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/)

> [Sometimes a party must sail against the wind. We cannot heed the call of those who say it is time to furl the sail.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/sometimes-a-party-must-sail-against-the-wind-we-cannot-heed-the-call/)

[Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/)

> [ \[In the 1960s\]...you could take LSD but you couldn't wear a pantsuit. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsey-johnson/in-the-1960s-you-could-take-lsd-but-you-couldn-t-wear-a-pantsuit/)

[Betsey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsey-johnson/)

> [Is it a coincidence that stories from the private life became more popular just as the grand hope for public redemption through revolution was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/is-it-a-coincidence-that-stories-from-the-private-life-became-more/)

[Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/)

> [I think the general anxiety of the 1960s - '70s spawned our interest in the living dead. When people worry about the end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/i-think-the-general-anxiety-of-the-1960s-70s-spawned-our-interest-in/)

[Max Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-brooks/)

> [“A friend once told me a story about a former Black Panther leader in a Midwest community who in the 1960s had his phone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-j-rodr-guez/a-friend-once-told-me-a-story-about-a-former-black-panther-leader-in/)

[Luis J. Rodríguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-j-rodr-guez/)

> [I was never bothered about my position in the industry. If I had believed in it, I wouldn't have allowed anyone to get ahead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dharmendra/i-was-never-bothered-about-my-position-in-the-industry-if-i-had/)

[Dharmendra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dharmendra/)

> [Under the system that we now have to nominate presidential candidates, for instance, I would prefer that we have a system that is closer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-beschloss/under-the-system-that-we-now-have-to-nominate-presidential-candidates/)

[Michael Beschloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beschloss/)

> [My son Bill, who came to me in 1960-he was 14 then, quoted the old parable to me: "It is not by their words,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madalyn-murray-o-hair/my-son-bill-who-came-to-me-in-1960-he-was-14-then-quoted-the-old/)

[Madalyn Murray O'Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madalyn-murray-o-hair/)

> [There is a book called San Francisco Tape Music Centre:1960s Counterculture and the Avant-Garde and this book describes everything that you want to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-oliveros/there-is-a-book-called-san-francisco-tape-music-centre-1960s/)

[Pauline Oliveros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-oliveros/)

> [Much of the art of the 1960s, from body art to video and direct performance, was concerned with similar issues. And then there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valie-export/much-of-the-art-of-the-1960s-from-body-art-to-video-and-direct/)

[Valie Export](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valie-export/)

> [I went through college in the 1960s without having any idea that I was going to have to make a living. When I graduated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/i-went-through-college-in-the-1960s-without-having-any-idea-that-i/)

[Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/)

> [“At the beginning of a decade when everything was beginning to seem possible, nothing seemed impossible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-lee-shetterly/at-the-beginning-of-a-decade-when-everything-was-beginning-to-seem/)

[Margot Lee Shetterly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-lee-shetterly/)

Browse all 486 1960s quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The scale of marital breakdowns in the West since 1960 has no historical precedent that I know of, and seems unique, . . . There has been nothing like it for the last 2,000 years, and probably longer.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lawrence Stone"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-stone/the-scale-of-marital-breakdowns-in-the-west-since-1960-has-no/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "1960s"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-stone/the-scale-of-marital-breakdowns-in-the-west-since-1960-has-no/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48d/lawrence-stone-255740_1960s_the-scale-of-marital-breakdowns-in-the-w_254363.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48d/lawrence-stone-255740_1960s_the-scale-of-marital-breakdowns-in-the-w_254363.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48d/lawrence-stone-255740_1960s_the-scale-of-marital-breakdowns-in-the-w_254363.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The scale of marital breakdowns in the West since 1960 has no historical precedent that I know of, and seems…” — Lawrence Stone",
                "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": "Lawrence Stone",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-stone/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The scale of marital breakdowns in...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-stone/the-scale-of-marital-breakdowns-in-the-west-since-1960-has-no/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-stone/the-scale-of-marital-breakdowns-in-the-west-since-1960-has-no/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
