---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Before any definite step can be taken in…"
description: "\"“Before any definite step can be taken in a household, there must be either complete division or loving accord between husband and wife.”\" — Leo Tolstoy"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac2/leo-tolstoy-55_family_before-any-definite-step-can-be-taken-in_1587052.png"
---

#  Before any definite step can be taken in a household…

![“Before any definite step can be taken in a household, there must be either complete division or loving accord between husband and wife.” quote by Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac2/leo-tolstoy-55_family_before-any-definite-step-can-be-taken-in_1587052.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac2/leo-tolstoy-55_family_before-any-definite-step-can-be-taken-in_1587052.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac2/leo-tolstoy-55_family_before-any-definite-step-can-be-taken-in_1587052.png)

> ““Before any definite step can be taken in a household, there must be either complete division or loving accord between husband and wife.””

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote states that before a household can progress, there must be either a clear division or loving harmony between spouses, highlighting the need for resolution or unity.

**In simple terms:** Household progress requires division or harmony.

Key Takeaway

Resolve conflicts or foster unity at home.

Themes

family conflict unity

Mood

thoughtful serious

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- family planning
- counselling
- joint projects

Key Concepts

marital dynamics decision making communication

Questions to Reflect On

- How can couples achieve loving accord?
- When is division necessary?

A Different Perspective

Division can cause lasting rifts.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Accord Husband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accord-husband-6006891/) [Definite Step](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/definite-step-3685803/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Household](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/household/) [Husband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/husband/) [Husband and wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/husband-and-wife/) [Husband Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/husband-wife/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/)

## Related quotes

> [Many families remain for years in the same place, though both husband and wife are sick of it, simply because there is neither complete…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/many-families-remain-for-years-in-the-same-place-though-both-husband/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [There is no association richer than the companionship of husband and wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/there-is-no-association-richer-than-the-companionship-of-husband-and/)

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

> [When husband and wife are united, they are strongest and most attractive to those that don't know Jesus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-st-james/when-husband-and-wife-are-united-they-are-strongest-and-most/)

[Rebecca St. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-st-james/)

> [Husband and wife have so many interests in common that when they have jogged through the ups and downs of life a sufficient time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/husband-and-wife-have-so-many-interests-in-common-that-when-they-have/)

[Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/)

> [I learned that being husband and wife is just a label. It becomes, 'Do you really care about the person, the human underneath the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendra-wilkinson/i-learned-that-being-husband-and-wife-is-just-a-label-it-becomes-do/)

[Kendra Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendra-wilkinson/)

> [With a definite, step-by-step plan - ah, what a difference it makes! You cannot fail, because each step carries you along to the next,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-reed/with-a-definite-step-by-step-plan-ah-what-a-difference-it-makes-you/)

[Scott Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-reed/)

> [The relation between husband and wife should turn into a love of the heart untouched by desire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/the-relation-between-husband-and-wife-should-turn-into-a-love-of-the/)

[Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/)

> [Husband and wife are like a pair of scissors. They joint together, often moving in opposite directions, yet punishing whoever comes between them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/husband-and-wife-are-like-a-pair-of-scissors-they-joint-together/)

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

> [After you play husband and wife on camera multiple times, it becomes easy to be husband and wife off camera as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-yasbeck/after-you-play-husband-and-wife-on-camera-multiple-times-it-becomes/)

[Amy Yasbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-yasbeck/)

> [“Working for a husband and wife ran business is nearly as tricky as navigating a sailing ship while battling the forces of high wind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/working-for-a-husband-and-wife-ran-business-is-nearly-as-tricky-as/)

[Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/)

> [Husband and wife come to look alike at last](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes/husband-and-wife-come-to-look-alike-at-last/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes/)

> [A Brazilian wax brings a husband and wife together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-lippert/a-brazilian-wax-brings-a-husband-and-wife-together/)

[Aimee Lippert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-lippert/)

> [Husband and Wife lifes are juz like settin up Workshop! Husband workin hard and Wife shoppin hard! =P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mysterio/husband-and-wife-lifes-are-juz-like-settin-up-workshop-husband-workin/)

[Mysterio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mysterio/)

> [“I now pronounce you husband and wife. Chloe, you may kiss your groom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-lauren/i-now-pronounce-you-husband-and-wife-chloe-you-may-kiss-your-groom/)

[Christina Lauren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-lauren/)

> [“Put the masks on! I now pronounce you husband and wife!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ljupka-cvetanova/put-the-masks-on-i-now-pronounce-you-husband-and-wife/)

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

## More by Leo Tolstoy

> [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [The only significance of life consists in helping to establish the kingdom of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-only-significance-of-life-consists-in-helping-to-establish-the/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [“I already love in you your beauty, but I am only beginning to love in you that which is eternal and ever precious –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-already-love-in-you-your-beauty-but-i-am-only-beginning-to-love-in/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [Energy rests upon love; and come as it will, there's no forcing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/energy-rests-upon-love-and-come-as-it-will-there-s-no-forcing-it/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [“If you only knew what those society women are, and women in general! My father is right. Selfish, vain, stupid, trivial in everything—that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/if-you-only-knew-what-those-society-women-are-and-women-in-general-my/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, then by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-evoke-in-oneself-a-feeling-one-has-once-experienced-and-having/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [To speak of it would be giving importance to that which has none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-speak-of-it-would-be-giving-importance-to-that-which-has-none/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [Once we're thrown off our habitual paths, we think all is lost, but it's only here that the new and the good begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/once-we-re-thrown-off-our-habitual-paths-we-think-all-is-lost-but-it/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [“He knew she was there by the rapture and the terror that seized on his heart. She was standing talking to a lady at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/he-knew-she-was-there-by-the-rapture-and-the-terror-that-seized-on/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [Rest, nature, books, music...such is my idea of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/rest-nature-books-music-such-is-my-idea-of-happiness/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [“He was not to blame for being born with an irrepressible charachter and a mind some how constrained.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/he-was-not-to-blame-for-being-born-with-an-irrepressible-charachter/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [I ask one thing only: I ask for the right to hope, to suffer as I do. But if even that cannot be, command…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-ask-one-thing-only-i-ask-for-the-right-to-hope-to-suffer-as-i-do/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [The idea shared by many that life is a vale of tears is just as false as the idea shared by the great majority,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-idea-shared-by-many-that-life-is-a-vale-of-tears-is-just-as-false/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [To say that a work of art is good, but incomprehensible to the majority of men, is the same as saying of some kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-say-that-a-work-of-art-is-good-but-incomprehensible-to-the/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [True life is lived when tiny changes occur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/true-life-is-lived-when-tiny-changes-occur/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

[Explore all 1,754 Leo Tolstoy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

## More Family quotes

> [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/)

[Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/)

> [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/)

[Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/)

> [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [“ever day Maureen is Selfish To her friend and Family One she get mad at her friend and family and She need to Grad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-andeson/ever-day-maureen-is-selfish-to-her-friend-and-family-one-she-get-mad/)

[Maureen Andeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-andeson/)

> [Our concept of a family holiday was going to a guest house in the Lake district or Wales where walking was part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/our-concept-of-a-family-holiday-was-going-to-a-guest-house-in-the/)

[Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/)

> [“So Jace is my actual family," Kit said. "But I can't go live with him, because him and his hot girlfriend are going off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/so-jace-is-my-actual-family-kit-said-but-i-can-t-go-live-with-him/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [I have friends and family that identify as LGBTQ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mace/i-have-friends-and-family-that-identify-as-lgbtq/)

[Nancy Mace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mace/)

> [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/)

[Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/)

> [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/)

[Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/)

> [“She knew how to play him so very well. He slipped his hand around hers. "Friends," he repeated roughly. Her smile was bright enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-smith/she-knew-how-to-play-him-so-very-well-he-slipped-his-hand-around-hers/)

[Kathryn Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-smith/)

> [As a family, we all loved the Flyers. To me, rooting for the Flyers were how I bonded with my dad especially.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-f-goldberg/as-a-family-we-all-loved-the-flyers-to-me-rooting-for-the-flyers-were/)

[Adam F. Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-f-goldberg/)

> [The people have always been family to me here in Las Vegas. The people have always been very, very kind to me, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-cunningham/the-people-have-always-been-family-to-me-here-in-las-vegas-the-people/)

[Randall Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-cunningham/)

> [“Your relationship with your brother will be, in many ways, the most complex and bewildering of all the interpersonal connections you will form. An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-currie-jr/your-relationship-with-your-brother-will-be-in-many-ways-the-most/)

[Ron Currie Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-currie-jr/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [Family over friends, because real friends are family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/family-over-friends-because-real-friends-are-family/)

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

[Browse all 36,913 Family quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Before any definite step can be taken in a household, there must be either complete division or loving accord between husband and wife.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Leo Tolstoy"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/before-any-definite-step-can-be-taken-in-a-household-there-must-be/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Family"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/before-any-definite-step-can-be-taken-in-a-household-there-must-be/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac2/leo-tolstoy-55_family_before-any-definite-step-can-be-taken-in_1587052.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac2/leo-tolstoy-55_family_before-any-definite-step-can-be-taken-in_1587052.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac2/leo-tolstoy-55_family_before-any-definite-step-can-be-taken-in_1587052.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Before any definite step can be taken in a household, there must be either complete division or loving…” — Leo Tolstoy",
                "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": "Leo Tolstoy",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Before any definite step can be...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/before-any-definite-step-can-be-taken-in-a-household-there-must-be/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/before-any-definite-step-can-be-taken-in-a-household-there-must-be/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
