---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Only two things are necessary to keep…"
description: "\"Only two things are necessary to keep one's wife happy. One is to let her think she is having her own way, and the other is to let her have it.\" — Lynd..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdb/lyndon-b-johnson-684_happiness_only-two-things-are-necessary-to-keep-on_1501632.png"
---

#  Only two things are necessary to keep one's wife happy…

![“Only two things are necessary to keep one's wife happy. One is to let her think she is having her own way, and the other is to let her have it.” quote by Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdb/lyndon-b-johnson-684_happiness_only-two-things-are-necessary-to-keep-on_1501632.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdb/lyndon-b-johnson-684_happiness_only-two-things-are-necessary-to-keep-on_1501632.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdb/lyndon-b-johnson-684_happiness_only-two-things-are-necessary-to-keep-on_1501632.png)

> “Only two things are necessary to keep one's wife happy. One is to let her think she is having her own way, and the other is to let her have it.”

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

## About This Quote

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

Happiness in marriage comes from giving a spouse perceived autonomy and fulfilling their desires.

**In simple terms:** Let her think she’s in control and give it.

Key Takeaway

Respect partner’s wishes.

Themes

marriage communication power dynamics

Mood

thoughtful practical

Type

advice relationship

When to use this quote

- counseling
- family life
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

psychology of relationships gender roles

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance autonomy with honesty?
- When should you assert your own needs?

A Different Perspective

May reinforce gender stereotypes; consent nuance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife/)

## Related quotes

> [I have learned that only two things are necessary to keep one's wife happy. First, let her think she's having her own way. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/i-have-learned-that-only-two-things-are-necessary-to-keep-one-s-wife/)

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

> [“In some instances, it may unfortunately be necessary for a Wife to seek outside employment, such as when the husband is dismembered or is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-dilloway/in-some-instances-it-may-unfortunately-be-necessary-for-a-wife-to/)

Margaret Dilloway

> [My wife and I were happy for 20 years. Then we met.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-dangerfield/my-wife-and-i-were-happy-for-20-years-then-we-met/)

[Rodney Dangerfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-dangerfield/)

> [“Me and my wife are happy. At least when we are not together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/me-and-my-wife-are-happy-at-least-when-we-are-not-together/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“her eyebrows lifted and her lips spread and Eddie felt an old, warm feeling he had missed for years, the simple act of making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/her-eyebrows-lifted-and-her-lips-spread-and-eddie-felt-an-old-warm/)

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

> [“Eddie told her he had made things square and her eyebrows lifted and her lips spread and Eddie felt and old, warm feeling he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/eddie-told-her-he-had-made-things-square-and-her-eyebrows-lifted-and/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [My wife and I were happy for twenty years. Then we met.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-dangerfield/my-wife-and-i-were-happy-for-twenty-years-then-we-met/)

[Rodney Dangerfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-dangerfield/)

> [If ever wife was happy in a man, compare with me, ye women if you can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bradstreet/if-ever-wife-was-happy-in-a-man-compare-with-me-ye-women-if-you-can/)

[Anne Bradstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bradstreet/)

> [“If his wife was happy and his boy was happy, he was happy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/if-his-wife-was-happy-and-his-boy-was-happy-he-was-happy/)

[Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/)

> [“A happy wife is a happy life,” he said, echoing a popular rich-man truism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/a-happy-wife-is-a-happy-life-he-said-echoing-a-popular-rich-man-truism/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [I am very happy at Monaco, and my wife is happy to live here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radamel-falcao/i-am-very-happy-at-monaco-and-my-wife-is-happy-to-live-here/)

[Radamel Falcao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radamel-falcao/)

> [I try to make my wife happy, but I know my efforts aren't enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/govinda/i-try-to-make-my-wife-happy-but-i-know-my-efforts-aren-t-enough/)

[Govinda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/govinda/)

> [Happy wife, happy life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-orfalea/happy-wife-happy-life/)

[Paul Orfalea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-orfalea/)

> [My wife is very happy about me keeping all my music in my pocket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-finn/my-wife-is-very-happy-about-me-keeping-all-my-music-in-my-pocket/)

[Craig Finn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-finn/)

> [A happy wife is a happy life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-rossdale/a-happy-wife-is-a-happy-life/)

[Gavin Rossdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-rossdale/)

## More by Lyndon B. Johnson

> [There is something more important than any ultimate weapon. That is the ultimate position-the position of total control over Earth that lies somewhere out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/there-is-something-more-important-than-any-ultimate-weapon-that-is/)

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

> [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/)

> [Knowledge is of two kinds: we know a subject itself, or know where to find it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/knowledge-is-of-two-kinds-we-know-a-subject-itself-or-know-where-to/)

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

> [We come to reason, not to dominate. We do not seek to have our way, but to find a common way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/we-come-to-reason-not-to-dominate-we-do-not-seek-to-have-our-way-but/)

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

> [I have learned that only two things are necessary to keep one's wife happy. First, let her think she's having her own way. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/i-have-learned-that-only-two-things-are-necessary-to-keep-one-s-wife/)

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

> [For me, it is a deep personal tragedy. I know that the world shares the sorrow that Mrs. Kennedy and her family bear. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/for-me-it-is-a-deep-personal-tragedy-i-know-that-the-world-shares-the/)

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

> [Today, 8 million adult Americans, more than the entire population of Michigan, have not finished 5 years of school. Nearly 20 million have not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/today-8-million-adult-americans-more-than-the-entire-population-of/)

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

> [Republicans simply don't know how to manage the economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/republicans-simply-don-t-know-how-to-manage-the-economy/)

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

> [I don't believe I'll ever get credit for anything I do in foreign affairs, no matter how successful it is, because I didn't go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/i-don-t-believe-i-ll-ever-get-credit-for-anything-i-do-in-foreign/)

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

> [There are no favorites in my office. I treat them all with the same general inconsideration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/there-are-no-favorites-in-my-office-i-treat-them-all-with-the-same/)

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

> [I'm the only president you've got.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/i-m-the-only-president-you-ve-got/)

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

> [I am afraid, ... that health begins, after seventy, and often long before, to have a meaning different from that which it had at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/i-am-afraid-that-health-begins-after-seventy-and-often-long-before-to/)

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

> [The family is the corner stone of our society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/the-family-is-the-corner-stone-of-our-society/)

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

> [Never make a speech at a country dance or a football game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/never-make-a-speech-at-a-country-dance-or-a-football-game/)

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

> [Our society is illuminated by the spiritual insights of the Hebrew prophets. America and Israel have a common love of human freedom and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/our-society-is-illuminated-by-the-spiritual-insights-of-the-hebrew/)

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

[Explore all 411 Lyndon B. Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/)

## More Happiness quotes

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

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

> [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/)

[Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/)

> [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/)

[Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/)

> [“WE CAN'T ALWAYS CONTROL OUR CIRCUMSTANCES BUT WE CAN CONTROL OUR ATTITUDE. WE MUST BE MORE CONCERNED WITH WHAT WE DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/we-can-t-always-control-our-circumstances-but-we-can-control-our/)

[MARVIN J. ASHTON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/)

> [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/)

[Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/)

> [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/)

[Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/)

> [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/)

[Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/)

> [The happy have whole days,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colley-cibber/the-happy-have-whole-days/)

[Colley Cibber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colley-cibber/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [I've got nothing to do today but smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-got-nothing-to-do-today-but-smile/)

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

> [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/)

> [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [Positive thinking evokes more energy, more initiative, more happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/positive-thinking-evokes-more-energy-more-initiative-more-happiness/)

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

> [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/)

Pancho Barnes

[Browse all 40,288 Happiness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Only two things are necessary to keep one's wife happy. One is to let her think she is having her own way, and the other is to let her have it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lyndon B. Johnson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/only-two-things-are-necessary-to-keep-one-s-wife-happy-one-is-to-let/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Happiness"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/only-two-things-are-necessary-to-keep-one-s-wife-happy-one-is-to-let/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdb/lyndon-b-johnson-684_happiness_only-two-things-are-necessary-to-keep-on_1501632.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdb/lyndon-b-johnson-684_happiness_only-two-things-are-necessary-to-keep-on_1501632.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdb/lyndon-b-johnson-684_happiness_only-two-things-are-necessary-to-keep-on_1501632.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Only two things are necessary to keep one's wife happy. One is to let her think she is having her own way…” — Lyndon B. Johnson",
                "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": "Lyndon B. Johnson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Only two things are necessary to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/only-two-things-are-necessary-to-keep-one-s-wife-happy-one-is-to-let/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/only-two-things-are-necessary-to-keep-one-s-wife-happy-one-is-to-let/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
