--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Marriage is a fine institution, but I'm…" description: "\"Marriage is a fine institution, but I'm not ready for an institution.\" — Mae West" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcd/mae-west-1200_empowerment_marriage-is-a-fine-institution-but-i-m-n_2918235.jpg" --- # Marriage is a fine institution, but I'm not ready for an… ![“Marriage is a fine institution, but I'm not ready for an institution.” quote by Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcd/mae-west-1200_empowerment_marriage-is-a-fine-institution-but-i-m-n_2918235.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcd/mae-west-1200_empowerment_marriage-is-a-fine-institution-but-i-m-n_2918235.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcd/mae-west-1200_empowerment_marriage-is-a-fine-institution-but-i-m-n_2918235.jpg) > “Marriage is a fine institution, but I'm not ready for an institution.” [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker acknowledges marriage as an institution but feels unprepared for its commitments, expressing personal hesitation. **In simple terms:** Marriage is an institution, but I'm not ready. Key Takeaway Reflect on personal readiness before commitment. Themes marriage institution readiness Mood ambivalent reflective Type personal philosophical When to use this quote - dating - life planning - counseling Key Concepts relationship commitment personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What does readiness mean to you? - How can you prepare for future commitments? A Different Perspective Societal pressure may conflict with personal timing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Empowerment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empowerment/) [Fine Institution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fine-institution-4238893/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Institution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institution/) [Institution Ready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institution-ready-2792137/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Marriage Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage-fine-643714/) [Ready Institution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ready-institution-2792136/) ## Related quotes > [Marriage is fine institution but am not ready for an institution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evans-onyenwere/marriage-is-fine-institution-but-am-not-ready-for-an-institution/) [Evans Onyenwere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evans-onyenwere/) > [Marriage is a great institution, but I'm not ready for an institution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/marriage-is-a-great-institution-but-i-m-not-ready-for-an-institution/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [Marriage is a fine and sacred thing if you make it so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lyon-phelps/marriage-is-a-fine-and-sacred-thing-if-you-make-it-so/) [William Lyon Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lyon-phelps/) > [In a hundred years, Christianity will have mutated into something utterly unpredictable which, nevertheless, we'd recognize immediately. And same-sex marriage will be one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/in-a-hundred-years-christianity-will-have-mutated-into-something/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [Marriage is a great institution. No family should be without it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/marriage-is-a-great-institution-no-family-should-be-without-it/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [While I believe in marriage as an institution, I am also petrified of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahid-kapoor/while-i-believe-in-marriage-as-an-institution-i-am-also-petrified-of/) [Shahid Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahid-kapoor/) > [“Modern society, the political body, the legal and judiciary system, the state of governance, capitalism and the very fabric of the society itself, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/modern-society-the-political-body-the-legal-and-judiciary-system-the/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“I left that church with rich and royal hatred of the priest as a person, and a loathing for the church as an institution,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-v-debs/i-left-that-church-with-rich-and-royal-hatred-of-the-priest-as-a/) [Eugene V. Debs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-v-debs/) > [“Church historians often ask, ‘Is the church a movement or an institution?' . . . I think it is both. . . . I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-l-shelley/church-historians-often-ask-is-the-church-a-movement-or-an/) [Bruce L. Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-l-shelley/) > [The British monarchy has the political and constitutional task of subtracting from the government and governors of Britain the papal and kingly airs that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/the-british-monarchy-has-the-political-and-constitutional-task-of/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) > [“If two is an institution and three is a person, what are four and five?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oyokids-publications/if-two-is-an-institution-and-three-is-a-person-what-are-four-and-five/) [OyoKids Publications](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oyokids-publications/) > [The military is the most esteemed American institution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brianna-keilar/the-military-is-the-most-esteemed-american-institution/) [Brianna Keilar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brianna-keilar/) > [I don't believe that someone who sets up an institution should be able to take out the money from the institution or pay dividends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pallam-raju/i-don-t-believe-that-someone-who-sets-up-an-institution-should-be/) [Pallam Raju](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pallam-raju/) > [The institution of marriage, if you look at it over many centuries, has come and gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-zeldin/the-institution-of-marriage-if-you-look-at-it-over-many-centuries-has/) [Theodore Zeldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-zeldin/) > [It's more than a game. It's an institution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hughes/it-s-more-than-a-game-it-s-an-institution/) [Thomas Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hughes/) ## More by Mae West > [Reason was nowhere, time was an immovable object nailed high on the wall, except where the world kept shop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/reason-was-nowhere-time-was-an-immovable-object-nailed-high-on-the/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [I've been in 'Who's Who' and I know what's what, but it'll be the first time I ever made the dictionary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/i-ve-been-in-who-s-who-and-i-know-what-s-what-but-it-ll-be-the-first/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [Look your best - who said love is blind?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/look-your-best-who-said-love-is-blind/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [Don't let a man put anything over on you except an umbrella.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/don-t-let-a-man-put-anything-over-on-you-except-an-umbrella/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [In my long and colorful career, one thing stands out: I have been misunderstood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/in-my-long-and-colorful-career-one-thing-stands-out-i-have-been/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [The finest woman that ever walked the streets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/the-finest-woman-that-ever-walked-the-streets/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [The best way to hold a man is in your arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/the-best-way-to-hold-a-man-is-in-your-arms/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [Live close, visit often.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/live-close-visit-often/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [A real farmer. He spent his childhood in the wheat, and his marriage in the hay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/a-real-farmer-he-spent-his-childhood-in-the-wheat-and-his-marriage-in/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [Marriage? I ain't got time for a husband or child. All my life I've looked after myself as if I was my own child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/marriage-i-ain-t-got-time-for-a-husband-or-child-all-my-life-i-ve/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [“If I can't a man with a million dollars, I'll a million men with one dollar.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/if-i-can-t-a-man-with-a-million-dollars-i-ll-a-million-men-with-one/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [Sometimes I don't drink so the next day I can remember having fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/sometimes-i-don-t-drink-so-the-next-day-i-can-remember-having-fun/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [Positive thoughts generate positive feelings and attract positive life experiences. You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/positive-thoughts-generate-positive-feelings-and-attract-positive/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [I believe in the single standard -- for men and women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/i-believe-in-the-single-standard-for-men-and-women/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [“Goodness had nothing to do with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/goodness-had-nothing-to-do-with-it/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) [Explore all 271 Mae West quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) ## More Empowerment quotes > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [She might be without country, without nation, but inside her there was still a being that could exist and be free, that could simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-maas/she-might-be-without-country-without-nation-but-inside-her-there-was/) [Sharon Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-maas/) > [“Fear has the role we give it. We are able to empower or poison ourselves to whatever degree we want. This is the beauty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/fear-has-the-role-we-give-it-we-are-able-to-empower-or-poison/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [“Recognize that your attention is the most valuable thing you can ever own, and you alone have the ultimate power to choose where to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/recognize-that-your-attention-is-the-most-valuable-thing-you-can-ever/) [Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/) > [“If men could see us as we really are, they would be a little amazed; but the cleverest, the acutest men are often under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/if-men-could-see-us-as-we-really-are-they-would-be-a-little-amazed/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“Manipulating or controlling others through the use of one's illness or suffering,for example,was-and remains-extremely effective for people who find they cannot be direct in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-myss/manipulating-or-controlling-others-through-the-use-of-one-s-illness/) [Caroline Myss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-myss/) > [Empowerment of individuals is a key part of what makes open source work, since in the end, innovations tend to come from small groups,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/empowerment-of-individuals-is-a-key-part-of-what-makes-open-source/) [Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) > [“How would your life be different if...You could control the outcome of your day, your week, your year? Let today be the day...You embrace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/how-would-your-life-be-different-if-you-could-control-the-outcome-of/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [We seem to have lost contact with the earlier, more profound functions of art, which have always had to do with personal and collective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-london/we-seem-to-have-lost-contact-with-the-earlier-more-profound-functions/) [Peter London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-london/) > [There's a lot of activism that doesn't deal with empowerment, and you have to empower yourself in order to be relevant to any type…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-kweli/there-s-a-lot-of-activism-that-doesn-t-deal-with-empowerment-and-you/) [Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/) > [“Wallowing in self-pity hurts no one except you. Boss up and find a way to get going again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/wallowing-in-self-pity-hurts-no-one-except-you-boss-up-and-find-a-way/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [Self motivation is inner power which empowers you to strengthen your confidence, mental toughness, achieve greater height in life, best performance through positive attitude,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anil-sinha/self-motivation-is-inner-power-which-empowers-you-to-strengthen-your/) [Anil Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anil-sinha/) > [Want to talk third wave feminism, you could cite Ariel Levy and the idea that women have internalized male oppression. Going to spring break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/want-to-talk-third-wave-feminism-you-could-cite-ariel-levy-and-the/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [What we are saying is that we need to consolidate the capacity to lend support. Because, one of the problems that's mentioned with regard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabo-mbeki/what-we-are-saying-is-that-we-need-to-consolidate-the-capacity-to/) [Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabo-mbeki/) > [“A spiritual reinterpretation of events gives us miraculous authority to command the winds, to part the waters, and to break all chains that bind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/a-spiritual-reinterpretation-of-events-gives-us-miraculous-authority/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) [Browse all 1,314 Empowerment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empowerment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Marriage is a fine institution, but I'm not ready for an institution.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mae West" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/marriage-is-a-fine-institution-but-i-m-not-ready-for-an-institution/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Empowerment" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/marriage-is-a-fine-institution-but-i-m-not-ready-for-an-institution/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcd/mae-west-1200_empowerment_marriage-is-a-fine-institution-but-i-m-n_2918235.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcd/mae-west-1200_empowerment_marriage-is-a-fine-institution-but-i-m-n_2918235.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcd/mae-west-1200_empowerment_marriage-is-a-fine-institution-but-i-m-n_2918235.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Marriage is a fine institution, but I'm not ready for an institution.” — Mae West", "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": "Mae West", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Marriage is a fine institution, but...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/marriage-is-a-fine-institution-but-i-m-not-ready-for-an-institution/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/marriage-is-a-fine-institution-but-i-m-not-ready-for-an-institution/#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 } } ] } ```