--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Marriage is a great institution, but I'm…" description: "\"Marriage is a great institution, but I'm not ready for an institution.\" — Mae West" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9eb/mae-west-1200_marriage_marriage-is-a-great-institution-but-i-m_1087218.jpg" --- # Marriage is a great institution, but I'm not ready for an… ![“Marriage is a great institution, but I'm not ready for an institution.” quote by Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9eb/mae-west-1200_marriage_marriage-is-a-great-institution-but-i-m_1087218.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9eb/mae-west-1200_marriage_marriage-is-a-great-institution-but-i-m_1087218.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9eb/mae-west-1200_marriage_marriage-is-a-great-institution-but-i-m_1087218.jpg) > “Marriage is a great 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. Marriage offers stability, yet the speaker feels unprepared for its constraints. **In simple terms:** Marriage is an institution; not ready for it. Key Takeaway Consider personal readiness before commitment. Themes relationships commitment independence Mood playful reflective Type humorous philosophical When to use this quote - engagement - cohabitation - career planning - family discussions Key Concepts social expectations personal freedom Questions to Reflect On - Are you marrying for love or security? - What does independence mean to you? A Different Perspective Societal pressure may overlook individual needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Great Institution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-institution-2274152/) [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 Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage-great-254541/) [Ready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ready/) [Ready Institution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ready-institution-2792136/) ## Related quotes > [Marriage is a fine institution, but I'm not ready for an institution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/marriage-is-a-fine-institution-but-i-m-not-ready-for-an-institution/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [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. 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/) > [Marriage is a great institution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/marriage-is-a-great-institution/) [Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/) > [Every great institution is the lengthened shadow of a single man. His character determines the character of the organization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/every-great-institution-is-the-lengthened-shadow-of-a-single-man-his/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I think the institution of marriage is a great idea, but for me it's just an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-flynn-boyle/i-think-the-institution-of-marriage-is-a-great-idea-but-for-me-it-s/) [Lara Flynn Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-flynn-boyle/) > [I suggest that what we want to do is not to leave to posterity a great institution, but to leave behind a great tradition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-r-luce/i-suggest-that-what-we-want-to-do-is-not-to-leave-to-posterity-a/) [Henry R. Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-r-luce/) > [Jamie Dimon is doing a great job; J.P. Morgan is a great institution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-gorman/jamie-dimon-is-doing-a-great-job-j-p-morgan-is-a-great-institution/) [James P. Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-p-gorman/) > [Masonry is too great an institution to have been made in a day, much less by a few men, but was a slow evolution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-fort-newton/masonry-is-too-great-an-institution-to-have-been-made-in-a-day-much/) [Joseph Fort Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-fort-newton/) > [marriage is a great strain upon love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myrtle-reed/marriage-is-a-great-strain-upon-love/) [Myrtle Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myrtle-reed/) > [“In order for your marriage to become that great love story there are certain things you need to establish in your early years together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-k-popcak/in-order-for-your-marriage-to-become-that-great-love-story-there-are/) [Gregory K. Popcak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-k-popcak/) > [I'd love to have children, and I think marriage is great, I really do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-jason-leigh/i-d-love-to-have-children-and-i-think-marriage-is-great-i-really-do/) [Jennifer Jason Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-jason-leigh/) > [... in marriage the great thing was love, and that with love one would always be happy, for happiness rests only on oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/in-marriage-the-great-thing-was-love-and-that-with-love-one-would/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [I am romantic but I think it takes more than just flowers. Marriage is great and blissful, but it takes work and understanding. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dempsey/i-am-romantic-but-i-think-it-takes-more-than-just-flowers-marriage-is/) [Patrick Dempsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dempsey/) > [Ruth and I don't have a perfect marriage, but we have a great one. How can I say two things that seem so contradictory?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/ruth-and-i-don-t-have-a-perfect-marriage-but-we-have-a-great-one-how/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) ## 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 Institution quotes > [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/) > [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/) > [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 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/) > [“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 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/) > [“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/) > [“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/) > [“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/) > [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/) > [I've gotten e-mails asking, 'Are you taking students?' Well, come visit and I'll be happy to talk to you. But I'm not a degree-granting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-garrett-lisi/i-ve-gotten-e-mails-asking-are-you-taking-students-well-come-visit/) [Antony Garrett Lisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-garrett-lisi/) > [One of my goals here in Congress, being the youngest member of the California delegation, is to really try and get the institution to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-swalwell/one-of-my-goals-here-in-congress-being-the-youngest-member-of-the/) [Eric Swalwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-swalwell/) > [I think it'd be useful for parents to know kind of what is the culture of an institution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-spellings/i-think-it-d-be-useful-for-parents-to-know-kind-of-what-is-the/) [Margaret Spellings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-spellings/) > [Say what you will about the leadership of 'SNL,' they have crafted an institution as opposed to just running a show. I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-lamarr/say-what-you-will-about-the-leadership-of-snl-they-have-crafted-an/) [Phil LaMarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-lamarr/) > [Every institution goes through three stages - utility, privilege, and abuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-ois-ren-de-chateaubriand/every-institution-goes-through-three-stages-utility-privilege-and/) [François-René de Chateaubriand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-ois-ren-de-chateaubriand/) [Browse all 253 Institution quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institution/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Marriage is a great 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-great-institution-but-i-m-not-ready-for-an-institution/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Institution" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/marriage-is-a-great-institution-but-i-m-not-ready-for-an-institution/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9eb/mae-west-1200_marriage_marriage-is-a-great-institution-but-i-m_1087218.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9eb/mae-west-1200_marriage_marriage-is-a-great-institution-but-i-m_1087218.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9eb/mae-west-1200_marriage_marriage-is-a-great-institution-but-i-m_1087218.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Marriage is a great 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 great institution, but...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/marriage-is-a-great-institution-but-i-m-not-ready-for-an-institution/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/marriage-is-a-great-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 } } ] } ```