--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've thought far more about marriage in…" description: "\"“I've thought far more about marriage in recent months than I ever did before. What is the marriage contract? The general assumption we have about marr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/michelle-richmond-23246_life_i-ve-thought-far-more-about-marriage-in_646582.jpg" --- # I've thought far more about marriage in recent months than… ![“I've thought far more about marriage in recent months than I ever did before. What is the marriage contract? The general assumption we have about marriage is that it involves two people building a life together. But what I wonder is this: Does it require each person to give up the life they built…” quote by Michelle Richmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/michelle-richmond-23246_life_i-ve-thought-far-more-about-marriage-in_646582.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/michelle-richmond-23246_life_i-ve-thought-far-more-about-marriage-in_646582.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/michelle-richmond-23246_life_i-ve-thought-far-more-about-marriage-in_646582.jpg) > ““I've thought far more about marriage in recent months than I ever did before. What is the marriage contract? The general assumption we have about marriage is that it involves two people building a life together. But what I wonder is this: Does it require each person to give up the life they built before? Must we shed our former selves? Do we have to give up that which was once important to us as a sacrifice to the gods of marriage?”” [Michelle Richmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-richmond/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Explores whether marriage demands abandoning one’s prior identity and values. **In simple terms:** Marriage may require change, not loss. Key Takeaway Balance personal growth with partnership. Themes marriage identity growth Mood thoughtful curious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - long‑term partnership - family planning - personal development Key Concepts Sociology psychology Questions to Reflect On - Do you think marriage should reshape personal identity? - How can partners honor each other's histories? A Different Perspective Some couples retain individuality; compromise varies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-together/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Marriage contract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage-contract/) ## Related quotes > [“Wanting to get married, for me, is all about a desire to feel chosen.” She went on to write that while the concept of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/wanting-to-get-married-for-me-is-all-about-a-desire-to-feel-chosen/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [Divorce exposes absolutely ever buried assumption about marriage ... how a husband's sense of entitlement and a wife's sense of duty turned the principle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-blakely/divorce-exposes-absolutely-ever-buried-assumption-about-marriage-how/) [Mary Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-blakely/) > [Any good marriage involves a certain amount of play-acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-millar/any-good-marriage-involves-a-certain-amount-of-play-acting/) [Margaret Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-millar/) > [The central issue in marriage is not well-being or happiness, it is... Salvation. Marriage involves not only a man and a woman who happily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/the-central-issue-in-marriage-is-not-well-being-or-happiness-it-is/) Pacifiersucker > [Dating involves being witty and charming and making reservations at fabulous restaurants. Marriage involves compromise... something that sounded to me like a combo of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alisyn-camerota/dating-involves-being-witty-and-charming-and-making-reservations-at/) [Alisyn Camerota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alisyn-camerota/) > [“The central issue in the marriage is not well-being or happiness. It is, as this book has tried to demonstrate, salvation. Marriage involves not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-guggenbhuhl-craig/the-central-issue-in-the-marriage-is-not-well-being-or-happiness-it/) [Adolf Guggenbhuhl-Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-guggenbhuhl-craig/) > [“The good news is that I believe every woman who wants to can find a great partner. You're just going to need to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-mcmillan/the-good-news-is-that-i-believe-every-woman-who-wants-to-can-find-a/) [Tracy McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-mcmillan/) > [“Yvette had never talked about her marriage - she was a smart girl, and she knew you had no right to complain about someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maile-meloy/yvette-had-never-talked-about-her-marriage-she-was-a-smart-girl-and/) [Maile Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maile-meloy/) > [I got a little secretarial job after college, but I thought of it as a prelude. Education, work, whatever you did before marriage, was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-carr/i-got-a-little-secretarial-job-after-college-but-i-thought-of-it-as-a/) Bonnie Carr > [“They had as good a shot at making it as anyone did, but what if marriage didn't solve anything and didn't save anyone even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/they-had-as-good-a-shot-at-making-it-as-anyone-did-but-what-if/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [He put the blinker on, pulled out onto the avenue. "Well, that was nice," she said, sitting back. They had fun together these days,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/he-put-the-blinker-on-pulled-out-onto-the-avenue-well-that-was-nice/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [I met this guy at my work and he was with his lady, he was 49, I saw him cut up with his wife,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-shaylitsa/i-met-this-guy-at-my-work-and-he-was-with-his-lady-he-was-49-i-saw/) [Edward Shaylitsa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-shaylitsa/) > [Three of my children married Jewish people. One did not and that marriage didn't last more than half a dozen years or so. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-rubin/three-of-my-children-married-jewish-people-one-did-not-and-that/) [Vera Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-rubin/) > [I often say that if you want to really want to understand the contract of marriage, just ask anyone who has been divorced. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-fierstein/i-often-say-that-if-you-want-to-really-want-to-understand-the/) [Harvey Fierstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-fierstein/) > [I believe people ought to be treated fairly under the law. I see no reason why if the marriage contract conveys certain things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-believe-people-ought-to-be-treated-fairly-under-the-law-i-see-no/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) ## More by Michelle Richmond > [“I understand how families become estranged, not by design, but by embarrassment. You come to a point when so much time has passed that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-richmond/i-understand-how-families-become-estranged-not-by-design-but-by/) [Michelle Richmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-richmond/) > [“I never expected to find myself here, on the edge of the continent--childless, possibly jobless, with broken bones and a broken marriage, citizen of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-richmond/i-never-expected-to-find-myself-here-on-the-edge-of-the-continent/) [Michelle Richmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-richmond/) > [“I guess I'm just stuck on the idea that there's this monumental machine, and we're all part of it. Most of the time, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-richmond/i-guess-i-m-just-stuck-on-the-idea-that-there-s-this-monumental/) [Michelle Richmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-richmond/) > [“I already have a son One is enough? There was a time when I dreamt of having three or four but I rather failed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-richmond/i-already-have-a-son-one-is-enough-there-was-a-time-when-i-dreamt-of/) [Michelle Richmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-richmond/) > [“As the years progress and we experience more and more, the mini-narratives that make up our lives are distorted, corrupted, so that every one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-richmond/as-the-years-progress-and-we-experience-more-and-more-the-mini/) [Michelle Richmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-richmond/) > [Every story is flawed, every story is subject to change. Even after it is set down to print, between covers of a book, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-richmond/every-story-is-flawed-every-story-is-subject-to-change-even-after-it/) [Michelle Richmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-richmond/) > [Some people have a gift for making you feel okay, just by the fact of their presence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-richmond/some-people-have-a-gift-for-making-you-feel-okay-just-by-the-fact-of/) [Michelle Richmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-richmond/) > [“Technical speaking one is a beautiful number. One is its own factorial, its own square, its own cube. It is neither a prime number…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-richmond/technical-speaking-one-is-a-beautiful-number-one-is-its-own-factorial/) [Michelle Richmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-richmond/) > [With Amaryllis in Blueberry, Christina Meldrum has woven a beautifully layered, intensely emotional story, with unforgettable characters whose voices will remain with you long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-richmond/with-amaryllis-in-blueberry-christina-meldrum-has-woven-a-beautifully/) [Michelle Richmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-richmond/) > [“Whenever I feel old—which seems to be happening more and more often these days—Alice tells me to imagine taking a picture of myself, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-richmond/whenever-i-feel-old-which-seems-to-be-happening-more-and-more-often/) [Michelle Richmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-richmond/) > [“History is made not of facts set in stone but of the stories we tell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-richmond/history-is-made-not-of-facts-set-in-stone-but-of-the-stories-we-tell/) [Michelle Richmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-richmond/) > [“I asked her to tell me what the best moment of her life had been Did she? Yes, she told me about a trip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-richmond/i-asked-her-to-tell-me-what-the-best-moment-of-her-life-had-been-did/) [Michelle Richmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-richmond/) > [To be a writer you have to write -- and no academic degree is going to do the writing for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-richmond/to-be-a-writer-you-have-to-write-and-no-academic-degree-is-going-to/) [Michelle Richmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-richmond/) > [I have a hunch that our obsession with photography arises from an unspoken pessimism; it is our nature to believe the good things will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-richmond/i-have-a-hunch-that-our-obsession-with-photography-arises-from-an/) [Michelle Richmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-richmond/) > [“Tragedy, in its full and life-altering form, happened to other people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-richmond/tragedy-in-its-full-and-life-altering-form-happened-to-other-people/) [Michelle Richmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-richmond/) [Explore all 25 Michelle Richmond quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-richmond/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [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/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) Deanna L. Lawlis > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I've thought far more about marriage in recent months than I ever did before. What is the marriage contract? The general assumption we have about marriage is that it involves two people building a life together. But what I wonder is this: Does it require each person to give up the life they built before? Must we shed our former selves? Do we have to give up that which was once important to us as a sacrifice to the gods of marriage?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michelle Richmond" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-richmond/i-ve-thought-far-more-about-marriage-in-recent-months-than-i-ever-did/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-richmond/i-ve-thought-far-more-about-marriage-in-recent-months-than-i-ever-did/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/michelle-richmond-23246_life_i-ve-thought-far-more-about-marriage-in_646582.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/michelle-richmond-23246_life_i-ve-thought-far-more-about-marriage-in_646582.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/michelle-richmond-23246_life_i-ve-thought-far-more-about-marriage-in_646582.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've thought far more about marriage in recent months than I ever did before. What is the marriage contract?…” — Michelle Richmond", "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": "Michelle Richmond", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-richmond/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I've thought far more about marriage...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-richmond/i-ve-thought-far-more-about-marriage-in-recent-months-than-i-ever-did/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-richmond/i-ve-thought-far-more-about-marriage-in-recent-months-than-i-ever-did/#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 } } ] } ```