---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The reason for much matrimony is patrimony."
description: "\"The reason for much matrimony is patrimony.\" — Ogden Nash"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cc/ogden-nash-1286_intelligence_the-reason-for-much-matrimony-is-patrimo_1563721.png"
---

#  The reason for much matrimony is patrimony.

![“The reason for much matrimony is patrimony.” quote by Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cc/ogden-nash-1286_intelligence_the-reason-for-much-matrimony-is-patrimo_1563721.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cc/ogden-nash-1286_intelligence_the-reason-for-much-matrimony-is-patrimo_1563721.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cc/ogden-nash-1286_intelligence_the-reason-for-much-matrimony-is-patrimo_1563721.png)

> “The reason for much matrimony is patrimony.”

[Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/)

## About This Quote

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

Marriage often serves practical purposes like inheritance, not just love.

**In simple terms:** Marriage can be about property and status.

Key Takeaway

Recognize both love and practicalities.

Themes

marriage materialism social contracts

Mood

wry observational

Type

humorous social commentary

When to use this quote

- estate planning
- marital counseling
- financial discussions

Key Concepts

economic motives family dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you balance love and practicality?
- What expectations do you have for marriage?

A Different Perspective

Focusing on material aspects can diminish romance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Love and marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-and-marriage/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Matrimony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matrimony/) [Matrimony Patrimony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matrimony-patrimony-5871339/) [Patrimony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patrimony/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reason Matrimony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason-matrimony-5871340/)

## Related quotes

> [In Christian marriage, love is not an option. It is a duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/in-christian-marriage-love-is-not-an-option-it-is-a-duty/)

[R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/)

> [Whenever you're wrong, admit it; Whenever you're right, shut up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/whenever-you-re-wrong-admit-it-whenever-you-re-right-shut-up/)

[Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/)

> [But say That death be not one stroke, as I supposed, Bereaving sense, but endless misery From this day onward, which I feel begun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/but-say-that-death-be-not-one-stroke-as-i-supposed-bereaving-sense/)

[John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/)

> [Time the great destroyer of other men's happiness, only enlarges the patrimony of literature to its possessor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-d-israeli/time-the-great-destroyer-of-other-men-s-happiness-only-enlarges-the/)

[Isaac D'Israeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-d-israeli/)

> [“But above all he must refrain from seizing the property of others, because a man is quicker to forget the death of his father…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/but-above-all-he-must-refrain-from-seizing-the-property-of-others/)

[Niccolò Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/)

> [The heritage of the American Revolution is forgotten, and the American government, for better and for worse, has entered into theheritage of Europe as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/the-heritage-of-the-american-revolution-is-forgotten-and-the-american/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

> [No one has the right to change Paris, the protesters say, and argue that the city is the patrimony of all mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-vinocur/no-one-has-the-right-to-change-paris-the-protesters-say-and-argue/)

[John Vinocur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-vinocur/)

> [History is the heritage and patrimony of mankind in its lessons of the past that give priceless inspiration for the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-clausen/history-is-the-heritage-and-patrimony-of-mankind-in-its-lessons-of/)

[Henry Clausen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-clausen/)

> [Every man is rich or poor according to the proportion between his desires and his enjoyments; any enlargement of wishes is therefore equally destructive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/every-man-is-rich-or-poor-according-to-the-proportion-between-his/)

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

> [To live without faith, without a patrimony to defend, without a steady struggle for truth, that is not living but existing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pier-giorgio-frassati/to-live-without-faith-without-a-patrimony-to-defend-without-a-steady/)

[Pier Giorgio Frassati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pier-giorgio-frassati/)

> [A nation's character is the sum of its splendid deeds; they constitute one common patrimony, the nation's inheritance. They awe foreign powers, they arouse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-clay/a-nation-s-character-is-the-sum-of-its-splendid-deeds-they-constitute/)

[Henry Clay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-clay/)

> [We lose the forest for the trees, forgetting, even so far as we think at all, that we are trustees for those who come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/we-lose-the-forest-for-the-trees-forgetting-even-so-far-as-we-think/)

[Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/)

> [The present generation finds itself the heir of a vast patrimony of science; and it must needs concern us to know the steps by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-whewell/the-present-generation-finds-itself-the-heir-of-a-vast-patrimony-of/)

[William Whewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-whewell/)

> [An absolute monarch, who is rich without patrimony, may be charitable without merit; and Constantine too easily believed that he should purchase the favour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/an-absolute-monarch-who-is-rich-without-patrimony-may-be-charitable/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [You are worried about what man has done and is doing to this magical planet that God gave us. And I share your concern.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/you-are-worried-about-what-man-has-done-and-is-doing-to-this-magical/)

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

## More by Ogden Nash

> [There is only one way to achieve happiness on this terrestrial ball, and that is to have either a clear conscience or none at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/there-is-only-one-way-to-achieve-happiness-on-this-terrestrial-ball/)

[Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/)

> [The sky is now indelible ink, The branches reft asunder; But you and I we do not shrink; We love the lovely thunder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/the-sky-is-now-indelible-ink-the-branches-reft-asunder-but-you-and-i/)

[Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/)

> [Middle-aged life is merry, and I love to lead it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/middle-aged-life-is-merry-and-i-love-to-lead-it/)

[Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/)

> [When a lady's erotic life is vexed God knows what God is coming next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/when-a-lady-s-erotic-life-is-vexed-god-knows-what-god-is-coming-next/)

[Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/)

> [“Love is a word that is constantly heard, Hate is a word that is not. Love, I am told, is more precious that gold.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/love-is-a-word-that-is-constantly-heard-hate-is-a-word-that-is-not/)

[Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/)

> [A husband is a guy who tells you when you've got on too much lipstick and helps you with your girdle when your hips…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/a-husband-is-a-guy-who-tells-you-when-you-ve-got-on-too-much-lipstick/)

[Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/)

> [Marriage is the alliance of two people, one of whom never remembers birthdays and the other never forgets them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/marriage-is-the-alliance-of-two-people-one-of-whom-never-remembers/)

[Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/)

> [I claim there ain't Another Saint As great as Valentine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/i-claim-there-ain-t-another-saint-as-great-as-valentine/)

[Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/)

> [“Senescence begins And middle-age ends The day your descendants Outnumber your friends”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/senescence-begins-and-middle-age-ends-the-day-your-descendants/)

[Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/)

> [Poets arent very usefulBecause they aren't consumeful or produceful..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/poets-arent-very-usefulbecause-they-aren-t-consumeful-or-produceful/)

[Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/)

> [I don't mind their having a lot of money, and I don't care how they employ it, but I do think that they damn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/i-don-t-mind-their-having-a-lot-of-money-and-i-don-t-care-how-they/)

[Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/)

> [To maintain your marriage brimming, with really like in the wedding cup, anytime you are incorrect, admit it each time you're proper, shut up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/to-maintain-your-marriage-brimming-with-really-like-in-the-wedding/)

[Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/)

> [No, you never get any fun Out of the things you haven't done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/no-you-never-get-any-fun-out-of-the-things-you-haven-t-done/)

[Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/)

> [“Which the Chicken and Which the Egg? He drinks because she scolds, he thinks; She thinks she scolds because he drinks; And nether will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/which-the-chicken-and-which-the-egg-he-drinks-because-she-scolds-he/)

[Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/)

> [“People can't concentrate properly on blowing other people to pieces if their minds are poisoned by thoughts suitable to the twenty-fifth of December.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/people-can-t-concentrate-properly-on-blowing-other-people-to-pieces/)

[Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/)

[Explore all 261 Ogden Nash quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/)

## More Intelligence quotes

> [If you can do anything for love there's no reason you can't do everything to someone you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayjay-guillermo/if-you-can-do-anything-for-love-there-s-no-reason-you-can-t-do/)

[Jayjay Guillermo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayjay-guillermo/)

> [Long before the 2016 presidential campaign, confidential sources had alerted me to longstanding misuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court system and the erosion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/long-before-the-2016-presidential-campaign-confidential-sources-had/)

[Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/)

> [“If people fully understand you, they will think of you as a normal, if they half understand you, will think of you as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/if-people-fully-understand-you-they-will-think-of-you-as-a-normal-if/)

[M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/)

> [Woman, in short, has an unconscious life, man a conscious life, and the genius the most conscious life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-weininger/woman-in-short-has-an-unconscious-life-man-a-conscious-life-and-the/)

[Otto Weininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-weininger/)

> [“The mystery of the world is revealed only to the person who can look upon the material world with his physical eyes and simultaneously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/awdhesh-singh/the-mystery-of-the-world-is-revealed-only-to-the-person-who-can-look/)

[Awdhesh Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/awdhesh-singh/)

> [Plainly, the environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/plainly-the-environment-must-be-a-living-one-directed-by-a-higher/)

[Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/)

> [“Your mind has the intellect to lift the world, your heart has the wisdom to better the world, and your soul has the genius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/your-mind-has-the-intellect-to-lift-the-world-your-heart-has-the/)

[Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/)

> [An ex is an ex for a reason, they are an EXample of what you don't want in your future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexia/an-ex-is-an-ex-for-a-reason-they-are-an-example-of-what-you-don-t/)

[Alexia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexia/)

> [“When it comes to smarts, adolescents like Jesse have plenty. What they lack, however, are some of the brain-based skills that we all need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-guare/when-it-comes-to-smarts-adolescents-like-jesse-have-plenty-what-they/)

[Richard Guare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-guare/)

> [What we shall need is not geniuses, or cynics, or misanthropes, or clever tacticians, but plain, honest, straghtforward men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/what-we-shall-need-is-not-geniuses-or-cynics-or-misanthropes-or/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [If you've got creativity, imagination, and intelligence, and you want to be hypnotised, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/if-you-ve-got-creativity-imagination-and-intelligence-and-you-want-to/)

[Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/)

> [“A smart person learns from his mistakes, but a truly wise person learns from the mistakes of others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-schramm/a-smart-person-learns-from-his-mistakes-but-a-truly-wise-person/)

[Ken Schramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-schramm/)

> [One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius; and the feminine situation has up to the present rendered this becoming practically impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/one-is-not-born-a-genius-one-becomes-a-genius-and-the-feminine/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [“You are very kind and very intelligent and those elements are not always found together. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-are-very-kind-and-very-intelligent-and-those-elements-are-not/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [For the execution of the voyage to the Indies, I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics or maps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-columbus/for-the-execution-of-the-voyage-to-the-indies-i-did-not-make-use-of/)

[Christopher Columbus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-columbus/)

[Browse all 9,546 Intelligence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The reason for much matrimony is patrimony.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ogden Nash"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/the-reason-for-much-matrimony-is-patrimony/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Intelligence"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/the-reason-for-much-matrimony-is-patrimony/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cc/ogden-nash-1286_intelligence_the-reason-for-much-matrimony-is-patrimo_1563721.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cc/ogden-nash-1286_intelligence_the-reason-for-much-matrimony-is-patrimo_1563721.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cc/ogden-nash-1286_intelligence_the-reason-for-much-matrimony-is-patrimo_1563721.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The reason for much matrimony is patrimony.” — Ogden Nash",
                "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": "Ogden Nash",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The reason for much matrimony is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/the-reason-for-much-matrimony-is-patrimony/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/the-reason-for-much-matrimony-is-patrimony/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
