--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Marriage is a long, dull meal with…" description: "\"Marriage is a long, dull meal with dessert served at the beginning.\" — Oscar Wilde" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daf/oscar-wilde-16_dessert_marriage-is-a-long-dull-meal-with-desser_2177073.jpg" --- # Marriage is a long, dull meal with dessert served at the… ![“Marriage is a long, dull meal with dessert served at the beginning.” quote by Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daf/oscar-wilde-16_dessert_marriage-is-a-long-dull-meal-with-desser_2177073.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daf/oscar-wilde-16_dessert_marriage-is-a-long-dull-meal-with-desser_2177073.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daf/oscar-wilde-16_dessert_marriage-is-a-long-dull-meal-with-desser_2177073.jpg) > “Marriage is a long, dull meal with dessert served at the beginning.” [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Marriage is portrayed as a routine with early rewards, implying monotony after initial excitement. **In simple terms:** Marriage can feel routine after early pleasures. Key Takeaway Value ongoing partnership growth. Themes relationships marriage humor Mood wry observational Type literary humorous When to use this quote - couples counseling - wedding planning - relationship workshops Key Concepts satire social commentary expectations Questions to Reflect On - What keeps a marriage vibrant over time? - How can couples avoid complacency? A Different Perspective May oversimplify marriage, ignoring depth and mutual support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dessert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dessert/) [Dessert Served](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dessert-served-4686600/) [Dull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dull/) [Dull Meal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dull-meal-1598392/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long Dull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-dull-2605700/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Marriage Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage-long-624325/) [Meals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meals/) ## Related quotes > [Marriage is like a dull meal with the dessert at the beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/marriage-is-like-a-dull-meal-with-the-dessert-at-the-beginning/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [A kiss is a lusty dollop of dessert to be served with desire and savored with passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-pacino/a-kiss-is-a-lusty-dollop-of-dessert-to-be-served-with-desire-and/) [Al Pacino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-pacino/) > [“I want to taste you,” Lillie whispered. “Dessert now being served.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivian-arend/i-want-to-taste-you-lillie-whispered-dessert-now-being-served/) [Vivian Arend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivian-arend/) > [Making a movie is a long, dull process. There's a lot of waiting around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-louis-dreyfus/making-a-movie-is-a-long-dull-process-there-s-a-lot-of-waiting-around/) [Julia Louis-Dreyfus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-louis-dreyfus/) > [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/) > [Marriage is one long conversation, checkered by disputes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/marriage-is-one-long-conversation-checkered-by-disputes/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [There is something revolting about the way girls' minds often jump to marriage long before they jump to love. And most of those minds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/there-is-something-revolting-about-the-way-girls-minds-often-jump-to/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [It was not a healthy marriage for long time. It was never about another man, it was about what my and Dennis's relationship could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-ryan/it-was-not-a-healthy-marriage-for-long-time-it-was-never-about/) [Meg Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-ryan/) > [“Don't expect to know your husband inside and out within a month of marriage. For a long time you will be making discoveries; file…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blanche-ebbutt/don-t-expect-to-know-your-husband-inside-and-out-within-a-month-of/) [Blanche Ebbutt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blanche-ebbutt/) > [We're not getting married right now. We're very, very focused on our respective careers. Marriage is a long way away. Yes, I'm very close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amisha-patel/we-re-not-getting-married-right-now-we-re-very-very-focused-on-our/) [Amisha Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amisha-patel/) > [“Lucien had this unrealistic, romantic idea about life and marriage, that it should all be one long honeymoon, with them spending every waking minute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-t-scott/lucien-had-this-unrealistic-romantic-idea-about-life-and-marriage/) [Jasper T. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-t-scott/) > [In a marriage, in any long-term relationship, not to bother with lying. There's no time for that. If you have any sort of secret…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-garcia/in-a-marriage-in-any-long-term-relationship-not-to-bother-with-lying/) [Andy Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-garcia/) > [“He had avoided thoughts of marriage as long as he was still a gamekeeper, but seeing that couple, he felt a slight ache in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-dickerson/he-had-avoided-thoughts-of-marriage-as-long-as-he-was-still-a/) [Melanie Dickerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-dickerson/) > [Marriage is long enough to have plenty of room for time behind it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/marriage-is-long-enough-to-have-plenty-of-room-for-time-behind-it/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [Marriage is a very long process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-goudge/marriage-is-a-very-long-process/) [Elizabeth Goudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-goudge/) ## More by Oscar Wilde > [How else but through a broken heart may Lord Christ enter in?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/how-else-but-through-a-broken-heart-may-lord-christ-enter-in/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-books-that-the-world-calls-immoral-are-the-books-that-show-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Bachelors should be heavily taxed. It is not fair that some men should be happier than others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/bachelors-should-be-heavily-taxed-it-is-not-fair-that-some-men-should/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Who, being loved, is poor?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/who-being-loved-is-poor/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Basil my dear boy puts everything that is charming in him into his work. The consequence is that he has nothing left for life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/basil-my-dear-boy-puts-everything-that-is-charming-in-him-into-his/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Anybody can be good in the country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/anybody-can-be-good-in-the-country/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I don't at all like knowing what people say of me behind my back. It makes me far too conceited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-don-t-at-all-like-knowing-what-people-say-of-me-behind-my-back-it/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Alles Populäre ist falsch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/alles-popul-re-ist-falsch/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“If these elements of beauty are real, the whole thing simply appeals to our sense of dramatic effect. Suddenly we find that we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/if-these-elements-of-beauty-are-real-the-whole-thing-simply-appeals/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [To love one's self is the beginning of a life-long romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/to-love-one-s-self-is-the-beginning-of-a-life-long-romance/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/those-who-find-beautiful-meanings-in-beautiful-things-are-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Men always want to be a womans first love. Women have a more subtle instinct: What they like is to be a mans last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/men-always-want-to-be-a-womans-first-love-women-have-a-more-subtle/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Why is it that at a bachelor's establishment the servants invariably drink the champagne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/why-is-it-that-at-a-bachelor-s-establishment-the-servants-invariably/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Moderation is a fatal thing. Enough is as bad as a meal. More than enough is as good as a feast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/moderation-is-a-fatal-thing-enough-is-as-bad-as-a-meal-more-than/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Beauty is the only thing that time cannot harm. Philosophies fall away like sand, creeds follow one another, but what is beautiful is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/beauty-is-the-only-thing-that-time-cannot-harm-philosophies-fall-away/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) [Explore all 3,343 Oscar Wilde quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) ## More Dessert quotes > [“π is a mathematician’s dessert”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-maslakovic/is-a-mathematician-s-dessert/) [Neve Maslakovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-maslakovic/) > [May you eat an unfamiliar dessert in a strange land at least once every three years. May you wake up... and start dancing while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-brezsny/may-you-eat-an-unfamiliar-dessert-in-a-strange-land-at-least-once/) [Rob Brezsny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-brezsny/) > [It's a floor cleaner and a dessert topping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-curtin/it-s-a-floor-cleaner-and-a-dessert-topping/) [Jane Curtin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-curtin/) > [I don't think I've ever seen pie advertised. That's how you know it's good. They advertise ice cream and other desserts. They advertise the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-carolla/i-don-t-think-i-ve-ever-seen-pie-advertised-that-s-how-you-know-it-s/) [Adam Carolla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-carolla/) > [I am not allowed to fall in love again but then why I see spring around me even in dessert when I am with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-not-allowed-to-fall-in-love-again-but-then-why-i-see-spring/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you take added sugar out of your diet, when you have fruit for dessert it is going to taste fantastic!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-david/if-you-take-added-sugar-out-of-your-diet-when-you-have-fruit-for/) [Laurie David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-david/) > [We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/we-must-have-a-pie-stress-cannot-exist-in-the-presence-of-a-pie/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [The friendly cow, all red and white, I love with all my heart; She gives me cream with all her might, To eat with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/the-friendly-cow-all-red-and-white-i-love-with-all-my-heart-she-gives/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [My whole thing is simple, well-balanced meals. I have to say, though, that I really like dessert. I try not to eat dessert every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikaela-shiffrin/my-whole-thing-is-simple-well-balanced-meals-i-have-to-say-though/) [Mikaela Shiffrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikaela-shiffrin/) > [Fame is like the dessert that comes with your achievements - it's not an achievement in itself, but sometimes it can overpower the work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-clayton/fame-is-like-the-dessert-that-comes-with-your-achievements-it-s-not/) [Adam Clayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-clayton/) > [It's fine to eat dessert when I want to eat dessert because that will give me the peace of mind I need. I'll know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camila-mendes/it-s-fine-to-eat-dessert-when-i-want-to-eat-dessert-because-that-will/) [Camila Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camila-mendes/) > [It's very confusing when fame comes early on in your career. You get a little bit bent out of shape in terms of what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-clayton/it-s-very-confusing-when-fame-comes-early-on-in-your-career-you-get-a/) [Adam Clayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-clayton/) > [If I am incapable of washing dishes joyfully, if I want to finish them quickly so I can go and have dessert, I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/if-i-am-incapable-of-washing-dishes-joyfully-if-i-want-to-finish-them/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [I am not accustomed to take my wine in pills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-anthelme-brillat-savarin/i-am-not-accustomed-to-take-my-wine-in-pills/) [Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-anthelme-brillat-savarin/) > [Fruits each in its season, are the cheapest, most elegant and wholesome dessert you can offer your family or friends, at luncheon or tea.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-virginia-terhune/fruits-each-in-its-season-are-the-cheapest-most-elegant-and-wholesome/) [Mary Virginia Terhune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-virginia-terhune/) [Browse all 388 Dessert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dessert/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Marriage is a long, dull meal with dessert served at the beginning.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oscar Wilde" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/marriage-is-a-long-dull-meal-with-dessert-served-at-the-beginning/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dessert" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/marriage-is-a-long-dull-meal-with-dessert-served-at-the-beginning/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daf/oscar-wilde-16_dessert_marriage-is-a-long-dull-meal-with-desser_2177073.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daf/oscar-wilde-16_dessert_marriage-is-a-long-dull-meal-with-desser_2177073.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daf/oscar-wilde-16_dessert_marriage-is-a-long-dull-meal-with-desser_2177073.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Marriage is a long, dull meal with dessert served at the beginning.” — Oscar Wilde", "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": "Oscar Wilde", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Marriage is a long, dull meal...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/marriage-is-a-long-dull-meal-with-dessert-served-at-the-beginning/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/marriage-is-a-long-dull-meal-with-dessert-served-at-the-beginning/#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 } } ] } ```