--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The real drawback to marriage is that it…" description: "\"“The real drawback to marriage is that it makes one unselfish. And unselfish people are colourless. They lack individuality.”\" — Oscar Wilde" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/853/oscar-wilde-16_marriage_the-real-drawback-to-marriage-is-that-it_1850470.jpg" --- # The real drawback to marriage is that it makes one… ![“The real drawback to marriage is that it makes one unselfish. And unselfish people are colourless. They lack individuality.” quote by Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/853/oscar-wilde-16_marriage_the-real-drawback-to-marriage-is-that-it_1850470.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/853/oscar-wilde-16_marriage_the-real-drawback-to-marriage-is-that-it_1850470.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/853/oscar-wilde-16_marriage_the-real-drawback-to-marriage-is-that-it_1850470.jpg) > ““The real drawback to marriage is that it makes one unselfish. And unselfish people are colourless. They lack individuality.”” [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 can suppress individuality, making people appear dull and lacking personal color. **In simple terms:** Marriage may dull personal uniqueness. Key Takeaway Balance selflessness with personal expression. Themes relationships individuality conformity Mood thoughtful critical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - marriage counseling - personal development - creative expression - social dynamics Key Concepts marriage selflessness identity Questions to Reflect On - Can selflessness coexist with individuality? - How do you maintain personal color in partnership? A Different Perspective May generalize marriage negatively. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Drawback Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drawback-marriage-1977882/) [Lack Individuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lack-individuality-1977884/) [Makes Unselfish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/makes-unselfish-2423891/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Marriage Makes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage-makes-253691/) [Unselfish People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unselfish-people-1123633/) ## Related quotes > [“The real drawback to marriage is that it makes one unselfish. And unselfish people are colourless. They lack individuality. Still, there are certain temperaments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-real-drawback-to-marriage-is-that-it-makes-one-unselfish-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You know I am not a champion of marriage. The real drawback to marriage is that it makes one unselfish. And unselfish people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/you-know-i-am-not-a-champion-of-marriage-the-real-drawback-to/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The one charm about marriage is that it makes a life of deception absolutely necessary for both parties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-one-charm-about-marriage-is-that-it-makes-a-life-of-deception/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The one charm of marriage is that it makes a life of deception absolutely necessary for both parties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-one-charm-of-marriage-is-that-it-makes-a-life-of-deception/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [You know you've reached a new plateau of group mediocrity when even a Canadian is alarmed by your lack of individuality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/you-know-you-ve-reached-a-new-plateau-of-group-mediocrity-when-even-a/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [Bobbed hair makes women look uniform. They lack individuality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-von-stroheim/bobbed-hair-makes-women-look-uniform-they-lack-individuality/) [Erich von Stroheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-von-stroheim/) > [Kris Kristofferson and Steve Goodman were the two most unselfish people I ever met.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-prine/kris-kristofferson-and-steve-goodman-were-the-two-most-unselfish/) [John Prine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-prine/) > [Our vision is to look through the eyes of our kids. We are a lucky, peaceful nation. We are an unselfish people. That's one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cosgrove/our-vision-is-to-look-through-the-eyes-of-our-kids-we-are-a-lucky/) [Peter Cosgrove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cosgrove/) > [Unselfish people are hard to find.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/unselfish-people-are-hard-to-find/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only sense marriage makes is to share property, your children inherit the name and all that... it is all legal reasons to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhay-deol/the-only-sense-marriage-makes-is-to-share-property-your-children/) [Abhay Deol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhay-deol/) > [We recognize that same-sex marriage makes some people deeply uncomfortable. However, inertia and apprehension are not legitimate bases for denying same-sex couples due process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-franklin-floyd/we-recognize-that-same-sex-marriage-makes-some-people-deeply/) [Henry Franklin Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-franklin-floyd/) > [The worst of marriage is that it makes a woman believe that all other men are just as easy to fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/the-worst-of-marriage-is-that-it-makes-a-woman-believe-that-all-other/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [You have not looked at the poor woman for years, for the simple reason that marriage makes things so certain. Marriage makes things so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/you-have-not-looked-at-the-poor-woman-for-years-for-the-simple-reason/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [My wife and I are like twins and that is a great and a terrible thing for a marriage. It makes for the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-duplass/my-wife-and-i-are-like-twins-and-that-is-a-great-and-a-terrible-thing/) [Mark Duplass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-duplass/) > [The worst of marriage is that it makes a woman believe that all men are just as easy to fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/the-worst-of-marriage-is-that-it-makes-a-woman-believe-that-all-men/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) ## 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 Marriage quotes > [Unmarried couples should get married - that's an excellent tax avoidance measure, if a bit drastic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-whiting/unmarried-couples-should-get-married-that-s-an-excellent-tax/) [John Whiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-whiting/) > [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/) [Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/) > [I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict Scripture. MARTIN LUTHER, letter to Chancellor Gregory Brück, January 13,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/i-cannot-forbid-a-person-to-marry-several-wives-for-it-does-not/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [I don't like being away from home. That's one reason why I don't work as much as I used to \[when I started my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-powell/i-don-t-like-being-away-from-home-that-s-one-reason-why-i-don-t-work/) [Jane Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-powell/) > [Luckily, the bullet that hit my chest never got to me. It was stopped by a silver case I got for my brother's wedding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-doohan/luckily-the-bullet-that-hit-my-chest-never-got-to-me-it-was-stopped/) [James Doohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-doohan/) > [Do you think that God would separate me from my husband if I killed myself? I feel as though I am going out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-you-think-that-god-would-separate-me-from-my-husband-if-i-killed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [“Take an interest in his appearance. Keeping his clothes in order is your job; encouraging him to look his best, and admiring him when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-baker/take-an-interest-in-his-appearance-keeping-his-clothes-in-order-is/) [Ellen Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-baker/) > [Females always say, you can't turn a hoe into a house wife, but steady be trying to turn a dog into a faithful man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/females-always-say-you-can-t-turn-a-hoe-into-a-house-wife-but-steady/) [Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/) > [He's a fool that marries; but he's a greater fool that does not marry a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wycherley/he-s-a-fool-that-marries-but-he-s-a-greater-fool-that-does-not-marry/) [William Wycherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wycherley/) > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [Most marriages don't add two people together. They subtract one from the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/most-marriages-don-t-add-two-people-together-they-subtract-one-from/) [Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/) > [Alimony - the ransom that the happy pay to the devil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/alimony-the-ransom-that-the-happy-pay-to-the-devil/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [“His own parents, the estimable Gilchrists, a couple who had taken the 'till death' part of their own wedding vows so seriously he wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-blake/his-own-parents-the-estimable-gilchrists-a-couple-who-had-taken-the/) [Ally Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-blake/) [Browse all 31,920 Marriage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The real drawback to marriage is that it makes one unselfish. And unselfish people are colourless. They lack individuality.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oscar Wilde" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-real-drawback-to-marriage-is-that-it-makes-one-unselfish-and-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Marriage" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-real-drawback-to-marriage-is-that-it-makes-one-unselfish-and-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/853/oscar-wilde-16_marriage_the-real-drawback-to-marriage-is-that-it_1850470.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/853/oscar-wilde-16_marriage_the-real-drawback-to-marriage-is-that-it_1850470.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/853/oscar-wilde-16_marriage_the-real-drawback-to-marriage-is-that-it_1850470.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The real drawback to marriage is that it makes one unselfish. And unselfish people are colourless. They lack…” — 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": "“The real drawback to marriage is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-real-drawback-to-marriage-is-that-it-makes-one-unselfish-and-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-real-drawback-to-marriage-is-that-it-makes-one-unselfish-and-2/#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 } } ] } ```