--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What nonsense people talk about happy…" description: "\"“What nonsense people talk about happy marriages!\" exclaimed Lord Henry. \" A man can be happy with any woman, as long as he does not love her.”\" — Osca..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/oscar-wilde-16_happiness_what-nonsense-people-talk-about-happy-ma_1318089.jpg" --- # What nonsense people talk about happy marriages!"… ![“What nonsense people talk about happy marriages!" exclaimed Lord Henry. " A man can be happy with any woman, as long as he does not love her.” quote by Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/oscar-wilde-16_happiness_what-nonsense-people-talk-about-happy-ma_1318089.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/oscar-wilde-16_happiness_what-nonsense-people-talk-about-happy-ma_1318089.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/oscar-wilde-16_happiness_what-nonsense-people-talk-about-happy-ma_1318089.jpg) > ““What nonsense people talk about happy marriages!" exclaimed Lord Henry. " A man can be happy with any woman, as long as he does not love her.”” [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. Lord Henry claims happiness in marriage is possible without love, suggesting love is unnecessary for contentment. **In simple terms:** Marriage can be happy without love. Key Takeaway Question the role of love in relationships. Themes marriage happiness love philosophy society Mood cynical provocative Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - relationship counseling - personal reflection - literary analysis - social commentary Key Concepts nihilism cynicism social critique Questions to Reflect On - Is love essential for lasting happiness? - Can happiness exist without emotional connection? A Different Perspective Love often deepens fulfillment, making purely pragmatic unions less satisfying. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Happy marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-marriage/) [Lord henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lord-henry/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Marriages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriages/) ## Related quotes > [Women have become so highly educated... that nothing should surprise us nowadays, except happy marriages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/women-have-become-so-highly-educated-that-nothing-should-surprise-us/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [A new report suggests that people in happy marriages are more likely to gain weight than people who are unhappily married. So if your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-meyers/a-new-report-suggests-that-people-in-happy-marriages-are-more-likely/) [Seth Meyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-meyers/) > [The only happy marriages I know are arranged ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-only-happy-marriages-i-know-are-arranged-ones/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [I have known many happy marriages, but never a compatible one. 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It's just the bad ones that you read about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyd-charisse/the-happy-marriages-never-get-any-publicity-it-s-just-the-bad-ones/) [Cyd Charisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyd-charisse/) > [“an avalanche of research shows that happy marriages can boost your health and wellbeing. People in positive long-term relationships have lower rates of heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jancee-dunn/an-avalanche-of-research-shows-that-happy-marriages-can-boost-your/) [Jancee Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jancee-dunn/) > [People who boast of happy marriages are, I submit, usually self-deceivers, if not actually liars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/people-who-boast-of-happy-marriages-are-i-submit-usually-self/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [“I believe in marriage. I believe that two good people can be happy together for a lifetime. 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The whole aim of marriage is to fight through and survive the instant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gk-chesterton/i-have-known-many-happy-marriages-but-never-a-compatible-one-the/) [GK Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gk-chesterton/) > [There is much made in the psychological literature of the effects of divorce on children, particularly as it comes to their own marriages, lo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-brown/there-is-much-made-in-the-psychological-literature-of-the-effects-of/) [Eleanor Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-brown/) ## 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. 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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/) > [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [“WE CAN'T ALWAYS CONTROL OUR CIRCUMSTANCES BUT WE CAN CONTROL OUR ATTITUDE. WE MUST BE MORE CONCERNED WITH WHAT WE DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/we-can-t-always-control-our-circumstances-but-we-can-control-our/) [MARVIN J. ASHTON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“It was beautiful. 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