---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Marriage is hard, labor-intensive. It's…"
description: "\"“Marriage is hard, labor-intensive. It's not supposed to be easy.”\" — Patricia Elam"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55c/patricia-elam-268281_marriage_marriage-is-hard-labor-intensive-it-s-no_1748681.jpg"
---

#  Marriage is hard, labor-intensive. It's not supposed to be…

![“Marriage is hard, labor-intensive. It's not supposed to be easy.” quote by Patricia Elam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55c/patricia-elam-268281_marriage_marriage-is-hard-labor-intensive-it-s-no_1748681.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55c/patricia-elam-268281_marriage_marriage-is-hard-labor-intensive-it-s-no_1748681.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55c/patricia-elam-268281_marriage_marriage-is-hard-labor-intensive-it-s-no_1748681.jpg)

> ““Marriage is hard, labor-intensive. It's not supposed to be easy.””

[Patricia Elam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-elam/)

## About This Quote

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

Marriage requires hard work and effort; it is not meant to be effortless.

**In simple terms:** Marriage is labor-intensive, not easy.

Key Takeaway

Invest effort and realistic expectations in marriage.

Themes

marriage effort hardship relationship dynamics

Mood

realistic thoughtful

Type

advisory reflective

When to use this quote

- marriage counseling
- relationship building
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

sociology psychology family studies

Questions to Reflect On

- What habits sustain a strong marriage?
- How to balance effort and enjoyment?

A Different Perspective

Idealizing marriage can cause disappointment.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Hard Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-labor-765676/) [Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor/) [Labor Intensive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor-intensive-451394/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Marriage advice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage-advice/) [Marriage Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage-hard-846428/) [Marriage is hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage-is-hard/)

## Related quotes

> [“A marriage is hard work. Worth every bit of it though.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-relf/a-marriage-is-hard-work-worth-every-bit-of-it-though/)

[Tim Relf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-relf/)

> [Marriage is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/la-la-anthony/marriage-is-hard/)

[La La Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/la-la-anthony/)

> [“A marriage only works if one opens to exactly that which one would never ask for otherwise. Only through rubbing oneself sore and losing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-guggenb-hl-craig/a-marriage-only-works-if-one-opens-to-exactly-that-which-one-would/)

[Adolf Guggenbühl-Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-guggenb-hl-craig/)

> [All I can say is marriage is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-kelechi-watson/all-i-can-say-is-marriage-is-hard/)

[Susan Kelechi Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-kelechi-watson/)

> [I don't care how handsome or fabulous or funny the groom is, or how sweet and accommodating the bride, or vice versa. Marriage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-mccarthy/i-don-t-care-how-handsome-or-fabulous-or-funny-the-groom-is-or-how/)

[Jenna McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-mccarthy/)

> [Marriage is hard, and it is even harder when your marriage is under public scrutiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phaedra-parks/marriage-is-hard-and-it-is-even-harder-when-your-marriage-is-under/)

[Phaedra Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phaedra-parks/)

> [As you become older, you become less judgmental and take offense less. But marriage is hard work; the illusion that you get married and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-andrews/as-you-become-older-you-become-less-judgmental-and-take-offense-less/)

[Julie Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-andrews/)

> [Marriage is hard work, and it's not all romance and flowers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-lewis/marriage-is-hard-work-and-it-s-not-all-romance-and-flowers/)

[Denise Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-lewis/)

> [“We Americans often say that marriage is hard work. I'm not sure that the Hmong would understand this notion. Life is hard work, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/we-americans-often-say-that-marriage-is-hard-work-i-m-not-sure-that/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [I don't want to be someone that anyone settles for. Marriage is hard enough without bringing such low expectations into it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-want-to-be-someone-that-anyone-settles-for-marriage-is-hard/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I don't want to be someone that you're settling for. I don't want to be someone that anyone settles for. Marriage is hard enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/i-don-t-want-to-be-someone-that-you-re-settling-for-i-don-t-want-to/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [“Any marriage is hard work. But what I always say is, "Keep the fights clean and the sex dirty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bacon/any-marriage-is-hard-work-but-what-i-always-say-is-keep-the-fights/)

[Kevin Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bacon/)

> [Marriage is hard at best;disagreements and difficult adjustments abound.While no one must live in an adusive and dangerous relationship,accepting the difficulties of poverty,hardship,and disappointment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariane-corbito/marriage-is-hard-at-best-disagreements-and-difficult-adjustments/)

[Mariane Corbito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariane-corbito/)

> [I think you can have it all. You just have to work really hard, because great things dont come easily. Everyones been told that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-perry/i-think-you-can-have-it-all-you-just-have-to-work-really-hard-because/)

[Katy Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-perry/)

> [Marriage is hard work, period.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-chandler/marriage-is-hard-work-period/)

[Kyle Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-chandler/)

## More Hard quotes

> [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [Making the right decision is hard,telling someone your decision is even harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/making-the-right-decision-is-hard-telling-someone-your-decision-is/)

[Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/)

> [It is hard to admit to someone that you love him..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misherie/it-is-hard-to-admit-to-someone-that-you-love-him/)

[Misherie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misherie/)

> [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/)

[Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/)

> [There Was Many Time I Had Wanted To Give Up In Life On So Many Things…But Naw F\*\*\* That...I'm Not Going To Never Give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/out-spoken/there-was-many-time-i-had-wanted-to-give-up-in-life-on-so-many-things/)

[Out Spoken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/out-spoken/)

> [I think you can get, as a player, stuck in the mindset of trying too hard to prove yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trinity-rodman/i-think-you-can-get-as-a-player-stuck-in-the-mindset-of-trying-too/)

[Trinity Rodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trinity-rodman/)

> [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [One of the worst things to come out of the Consumer Protection Board's misleading claims is the impression that government resources are to hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/one-of-the-worst-things-to-come-out-of-the-consumer-protection-board/)

[Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/)

> [In our society we have hard nerds and soft nerds. The hard nerds are the ones who used to have the slide rules at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-kay/in-our-society-we-have-hard-nerds-and-soft-nerds-the-hard-nerds-are/)

[Alan Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-kay/)

> [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/)

[Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/)

> [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/)

[Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/)

> [High school, going into my junior year, I kind of had the idea I was going to be the starting running back. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saquon-barkley/high-school-going-into-my-junior-year-i-kind-of-had-the-idea-i-was/)

[Saquon Barkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saquon-barkley/)

> [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/)

[Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/)

> [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/)

[An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/)

> [It took me 20 years of hard training to get the physique I have today. what you need is what i had - BELIEF…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-warren/it-took-me-20-years-of-hard-training-to-get-the-physique-i-have-today/)

[Branch Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-warren/)

[Browse all 29,826 Hard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Marriage is hard, labor-intensive. It's not supposed to be easy.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Patricia Elam"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-elam/marriage-is-hard-labor-intensive-it-s-not-supposed-to-be-easy/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Hard"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-elam/marriage-is-hard-labor-intensive-it-s-not-supposed-to-be-easy/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55c/patricia-elam-268281_marriage_marriage-is-hard-labor-intensive-it-s-no_1748681.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55c/patricia-elam-268281_marriage_marriage-is-hard-labor-intensive-it-s-no_1748681.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55c/patricia-elam-268281_marriage_marriage-is-hard-labor-intensive-it-s-no_1748681.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Marriage is hard, labor-intensive. It's not supposed to be easy.” — Patricia Elam",
                "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": "Patricia Elam",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-elam/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Marriage is hard, labor-intensive. It's not...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-elam/marriage-is-hard-labor-intensive-it-s-not-supposed-to-be-easy/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-elam/marriage-is-hard-labor-intensive-it-s-not-supposed-to-be-easy/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
