---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They’d been married so long, because when…"
description: "\"“They’d been married so long, because when they disagreed, they still wanted to work together. I made a mental note.”\" — Paula Whidden"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/paula-whidden-77719_marriage_they-d-been-married-so-long-because-when_2557334.jpg"
---

#  They’d been married so long, because when they disagreed…

![“They’d been married so long, because when they disagreed, they still wanted to work together. I made a mental note.” quote by Paula Whidden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/paula-whidden-77719_marriage_they-d-been-married-so-long-because-when_2557334.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/paula-whidden-77719_marriage_they-d-been-married-so-long-because-when_2557334.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/paula-whidden-77719_marriage_they-d-been-married-so-long-because-when_2557334.jpg)

> ““They’d been married so long, because when they disagreed, they still wanted to work together. I made a mental note.””

Paula Whidden

## About This Quote

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

Long‑term marriage persists because disagreements are met with a desire to collaborate, prompting the speaker to note this dynamic.

**In simple terms:** Marriages last when partners aim to work together despite disagreements.

Key Takeaway

Foster collaborative conflict resolution.

Themes

marriage collaboration disagreement

Mood

thoughtful observational

Type

advice analysis

When to use this quote

- team projects
- family decisions
- negotiations
- mediation

Key Concepts

relationship dynamics communication skills

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance disagreement and teamwork?
- When is compromise insufficient?

A Different Perspective

Collaboration may not always resolve deep incompatibilities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Marriage advice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage-advice/) [Marriage life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage-life/) [Work together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-together/)

## Related quotes

> [“A distracted mind or absent heart creates a rift which, unless addressed, becomes a chasm separating you from each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-whidden/a-distracted-mind-or-absent-heart-creates-a-rift-which-unless/)

Paula Whidden

> [Married life teaches one invaluable lesson: to think of things far enough ahead not to say them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-machamer/married-life-teaches-one-invaluable-lesson-to-think-of-things-far/)

Jefferson Machamer

> [“It is lack of communication that leads to unhappy marriage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/it-is-lack-of-communication-that-leads-to-unhappy-marriage/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [“Relationship math suggests that It is rare for two people to enter marriage and one person is to blame for everything that goes wrong”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnie-dent-jr/relationship-math-suggests-that-it-is-rare-for-two-people-to-enter/)

[Johnnie Dent Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnie-dent-jr/)

> [“Marriage is not a competition. Marriage is completion of two souls.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/marriage-is-not-a-competition-marriage-is-completion-of-two-souls/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [Love seems the swiftest, but it is the slowest of growths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/love-seems-the-swiftest-but-it-is-the-slowest-of-growths/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [“Try to respond to your partner instead of reacting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/try-to-respond-to-your-partner-instead-of-reacting/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [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/)

> [“The sticky marital truths: - Friendship lasts longer than romance. - Romance adds icing to the friendship cake. - There are times when neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-whidden/the-sticky-marital-truths-friendship-lasts-longer-than-romance/)

Paula Whidden

> [“Tell me,” I ask Siddiqua, “what is the secret to being married for so long?” She looks at me like I am clueless. “It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-nordberg/tell-me-i-ask-siddiqua-what-is-the-secret-to-being-married-for-so/)

[Jenny Nordberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-nordberg/)

> [We're planning on being married for a long, long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-lachey/we-re-planning-on-being-married-for-a-long-long-time/)

[Nick Lachey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-lachey/)

> [Staying married may have long-term benefits. You can elicit much more sympathy from friends over a bad marriage than you ever can from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/staying-married-may-have-long-term-benefits-you-can-elicit-much-more/)

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

> [If you're going to be married for a long time, I think you'll have a fair number of moments where you question things, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dunn/if-you-re-going-to-be-married-for-a-long-time-i-think-you-ll-have-a/)

[Sarah Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dunn/)

> [“I hope we’ll get lucky enough to grow old together. You see them on the street, those couples who’ve been married so long you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/i-hope-we-ll-get-lucky-enough-to-grow-old-together-you-see-them-on/)

[Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/)

> [Most marriages I've known, and I've been married a long time and I've known a lot of married people - you wonder how they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mazursky/most-marriages-i-ve-known-and-i-ve-been-married-a-long-time-and-i-ve/)

[Paul Mazursky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mazursky/)

## More by Paula Whidden

> [“A distracted mind or absent heart creates a rift which, unless addressed, becomes a chasm separating you from each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-whidden/a-distracted-mind-or-absent-heart-creates-a-rift-which-unless/)

Paula Whidden

> [“The sticky marital truths: - Friendship lasts longer than romance. - Romance adds icing to the friendship cake. - There are times when neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-whidden/the-sticky-marital-truths-friendship-lasts-longer-than-romance/)

Paula Whidden

Explore all 3 Paula Whidden quotes

## 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

> [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": "“They’d been married so long, because when they disagreed, they still wanted to work together. I made a mental note.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Paula Whidden"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-whidden/they-d-been-married-so-long-because-when-they-disagreed-they-still/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Marriage"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-whidden/they-d-been-married-so-long-because-when-they-disagreed-they-still/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/paula-whidden-77719_marriage_they-d-been-married-so-long-because-when_2557334.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/paula-whidden-77719_marriage_they-d-been-married-so-long-because-when_2557334.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/paula-whidden-77719_marriage_they-d-been-married-so-long-because-when_2557334.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“They’d been married so long, because when they disagreed, they still wanted to work together. I made a…” — Paula Whidden",
                "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": "Paula Whidden",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-whidden/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“They’d been married so long, because...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-whidden/they-d-been-married-so-long-because-when-they-disagreed-they-still/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-whidden/they-d-been-married-so-long-because-when-they-disagreed-they-still/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
