--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But perhaps the next step isn't to, once…" description: "\"But perhaps the next step isn't to, once again, expand the otherwise narrow definition of marriage but to altogether abolish the false distinction betw..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/933/sally-kohn-37912_abolish_but-perhaps-the-next-step-isn-t-to-once_46866.jpg" --- # But perhaps the next step isn't to, once again, expand the… ![“But perhaps the next step isn't to, once again, expand the otherwise narrow definition of marriage but to altogether abolish the false distinction between married families and other equally valid but unrecognized partnerships.” quote by Sally Kohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/933/sally-kohn-37912_abolish_but-perhaps-the-next-step-isn-t-to-once_46866.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/933/sally-kohn-37912_abolish_but-perhaps-the-next-step-isn-t-to-once_46866.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/933/sally-kohn-37912_abolish_but-perhaps-the-next-step-isn-t-to-once_46866.jpg) > “But perhaps the next step isn't to, once again, expand the otherwise narrow definition of marriage but to altogether abolish the false distinction between married families and other equally valid but unrecognized partnerships.” [Sally Kohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-kohn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues for redefining legal and social recognition of relationships, moving beyond traditional marriage to include diverse partnership forms equally. **In simple terms:** Advocates inclusive partnership recognition. Key Takeaway Expand legal definitions beyond marriage. Themes equality family law social norms inclusion rights Mood thoughtful progressive Type opinion policy When to use this quote - policy debates - family counseling - activist campaigns - academic research - media commentary Key Concepts marriage definition partnership legitimacy legal reform Practical Applications - law reform proposals - public awareness initiatives Questions to Reflect On - How would broader recognition affect societal structures? - What challenges arise in redefining partnership norms? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abolish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abolish/) [Abolish False](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abolish-false-681426/) [Definition Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/definition-marriage-681425/) [Definitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/definitions/) [Distinction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinction/) [Distinction Married](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinction-married-681427/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Marriage Altogether](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage-altogether-681424/) [Marriage equality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage-equality/) [Married](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/married/) [Married Families](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/married-families-625937/) [Next](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next/) [Next step](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next-step/) [Next steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next-steps/) [Partnership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/partnership/) [Steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steps/) ## Related quotes > [“Liberating ourselves from the traditional strictures of marriage altogether, and/or transforming those strictures to include all of us -- gay, feminist, career-focused, baby crazy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-e-martin/liberating-ourselves-from-the-traditional-strictures-of-marriage/) [Courtney E. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-e-martin/) > [It was a very hard life. As I got older, the family was depending very much on me. My two older brothers got married,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lel/it-was-a-very-hard-life-as-i-got-older-the-family-was-depending-very/) [Martin Lel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-lel/) > [It's been a little tough just because we've been playing so much. Your lives are getting a little more complicated than they were straight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-privett/it-s-been-a-little-tough-just-because-we-ve-been-playing-so-much-your/) [Barry Privett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-privett/) > [The definition of marriage cannot be disputed. It's right there in black and white and it's been the same since the start of Wikipedia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-tyler-ferguson/the-definition-of-marriage-cannot-be-disputed-it-s-right-there-in/) [Jesse Tyler Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-tyler-ferguson/) > [When you expand the definition of marriage beyond one man and one woman, society can expect other consenting adults in other configurations to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-yoffe/when-you-expand-the-definition-of-marriage-beyond-one-man-and-one/) [Emily Yoffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-yoffe/) > [I have a theory: I believe that with the advent of the United States and the lawful definition of marriage, it was defined as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-pink/i-have-a-theory-i-believe-that-with-the-advent-of-the-united-states/) [Ariel Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-pink/) > [My tact is that you don't change the definition of marriage for one group, homosexuals, because you have to change it for all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/my-tact-is-that-you-don-t-change-the-definition-of-marriage-for-one/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [Supporting the definition of marriage as one man and one woman is not anti-gay: it is pro-traditional marriage. And if support for traditional marriage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/supporting-the-definition-of-marriage-as-one-man-and-one-woman-is-not/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [I think it's offensive to equate evangelical Christians, Catholics, others that view marriage as between a man and a woman, as being racist. We're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-jindal/i-think-it-s-offensive-to-equate-evangelical-christians-catholics/) [Bobby Jindal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-jindal/) > [I have no difficulty with the recognition of civil unions for non-traditional relationships but I believe in law we should protect the traditional definition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/i-have-no-difficulty-with-the-recognition-of-civil-unions-for-non/) [Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/) > [ I would prefer every \[American\] state keep the definition of marriage that's prevailed in Western civilization for a couple thousand years. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/i-would-prefer-every-american-state-keep-the-definition-of-marriage/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) > [Let me be clear. I support the definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-nelson/let-me-be-clear-i-support-the-definition-of-marriage-as-a-union/) [Ben Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-nelson/) > [If we change the definition of marriage to be more inclusive, then it is logical to argue that we should broaden the definition so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kingston/if-we-change-the-definition-of-marriage-to-be-more-inclusive-then-it/) [Jack Kingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kingston/) > [The court's injected itself in the definition of marriage, deciding whether or not human life is worth protecting, permitting government to transfer private property…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-brownback/the-court-s-injected-itself-in-the-definition-of-marriage-deciding/) [Sam Brownback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-brownback/) > [My parents did not have a perfect marriage. It was pretty good, but it was not perfect. My marriage is not perfect. My wife…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stockwell-day/my-parents-did-not-have-a-perfect-marriage-it-was-pretty-good-but-it/) [Stockwell Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stockwell-day/) ## More by Sally Kohn > [I think racial justice - and addressing the sick and enduring legacy of structural racism - remains one of the greatest challenges of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-kohn/i-think-racial-justice-and-addressing-the-sick-and-enduring-legacy-of/) [Sally Kohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-kohn/) > [I have never, not once, gone on television and not received some email or tweet or comment about my hair. Without fail. Isn't that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-kohn/i-have-never-not-once-gone-on-television-and-not-received-some-email/) [Sally Kohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-kohn/) > [Women are more than half of our globe, more than half of our promise and potential. And we have been not only underusing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-kohn/women-are-more-than-half-of-our-globe-more-than-half-of-our-promise/) [Sally Kohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-kohn/) > [Since 9/11, right-wing extremists (incl anti-abortion, anti-gov) have killed more Americans than Islamic extremists,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-kohn/since-9-11-right-wing-extremists-incl-anti-abortion-anti-gov-have/) [Sally Kohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-kohn/) > [What haven't I been called? Every antigay, misogynist, anti-Semitic, anti-liberal smear you can think of. I don't think I can transform those smears; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-kohn/what-haven-t-i-been-called-every-antigay-misogynist-anti-semitic-anti/) [Sally Kohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-kohn/) > [Our challenge is to find the compassion for others that we want them to have for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-kohn/our-challenge-is-to-find-the-compassion-for-others-that-we-want-them/) [Sally Kohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-kohn/) > [Power posing! I do it before any appearance and recommend it to everyone. Gold!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-kohn/power-posing-i-do-it-before-any-appearance-and-recommend-it-to/) [Sally Kohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-kohn/) > [We are worse off - all of us, including men and boys - if our society is not developing and empowering 100% of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-kohn/we-are-worse-off-all-of-us-including-men-and-boys-if-our-society-is/) [Sally Kohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-kohn/) > [The fire in the bellies of the good people who work for a more fair and just world for all of us - that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-kohn/the-fire-in-the-bellies-of-the-good-people-who-work-for-a-more-fair/) [Sally Kohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-kohn/) > [I'm so moved when I see everyday Americans standing together, against all odds, to make their lives and communities better - whether it's organizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-kohn/i-m-so-moved-when-i-see-everyday-americans-standing-together-against/) [Sally Kohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-kohn/) > [I'm a woman and a lesbian and a feminist and a Jew and so many other things, and those identities are a source of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-kohn/i-m-a-woman-and-a-lesbian-and-a-feminist-and-a-jew-and-so-many-other/) [Sally Kohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-kohn/) [Explore all 12 Sally Kohn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-kohn/) ## More Abolish quotes > [To be creative means to connect. It's to abolish the gap between the body, the mind and the soul, between science and art, between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawal-el-saadawi/to-be-creative-means-to-connect-it-s-to-abolish-the-gap-between-the/) [Nawal El Saadawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawal-el-saadawi/) > [I will not be a Democrat or a Republican. They are the problem, not the solution. We need to abolish political parties in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ventura/i-will-not-be-a-democrat-or-a-republican-they-are-the-problem-not-the/) [Jesse Ventura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ventura/) > [Do not suppose that abuses are eliminated by destroying the object which is abused. Men can go wrong with wine and women. Shall we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/do-not-suppose-that-abuses-are-eliminated-by-destroying-the-object/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [Throughout the last century there were multiple attempts at giving Afghan women more autonomy, to change marriage laws, to abolish the practice of bride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/throughout-the-last-century-there-were-multiple-attempts-at-giving/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [I know we can't abolish prejudice through laws, but we can set up guidelines for our actions by legislation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-we-can-t-abolish-prejudice-through-laws-but-we-can-set-up/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What we need is someone to abolish the House Of Lords, get rid of the Royal Family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boorman/what-we-need-is-someone-to-abolish-the-house-of-lords-get-rid-of-the/) [John Boorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boorman/) > [There is not a right too long denied to which we do not aspire in order to achieve; there is not a wrong too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-gompers/there-is-not-a-right-too-long-denied-to-which-we-do-not-aspire-in/) [Samuel Gompers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-gompers/) > [Environmental scientists also show us clearly that from the environmental and ecological points of view that nuclear war is not preventable. The only way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tadatoshi-akiba/environmental-scientists-also-show-us-clearly-that-from-the/) [Tadatoshi Akiba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tadatoshi-akiba/) > [We should abolish 'work.' By that I mean abolishing the distinction between work and leisure, one of the greatest mistakes of the last century,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-zeldin/we-should-abolish-work-by-that-i-mean-abolishing-the-distinction/) [Theodore Zeldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-zeldin/) > [The Bolsheviks started not just on the killing of private property; they were trying to abolish money itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-chubais/the-bolsheviks-started-not-just-on-the-killing-of-private-property/) [Anatoly Chubais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-chubais/) > [Let us leave the EEC, abolish human rights laws, take TV sets, pool tables and phones out of prisons, bring back corporal and capital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-bates/let-us-leave-the-eec-abolish-human-rights-laws-take-tv-sets-pool/) [Ken Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-bates/) > [Government spending cannot create additional jobs. If the government provides the funds required by taxing the citizens or by borrowing from the public, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/government-spending-cannot-create-additional-jobs-if-the-government/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [Liberty is to faction, what air is to fire, an aliment without which it instantly expires. But it could not be a less folly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/liberty-is-to-faction-what-air-is-to-fire-an-aliment-without-which-it/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [I know in London a Welsh hairdresser who has striven so vehemently to abolish his accent that he sounds like a man speaking with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-thomas/i-know-in-london-a-welsh-hairdresser-who-has-striven-so-vehemently-to/) [Dylan Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-thomas/) > [“When you try to persistently abolish hatred, at that very moment...you lose focus on love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-try-to-persistently-abolish-hatred-at-that-very-moment-you/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) [Browse all 300 Abolish quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abolish/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But perhaps the next step isn't to, once again, expand the otherwise narrow definition of marriage but to altogether abolish the false distinction between married families and other equally valid but unrecognized partnerships.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sally Kohn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-kohn/but-perhaps-the-next-step-isn-t-to-once-again-expand-the-otherwise/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abolish" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-kohn/but-perhaps-the-next-step-isn-t-to-once-again-expand-the-otherwise/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/933/sally-kohn-37912_abolish_but-perhaps-the-next-step-isn-t-to-once_46866.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/933/sally-kohn-37912_abolish_but-perhaps-the-next-step-isn-t-to-once_46866.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/933/sally-kohn-37912_abolish_but-perhaps-the-next-step-isn-t-to-once_46866.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But perhaps the next step isn't to, once again, expand the otherwise narrow definition of marriage but to…” — Sally Kohn", "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": "Sally Kohn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-kohn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "But perhaps the next step isn't...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-kohn/but-perhaps-the-next-step-isn-t-to-once-again-expand-the-otherwise/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-kohn/but-perhaps-the-next-step-isn-t-to-once-again-expand-the-otherwise/#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 } } ] } ```