---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Singlehood is not longer a state to be…"
description: "\"Singlehood is not longer a state to be overcome as soon as possible. It has its own rewards. Marriage is not the gateway to adulthood anymore. For most..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/stephanie-coontz-3365_adulthood_singlehood-is-not-longer-a-state-to-be-o_3211024.png"
---

#  Singlehood is not longer a state to be overcome as soon as…

![“Singlehood is not longer a state to be overcome as soon as possible. It has its own rewards. Marriage is not the gateway to adulthood anymore. For most people it's the dessert - desirable, but no longer the main course.” quote by Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/stephanie-coontz-3365_adulthood_singlehood-is-not-longer-a-state-to-be-o_3211024.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/stephanie-coontz-3365_adulthood_singlehood-is-not-longer-a-state-to-be-o_3211024.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/stephanie-coontz-3365_adulthood_singlehood-is-not-longer-a-state-to-be-o_3211024.png)

> “Singlehood is not longer a state to be overcome as soon as possible. It has its own rewards. Marriage is not the gateway to adulthood anymore. For most people it's the dessert - desirable, but no longer the main course.”

[Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/)

## About This Quote

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

Singlehood is a valid life stage with its own benefits, not merely a transitional phase before marriage, which is no longer the sole path to adulthood.

**In simple terms:** Being single can be rewarding and fulfilling.

Key Takeaway

Value single life as a distinct choice.

Themes

individualism relationships social norms life stages

Mood

reflective balanced

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- career building
- travel
- education
- friendship development

Key Concepts

sociology cultural evolution personal fulfillment

Questions to Reflect On

- What benefits do you find in singlehood?
- How can society support diverse life choices?

A Different Perspective

May overlook societal pressures that can cause loneliness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Adulthood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adulthood/) [Adulthood Anymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adulthood-anymore-5999555/) [Being single](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-single/) [Courses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courses/) [Desirable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desirable/) [Dessert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dessert/) [Gateways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gateways/) [Main course](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/main-course/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Marriage Gateway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage-gateway-5999556/) [Overcome Soon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overcome-soon-3764235/) [Overcoming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overcoming/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Rewards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rewards/) [Single](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single/) [Singlehood Longer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singlehood-longer-5999554/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/)

## Related quotes

> [For Italy, sanctions are never an end; they are an instrument that must be overcome as soon as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giuseppe-conte/for-italy-sanctions-are-never-an-end-they-are-an-instrument-that-must/)

[Giuseppe Conte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giuseppe-conte/)

> [When I was a child, we always had wine on the table, no matter how simple the meal. The wine had no special identity;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-p-pin/when-i-was-a-child-we-always-had-wine-on-the-table-no-matter-how/)

[Jacques Pepin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-p-pin/)

> [“May I introduce you all to the main course?" Morpheus spreads out an arm with a dramatic flare. "Dinner, meet your worthy adversaries, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-howard/may-i-introduce-you-all-to-the-main-course-morpheus-spreads-out-an/)

[A.G. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-g-howard/)

> [When I'm in need of a quick meal or party dish, a burger is hands-down my go-to pick! Burgers are easy, fast, and don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-samuelsson/when-i-m-in-need-of-a-quick-meal-or-party-dish-a-burger-is-hands-down/)

[Marcus Samuelsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-samuelsson/)

> [Some books are like an hors d'oeuvre - light, tasty and leaving you longing for the main course which is never going to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/some-books-are-like-an-hors-d-oeuvre-light-tasty-and-leaving-you/)

[Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/)

> [I'd never scan the starters and main courses on a menu in a restaurant as a child. I'd want a dessert for starter, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dervla-kirwan/i-d-never-scan-the-starters-and-main-courses-on-a-menu-in-a/)

[Dervla Kirwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dervla-kirwan/)

> [“That night, when SanJuanna had cleared the main course and brought dessert in, my mother called for quiet and said, "Boys, I have an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-kelly/that-night-when-sanjuanna-had-cleared-the-main-course-and-brought/)

[Jacqueline Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-kelly/)

> [Most pleasures are best as a seasoning, not the main course. p. 374](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-mull/most-pleasures-are-best-as-a-seasoning-not-the-main-course-p-374/)

[Brandon Mull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-mull/)

> [“ Glorious Food Italians are known the world over for their food. Each region of Italy enjoys its own kind of cooing. For example,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-f-blashfield/glorious-food-italians-are-known-the-world-over-for-their-food-each/)

[Jean F. Blashfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-f-blashfield/)

> [Fun can be the dessert of our lives but never its main course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-s-kushner/fun-can-be-the-dessert-of-our-lives-but-never-its-main-course/)

[Harold S. Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-s-kushner/)

> [Walt's idea was that - as soon as the people who were dining got through their main course. They were supposed to all be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hench/walt-s-idea-was-that-as-soon-as-the-people-who-were-dining-got/)

[John Hench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hench/)

> [“BEST Inc., which is short for Business Electronic Soldering Technologies, is a professional solder training company that certifies both instructors as well as technicians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-barnhart/best-inc-which-is-short-for-business-electronic-soldering/)

[James Barnhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-barnhart/)

> [Go vegetable heavy. Reverse the psychology of your plate by making meat the side dish and vegetables the main course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-flay/go-vegetable-heavy-reverse-the-psychology-of-your-plate-by-making/)

[Bobby Flay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-flay/)

> [Emotions are classes in the Earth school. Some classes are about fear, and some are about love. The Universe is your tutor, and your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/emotions-are-classes-in-the-earth-school-some-classes-are-about-fear/)

[Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/)

> [Often for hors d'oeuvres, I serve room temperature vegetables, something like that, so that the main course might be quite rich but the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-schneider/often-for-hors-d-oeuvres-i-serve-room-temperature-vegetables/)

[Sally Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-schneider/)

## More by Stephanie Coontz

> [As an overly confident college freshman, the first time I received a below-average score on an exam was a needed wake-up call.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/as-an-overly-confident-college-freshman-the-first-time-i-received-a/)

[Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/)

> [For every nineteenth-century middle-class family that protected its wife and child within the family circle, there was an Irish ora German girl scrubbing floors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/for-every-nineteenth-century-middle-class-family-that-protected-its/)

[Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/)

> [A primary motivation for introducing no-fault divorce was, in fact, to reduce perjury in the legal system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/a-primary-motivation-for-introducing-no-fault-divorce-was-in-fact-to/)

[Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/)

> [Graduating from high school is certainly a good idea, but it's no longer much protection against poverty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/graduating-from-high-school-is-certainly-a-good-idea-but-it-s-no/)

[Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/)

> [Almost all scholarly research carries practical and political implications. Better that we should spell these out ourselves than leave that task to people with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/almost-all-scholarly-research-carries-practical-and-political/)

[Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/)

> [Investing in living-wage jobs and reducing the inequities between local school districts would give young people more, not less, incentive to postpone childbearing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/investing-in-living-wage-jobs-and-reducing-the-inequities-between/)

[Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/)

> [Hyper-parenting has many pitfalls. Overprotected and overpraised children may develop an inflated sense of entitlement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/hyper-parenting-has-many-pitfalls-overprotected-and-overpraised/)

[Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/)

> [Social and economic policies constructed around the male breadwinner model have always disadvantaged women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/social-and-economic-policies-constructed-around-the-male-breadwinner/)

[Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/)

> [When I speak on work-family issues to audiences around the country, some of the biggest complaints I hear come from individuals who are described…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/when-i-speak-on-work-family-issues-to-audiences-around-the-country/)

[Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/)

> [Extended families have never been the norm in America; the highest figure for extended-family households ever recorded in Americanhistory is 20 percent. Contrary to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/extended-families-have-never-been-the-norm-in-america-the-highest/)

[Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/)

> [Unilateral divorce has decreased the bargaining power of the person who wants the marriage to last and has not engaged in behavior that meets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/unilateral-divorce-has-decreased-the-bargaining-power-of-the-person/)

[Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/)

> [The closer we get to achieving equality of opportunity between the sexes, the more clearly we can see that the next major obstacle to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/the-closer-we-get-to-achieving-equality-of-opportunity-between-the/)

[Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/)

> [Families have always been in flux and often in crisis; they have never lived up to nostalgic notions about "the way things used tobe."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/families-have-always-been-in-flux-and-often-in-crisis-they-have-never/)

[Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/)

> [A significant minority of senior women I've interviewed say, 'Love the companionship, glad to live with him, but I spent my first marriage picking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/a-significant-minority-of-senior-women-i-ve-interviewed-say-love-the/)

[Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/)

> [Marriage can provide a bounty of emotional, practical, and financial support. But finding the right mate is no substitute for having friends and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/marriage-can-provide-a-bounty-of-emotional-practical-and-financial/)

[Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/)

[Explore all 132 Stephanie Coontz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/)

## More Adulthood quotes

> [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/)

[Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/)

> [People often say that you should never work with child actors. I think that's all wrong. Children have not had the imagination kicked out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/people-often-say-that-you-should-never-work-with-child-actors-i-think/)

[Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/)

> [Two things suck about becoming an adult male - paying taxes and getting a finger in your butt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-code/two-things-suck-about-becoming-an-adult-male-paying-taxes-and-getting/)

[Guy Code](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-code/)

> [You can only pretend for so long before reality hits and you realize he/she is not who you thought or what you truly want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/you-can-only-pretend-for-so-long-before-reality-hits-and-you-realize/)

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

> [If I were entering adulthood now instead of in the environment of fifty years ago, I would choose a career that kept me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/if-i-were-entering-adulthood-now-instead-of-in-the-environment-of/)

[Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/)

> [“English: "Being an adult doesn't mean killing the child we once were; it means being able to protect him." Česky: „Být dospělým neznamená zabít…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebasti-n-wortys/english-being-an-adult-doesn-t-mean-killing-the-child-we-once-were-it/)

[Sebastián Wortys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebasti-n-wortys/)

> [“I wondered what a man I had encountered the day before on the plane en route to Chicago's O'Hare airport would have made of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/i-wondered-what-a-man-i-had-encountered-the-day-before-on-the-plane/)

[Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/)

> [“Sometimes your kids will say the nastiest things, won't they, Rose? You want to ask,'Whose child is this?'" Rose chuckled. "But usually, they're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/sometimes-your-kids-will-say-the-nastiest-things-won-t-they-rose-you/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [No one, it has been said, will ever look at the Moon in the same way again. More significantly can one say that no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/no-one-it-has-been-said-will-ever-look-at-the-moon-in-the-same-way/)

[Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/)

> [Being an adult is the ability to postpone a want for the sake of a family need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hogan/being-an-adult-is-the-ability-to-postpone-a-want-for-the-sake-of-a/)

[Chris Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hogan/)

> [“one Secret of Adulthood is “Never start a sentence with the words ‘No offense’”? “And”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/one-secret-of-adulthood-is-never-start-a-sentence-with-the-words-no/)

[Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/)

> [In their youth, mortals behave more like nymphs. Adulthood seems impossibly distant, let alone the enfeeblement of old age. But ponderously, inevitably, it overtakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-mull/in-their-youth-mortals-behave-more-like-nymphs-adulthood-seems/)

[Brandon Mull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-mull/)

> [Public schools were designed as the great equalizers of our society - the place where all children could have access to educational opportunities to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-napolitano/public-schools-were-designed-as-the-great-equalizers-of-our-society/)

[Janet Napolitano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-napolitano/)

> [“Yet GenX'er teens didn't slow down--they were just as likely to drive, drink alcohol, and date as their Boomer peers and more likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-m-twenge/yet-genx-er-teens-didn-t-slow-down-they-were-just-as-likely-to-drive/)

[Jean M. Twenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-m-twenge/)

> [“The entrepreneurs are only about my age, probably younger, but they don't seem so. Their tailored clothes and unbending hairdos, their clipboards and laser…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/the-entrepreneurs-are-only-about-my-age-probably-younger-but-they-don/)

[Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/)

[Browse all 651 Adulthood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adulthood/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Singlehood is not longer a state to be overcome as soon as possible. It has its own rewards. Marriage is not the gateway to adulthood anymore. For most people it's the dessert - desirable, but no longer the main course.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Stephanie Coontz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/singlehood-is-not-longer-a-state-to-be-overcome-as-soon-as-possible/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Adulthood"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/singlehood-is-not-longer-a-state-to-be-overcome-as-soon-as-possible/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/stephanie-coontz-3365_adulthood_singlehood-is-not-longer-a-state-to-be-o_3211024.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/stephanie-coontz-3365_adulthood_singlehood-is-not-longer-a-state-to-be-o_3211024.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/stephanie-coontz-3365_adulthood_singlehood-is-not-longer-a-state-to-be-o_3211024.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Singlehood is not longer a state to be overcome as soon as possible. It has its own rewards. Marriage is not…” — Stephanie Coontz",
                "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": "Stephanie Coontz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Singlehood is not longer a state...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/singlehood-is-not-longer-a-state-to-be-overcome-as-soon-as-possible/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/singlehood-is-not-longer-a-state-to-be-overcome-as-soon-as-possible/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
