--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Asking the legal system to resolve…" description: "\"Asking the legal system to resolve divorce is like asking a boxing coach to be our marriage counselor.\" — Warren Farrell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/warren-farrell-1187_after-divorce_asking-the-legal-system-to-resolve-divor_1009757.png" --- # Asking the legal system to resolve divorce is like asking… ![“Asking the legal system to resolve divorce is like asking a boxing coach to be our marriage counselor.” quote by Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/warren-farrell-1187_after-divorce_asking-the-legal-system-to-resolve-divor_1009757.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/warren-farrell-1187_after-divorce_asking-the-legal-system-to-resolve-divor_1009757.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/warren-farrell-1187_after-divorce_asking-the-legal-system-to-resolve-divor_1009757.png) > “Asking the legal system to resolve divorce is like asking a boxing coach to be our marriage counselor.” [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Legal mechanisms are ill‑suited to resolve intimate relational issues, just as a sports coach lacks the skills to counsel marriage. **In simple terms:** Legal courts aren’t the right place for personal relationship problems. Key Takeaway Seek counseling or mediation for divorce matters. Themes relationships law conflict resolution Mood cautious reflective Type practical critical When to use this quote - family therapy - mediation - counseling - peer support Key Concepts marriage counseling legal limits expertise boundary Questions to Reflect On - Why do people turn to courts for personal disputes? - What alternatives better address relational breakdowns? A Different Perspective Legal routes may ignore emotional nuances. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [After divorce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/after-divorce/) [Boxing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boxing/) [Counselor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counselor/) [Divorce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divorce/) [Happy divorce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-divorce/) [Legal system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legal-system/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Marriage and divorce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage-and-divorce/) [Marriage divorce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage-divorce/) [Resolve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resolve/) ## Related quotes > [Any woman who votes for no-fault divorce is like a turkey voting for Thanksgiving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-robertson/any-woman-who-votes-for-no-fault-divorce-is-like-a-turkey-voting-for/) [Pat Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-robertson/) > [“I’m a combat specialist and marriage counselor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-m-a-combat-specialist-and-marriage-counselor/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“Brandi and I struggled with our marriage, but it was obvious we were falling apart as a couple. That was probably clear to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-galloway/brandi-and-i-struggled-with-our-marriage-but-it-was-obvious-we-were/) [Noah Galloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-galloway/) > [I am oftentimes the ear for some people that I know and love. Which I like being. I don't know if I'd like being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-oftentimes-the-ear-for-some-people-that-i-know-and-love-which-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My divorce was like a death - a genuine death of commitment and love. After I got over the shock, I was like, tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shania-twain/my-divorce-was-like-a-death-a-genuine-death-of-commitment-and-love/) [Shania Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shania-twain/) > [A divorce is like a controlled explosion. Everyone on the outside is OK.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/a-divorce-is-like-a-controlled-explosion-everyone-on-the-outside-is-ok/) [Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/) > [Divorce is like being mugged... You get beat up, battered, bruised and robbed. It takes your dignity, money and you feel like crap. After…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-steinhour/divorce-is-like-being-mugged-you-get-beat-up-battered-bruised-and/) Bill Steinhour > [“A divorce is like a symphony with a screeching sound at the end—the fact that it ended badly does not mean it was all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/a-divorce-is-like-a-symphony-with-a-screeching-sound-at-the-end-the/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“Divorce is like surgery without anesthesia. You feel every cut, every tear, and it leaves you with scars you can't see, but you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hogan/divorce-is-like-surgery-without-anesthesia-you-feel-every-cut-every/) [Paul Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hogan/) > [A divorce is like an amputation: you survive it, but there's less of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/a-divorce-is-like-an-amputation-you-survive-it-but-there-s-less-of-you/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [An amicable divorce is like a ventilated condom; it just doesn't work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/an-amicable-divorce-is-like-a-ventilated-condom-it-just-doesn-t-work/) [Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) > [That’s a divorce. You ever seen a divorce? That’s like her taking not only the furniture and the silverware -- she took the dog,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-bowyer/that-s-a-divorce-you-ever-seen-a-divorce-that-s-like-her-taking-not/) [Clint Bowyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-bowyer/) > [Nick spent his first years on walks in his stroller and Snugli, playing in Berkeley parks and baby gyms and visiting zoos and aquariums.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/nick-spent-his-first-years-on-walks-in-his-stroller-and-snugli/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [“Divorce is like a death but with intent”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathiey-v/divorce-is-like-a-death-but-with-intent/) Kathiey V > [“Divorce is like surgery without anesthesia. You can feel every cut, every tear, and it leaves scars you can't see, but you feel every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hogan/divorce-is-like-surgery-without-anesthesia-you-can-feel-every-cut/) [Paul Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hogan/) ## More by Warren Farrell > [Men are fair, and they have learned not to personalize anger - they can disagree with you and argue to the bone, but afterward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/men-are-fair-and-they-have-learned-not-to-personalize-anger-they-can/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [Sexual harassment legislation in its present form makes all men unequal to all women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/sexual-harassment-legislation-in-its-present-form-makes-all-men/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [By starving our children of men, we have made them more vulnerable to the very abuse we are trying to prevent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/by-starving-our-children-of-men-we-have-made-them-more-vulnerable-to/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [The legal bias for special protection for women has begun to wreak havoc with the Constitution's guarantee of equal protection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/the-legal-bias-for-special-protection-for-women-has-begun-to-wreak/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [After years of research, I discovered 25 differences in the work-life choices of men and women. All 25 lead to men earning more money,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/after-years-of-research-i-discovered-25-differences-in-the-work-life/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [In the past we believed both sexes were born with original sin. Today, we have come to unconsciously believe in the original sin of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/in-the-past-we-believed-both-sexes-were-born-with-original-sin-today/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [If we hold the married man accountable for finances gone legally awry, then the married woman should be held accountable for children who go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/if-we-hold-the-married-man-accountable-for-finances-gone-legally-awry/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [Black men, Indian men, and gay men have all have something in common: They do not provide an economic security blanket for women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/black-men-indian-men-and-gay-men-have-all-have-something-in-common/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [ In Stage I, divorces were not allowed, so men's \[sexual\] affairs did not put women's economic security in jeopardy; in Stage II, affairs could… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/in-stage-i-divorces-were-not-allowed-so-men-s-sexual-affairs-did-not/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [Men tuned into women but not tuned into their own hurts usually retained the attitude that women needed special protection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/men-tuned-into-women-but-not-tuned-into-their-own-hurts-usually/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [We have restricted humans from giving 'free' food to bears and dolphins because we know that such feeding would make them dependent and lead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/we-have-restricted-humans-from-giving-free-food-to-bears-and-dolphins/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [Irony: While we increasingly hold people more responsible if they drink and drive, we hold women less responsible if they drink and have sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/irony-while-we-increasingly-hold-people-more-responsible-if-they/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [A family that knows how to play together has the tools to stay together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/a-family-that-knows-how-to-play-together-has-the-tools-to-stay/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [For example, the equivalent of a woman being treated as a sex object is a man being treated as a success object.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/for-example-the-equivalent-of-a-woman-being-treated-as-a-sex-object/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [Sometimes I have a feeling, when I look back on my life, that all I've been through has prepared me perfectly for just what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/sometimes-i-have-a-feeling-when-i-look-back-on-my-life-that-all-i-ve/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) [Explore all 277 Warren Farrell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) ## More After divorce quotes > [I can't get divorced because I'm a Catholic. Catholics don't get divorced. They stay together through anger and hatred and festering misery, just like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-clarke/i-can-t-get-divorced-because-i-m-a-catholic-catholics-don-t-get/) Lenny Clarke > [Love after divorce is all about showing and sharing with my son what is good and right in life!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gray/love-after-divorce-is-all-about-showing-and-sharing-with-my-son-what/) [David Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gray/) > [“A Dom never takes away. He only builds.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delaine-moore/a-dom-never-takes-away-he-only-builds/) Delaine Moore > [Many a woman would get a divorce if she could do it without making her husband happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/many-a-woman-would-get-a-divorce-if-she-could-do-it-without-making/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [A society's apprehensiveness about divorce is an expression of its fear of change and of its resulting desire that personality remain unvarying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsie-clews-parsons/a-society-s-apprehensiveness-about-divorce-is-an-expression-of-its/) Elsie Clews Parsons > [There are four stages to marriage. First there's the affair, then there's the marriage, then children, and finally the fourth stage, without which you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/there-are-four-stages-to-marriage-first-there-s-the-affair-then-there/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [I find to my astonishment that an unhappy marriage goes on being unhappy when it is over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/i-find-to-my-astonishment-that-an-unhappy-marriage-goes-on-being/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [The happiest time of anyone's life is just after the first divorce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/the-happiest-time-of-anyone-s-life-is-just-after-the-first-divorce/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Divorce is an embarrassing public admission of defeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-letts/divorce-is-an-embarrassing-public-admission-of-defeat/) [Tracy Letts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-letts/) > [Winning isn't the end of the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-pleat/winning-isn-t-the-end-of-the-world/) [David Pleat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-pleat/) > [The worst problems for children stem from parental conflict, before, during, and after divorce or within marriage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/the-worst-problems-for-children-stem-from-parental-conflict-before/) [Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/) > [Marriage is grand. Divorce is about twenty grand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/marriage-is-grand-divorce-is-about-twenty-grand/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [After divorce of Pompeia in 62 BC I feel that members of my family should never be suspected of breaking the law. -Meos tam…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-caesar/after-divorce-of-pompeia-in-62-bc-i-feel-that-members-of-my-family/) [Julius Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-caesar/) > [Half of all marriages end in divorce- and then there are the really unhappy ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/half-of-all-marriages-end-in-divorce-and-then-there-are-the-really/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [ \[Hermogenes\] despises God's law in his painting, maintains repeated marriages \[almost certainly a reference to remarrying after divorce or perhaps even widowhood, which Tertullian,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tertullian/hermogenes-despises-god-s-law-in-his-painting-maintains-repeated/) [Tertullian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tertullian/) [Browse all 29 After divorce quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/after-divorce/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Asking the legal system to resolve divorce is like asking a boxing coach to be our marriage counselor.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Warren Farrell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/asking-the-legal-system-to-resolve-divorce-is-like-asking-a-boxing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "After divorce" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/asking-the-legal-system-to-resolve-divorce-is-like-asking-a-boxing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/warren-farrell-1187_after-divorce_asking-the-legal-system-to-resolve-divor_1009757.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/warren-farrell-1187_after-divorce_asking-the-legal-system-to-resolve-divor_1009757.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/warren-farrell-1187_after-divorce_asking-the-legal-system-to-resolve-divor_1009757.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Asking the legal system to resolve divorce is like asking a boxing coach to be our marriage counselor.” — Warren Farrell", "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": "Warren Farrell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Asking the legal system to resolve...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/asking-the-legal-system-to-resolve-divorce-is-like-asking-a-boxing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/asking-the-legal-system-to-resolve-divorce-is-like-asking-a-boxing/#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 } } ] } ```