---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The very difference of character in…"
description: "\"The very difference of character in marriage produces a harmonious combination.\" — Washington Irving"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ce/washington-irving-1386_character_the-very-difference-of-character-in-marr_1813479.png"
---

#  The very difference of character in marriage produces a…

![“The very difference of character in marriage produces a harmonious combination.” quote by Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ce/washington-irving-1386_character_the-very-difference-of-character-in-marr_1813479.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ce/washington-irving-1386_character_the-very-difference-of-character-in-marr_1813479.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ce/washington-irving-1386_character_the-very-difference-of-character-in-marr_1813479.png)

> “The very difference of character in marriage produces a harmonious combination.”

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

## About This Quote

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

Marriage thrives when partners bring different strengths, creating balance and harmony.

**In simple terms:** Different traits in marriage create harmony.

Key Takeaway

Embrace each other's differences.

Themes

relationships marriage balance

Mood

optimistic reflective

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- partner selection
- conflict resolution
- team building

Key Concepts

Complementarity synergy

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you celebrate your partner's strengths?
- What habits nurture harmony?

A Different Perspective

Differences can also cause friction if not respected.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Character Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-marriage-1164007/) [Combination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/combination/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Harmonious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harmonious/) [Harmonious Combination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harmonious-combination-2135059/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Marriage Produces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage-produces-271178/) [Produce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/produce/) [Produces Harmonious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/produces-harmonious-2135060/) [Wedlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wedlock/)

## Related quotes

> [A harmonious combination... enough abstraction that the image is sustained by the eye; enough reality that it is sustained by reason and experience. Share…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-helion/a-harmonious-combination-enough-abstraction-that-the-image-is/)

[Jean Helion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-helion/)

> [As marriage produces children, so children produce care and disputes; and wrangling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wortley-montagu/as-marriage-produces-children-so-children-produce-care-and-disputes/)

[Mary Wortley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wortley-montagu/)

> [Given two tempers and the time, the ordinary marriage produces anarchy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/given-two-tempers-and-the-time-the-ordinary-marriage-produces-anarchy/)

[Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/)

> [Rarest of all things on earth is the union in which both, by their contrasts, make harmonious their blending; each supplying the defects of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/rarest-of-all-things-on-earth-is-the-union-in-which-both-by-their/)

[Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/)

> [Long engagements give people the opportunity of finding out each other's character before marriage, which is never advisable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/long-engagements-give-people-the-opportunity-of-finding-out-each/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [“LADY BRACKNELL To speak frankly, I am not in favour of long engagements. They give people the opportunity of finding out each other's character…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/lady-bracknell-to-speak-frankly-i-am-not-in-favour-of-long/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [ I think it's quite common and realistic. There are many stories like this \[in Waitress\]. \[Jenna, my character\] marriage looks really horrible up on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keri-russell/i-think-it-s-quite-common-and-realistic-there-are-many-stories-like/)

[Keri Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keri-russell/)

> [“Speak frankly, I am not in favour of long engagements. They give people the opportunity of finding out each other’s character before marriage, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/speak-frankly-i-am-not-in-favour-of-long-engagements-they-give-people/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [If she be not honest, chaste, and true, there's no man happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/if-she-be-not-honest-chaste-and-true-there-s-no-man-happy/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [I was born out of wedlock. Nobody brought me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/i-was-born-out-of-wedlock-nobody-brought-me-up/)

[Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/)

> [Husband and wife have so many interests in common that when they have jogged through the ups and downs of life a sufficient time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/husband-and-wife-have-so-many-interests-in-common-that-when-they-have/)

[Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/)

> [For what is wedlock forced but a hell, An age of discord and continual strife? Whereas the contrary bringeth bliss, And is a pattern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/for-what-is-wedlock-forced-but-a-hell-an-age-of-discord-and-continual/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [But keeping secrets is a discipline. I never use to think of myself as a good liar, but after having had some practice I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/but-keeping-secrets-is-a-discipline-i-never-use-to-think-of-myself-as/)

[Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/)

> [The holy heaven yearns to wound the earth, and yearning layeth hold on the earth to join in wedlock; the rain, fallen from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/the-holy-heaven-yearns-to-wound-the-earth-and-yearning-layeth-hold-on/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [There are few husbands whom the wife cannot win in the long run, by patience and love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-of-valois/there-are-few-husbands-whom-the-wife-cannot-win-in-the-long-run-by/)

[Margaret of Valois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-of-valois/)

## More by Washington Irving

> [Some minds corrode and grow inactive under the loss of personal liberty; others grow morbid and irritable; but it is the nature of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/some-minds-corrode-and-grow-inactive-under-the-loss-of-personal/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [Language gradually varies, and with it fade away the writings of authors who have flourished their allotted time; otherwise, the creative powers of genius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/language-gradually-varies-and-with-it-fade-away-the-writings-of/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [A woman's life is a history of the affections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-woman-s-life-is-a-history-of-the-affections/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-father-may-turn-his-back-on-his-child-brothers-and-sisters-may/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [Over no nation does the press hold a more absolute control than over the people of America, for the universal education of the poorest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/over-no-nation-does-the-press-hold-a-more-absolute-control-than-over/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [I have never found, in anything outside of the four walls of my study, an enjoyment equal to sitting at my writing desk with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/i-have-never-found-in-anything-outside-of-the-four-walls-of-my-study/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [There is no character in the comedy of human life more difficult to play well than that of an old bachelor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-no-character-in-the-comedy-of-human-life-more-difficult-to/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [He who thinks much says but little in proportion to his thoughts. He selects that language which will convey his ideas in the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/he-who-thinks-much-says-but-little-in-proportion-to-his-thoughts-he/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [A woman's whole life is a history of the affections. The heart is her world: it is there her ambition strives for empire; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-woman-s-whole-life-is-a-history-of-the-affections-the-heart-is-her/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [Redundancy of language is never found with deep reflection. Verbiage may indicate observation, but not thinking. He who thinks much says but little in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/redundancy-of-language-is-never-found-with-deep-reflection-verbiage/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [History fades into fable; fact becomes clouded with doubt and controversy; the inscription molders from the tablet: the statue falls from the pedestal. Columns,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/history-fades-into-fable-fact-becomes-clouded-with-doubt-and/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [There is a majestic grandeur in tranquillity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-a-majestic-grandeur-in-tranquillity/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [There rise authors now and then, who seem proof against the mutability of language, because they have rooted themselves in the unchanging principles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-rise-authors-now-and-then-who-seem-proof-against-the-mutability/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [There is nothing in England that exercises a more delightful spell over my imagination than the lingerings of the holiday customs and rural games…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-nothing-in-england-that-exercises-a-more-delightful-spell/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [It is but seldom that any one overt act produces hostilities between two nations; there exists, more commonly, a previous jealousy and ill will,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/it-is-but-seldom-that-any-one-overt-act-produces-hostilities-between/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

[Explore all 244 Washington Irving quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

## More Character quotes

> [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/)

[Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/)

> [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/)

[Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/)

> [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/)

[Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/)

> [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/)

[David Hudgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hudgins/)

> [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/)

[Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/)

> [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/)

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

> [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/)

[Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/)

> [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/)

[Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/)

> [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/)

[Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/)

> [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/)

[Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/)

> [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/)

[Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/)

> [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/)

[Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/)

[Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The very difference of character in marriage produces a harmonious combination.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Washington Irving"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/the-very-difference-of-character-in-marriage-produces-a-harmonious/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Character"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/the-very-difference-of-character-in-marriage-produces-a-harmonious/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ce/washington-irving-1386_character_the-very-difference-of-character-in-marr_1813479.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ce/washington-irving-1386_character_the-very-difference-of-character-in-marr_1813479.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ce/washington-irving-1386_character_the-very-difference-of-character-in-marr_1813479.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The very difference of character in marriage produces a harmonious combination.” — Washington Irving",
                "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": "Washington Irving",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The very difference of character in...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/the-very-difference-of-character-in-marriage-produces-a-harmonious/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/the-very-difference-of-character-in-marriage-produces-a-harmonious/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
