--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In marriage do thou be wise: prefer the…" description: "\"In marriage do thou be wise: prefer the person before money, virtue before beauty, the mind before the body; then thou hast a wife, a friend, a compani..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c5/william-penn-1104_beauty_in-marriage-do-thou-be-wise-prefer-the-p_1124490.jpg" --- # In marriage do thou be wise: prefer the person before… ![“In marriage do thou be wise: prefer the person before money, virtue before beauty, the mind before the body; then thou hast a wife, a friend, a companion, a second self.” quote by William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c5/william-penn-1104_beauty_in-marriage-do-thou-be-wise-prefer-the-p_1124490.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c5/william-penn-1104_beauty_in-marriage-do-thou-be-wise-prefer-the-p_1124490.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c5/william-penn-1104_beauty_in-marriage-do-thou-be-wise-prefer-the-p_1124490.jpg) > “In marriage do thou be wise: prefer the person before money, virtue before beauty, the mind before the body; then thou hast a wife, a friend, a companion, a second self.” [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prioritize character and intellect over wealth and appearance when choosing a partner. **In simple terms:** Choose virtue and mind before money and looks. Key Takeaway Seek partners for inner qualities. Themes relationships values marriage Mood reflective thoughtful Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - dating - marriage counseling - friendship building Key Concepts Ethics psychology Questions to Reflect On - What qualities matter most to you in a partner? - How do you weigh inner vs. outer traits? A Different Perspective Idealizing virtues can ignore practical compatibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Companion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/companion/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) [Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/) ## Related quotes > [For take thy ballaunce if thou be so wise, And weigh the winds that under heaven doth blow; Or weigh the light that in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/for-take-thy-ballaunce-if-thou-be-so-wise-and-weigh-the-winds-that/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) > [Do good with what thou hast, or it will do thee no good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/do-good-with-what-thou-hast-or-it-will-do-thee-no-good/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [It behoves thee to love God wisely; and that may thou not do but if thou be wise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rolle/it-behoves-thee-to-love-god-wisely-and-that-may-thou-not-do-but-if/) [Richard Rolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rolle/) > [If thou seest anything in thyself which may make thee proud, look a little further and thou shalt find enough to humble thee; if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-quarles/if-thou-seest-anything-in-thyself-which-may-make-thee-proud-look-a/) [Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/) > [Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/thou-and-i-are-too-wise-to-woo-peaceably/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Living Life Tomorrow's fate, though thou be wise, Thou canst not tell nor yet surmise; Pass, therefore, not today in vain, For it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-khayy-m/living-life-tomorrow-s-fate-though-thou-be-wise-thou-canst-not-tell/) [Omar Khayyam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-khayy-m/) > [“Thou - why, thou wilt quarrel with a man that hath a hair more or a hair less in his beard than thou hast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/thou-why-thou-wilt-quarrel-with-a-man-that-hath-a-hair-more-or-a-hair/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [O thou who art able to write a Book, which once in the two centuries or oftener there is a man gifted to do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/o-thou-who-art-able-to-write-a-book-which-once-in-the-two-centuries/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [Thou camest out of thy mother's belly without government, thou hast liv'd hitherto without government, and thou mayst be carried to thy long home…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/thou-camest-out-of-thy-mother-s-belly-without-government-thou-hast/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [Thou hast a voice, great Mountain, to repeal. 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