--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They were married before they were…" description: "\"“They were married before they were friends, which is another way of saying: Their marriage was the occasion of their friendship. They were married bef..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecd/zadie-smith-584_dreams_they-were-married-before-they-were-frien_1630939.png" --- # They were married before they were friends, which is… ![“They were married before they were friends, which is another way of saying: Their marriage was the occasion of their friendship. They were married before they noticed many small differences in background, aspiration, education, ambition. (...) Noting such differences, Leah was in some sense…” quote by Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecd/zadie-smith-584_dreams_they-were-married-before-they-were-frien_1630939.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecd/zadie-smith-584_dreams_they-were-married-before-they-were-frien_1630939.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecd/zadie-smith-584_dreams_they-were-married-before-they-were-frien_1630939.png) > ““They were married before they were friends, which is another way of saying: Their marriage was the occasion of their friendship. They were married before they noticed many small differences in background, aspiration, education, ambition. (...) Noting such differences, Leah was in some sense disappointed in herself that they did not cause real conflict between them. It was hard to get used to the fact that the pleasure her body found in his, and vice versa, should so easily overrule the many objections she had, or should have had, or thought she should have had.”” [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Marriage can start as a partnership before true friendship forms, leading to surprise when differences surface. **In simple terms:** Friends can become spouses before truly knowing each other. Key Takeaway Cultivate friendship within marriage. Themes marriage friendship expectations identity Mood introspective empathetic Type literary psychological When to use this quote - marriage counseling - relationship building - personal growth - conflict resolution Key Concepts psychology of relationships self-discovery Questions to Reflect On - What expectations did they have? - How can couples foster deeper understanding? A Different Perspective Romantic love may mask underlying incompatibilities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Differences Leah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences-leah-482582/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Friendship Married](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship-married-482583/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Marriage Occasion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage-occasion-482585/) [Married Friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/married-friends-482584/) [Married Noticed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/married-noticed-482586/) [Sex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex/) [Vice versa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vice-versa/) ## Related quotes > [When I plan to settle down, I will announce it to the world. 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I don't like them around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/i-don-t-keep-any-copies-of-my-books-in-the-house-they-go-to-my-mum-s/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [But it makes an immigrant laugh to hear the fears of the nationalist, scared of infection, penetration, miscegenation, when this is small fry, peanuts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/but-it-makes-an-immigrant-laugh-to-hear-the-fears-of-the-nationalist/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [Oh, I know that. You know me, baby, I cannot be broken. Takes a giant to snap me in half.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/oh-i-know-that-you-know-me-baby-i-cannot-be-broken-takes-a-giant-to/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [“In short, it was precisely the kind of friendship and Englishman makes on holiday, that he can make only on holiday. 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I had an awesome dream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-had-a-dream-i-had-an-awesome-dream/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 40,599 Dreams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“They were married before they were friends, which is another way of saying: Their marriage was the occasion of their friendship. They were married before they noticed many small differences in background, aspiration, education, ambition. (...) Noting such differences, Leah was in some sense disappointed in herself that they did not cause real conflict between them. 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