#matrimony

[I]f the name of wife appears more sacred and more valid, sweeter to me is ever the word friend, or, if thou be not ashamed, concubine ... And thou thyself wert not wholly unmindful of that ... [as in the narrative of thy misfortunes] thou hast not disdained to set forth sundry reasons by which I tried to dissuade thee from our marriage, from an ill-starred bed; but wert silent as to many, in which I preferred love to wedlock, freedom to a bond. I call God to witness, if Augustus, ruling over the whole world, were to deem me worthy of the honour of marriage, and to confirm the whole world to me, to be ruled by me forever, dearer to me and of greater dignity would it seem to be called thy concubine than his empress. ↗

— Héloïse d'Argenteuil

#concubine #devotion #dignity #freedom #honor

To prove to [her friend, Swedish diplomat Count] Gyllenborg that she was not superficial, Catherine composed an essay about herself, "so that he would see whether I knew myself or not." The next day, she wrote and handed to Gyllenborg an essay titled 'Portrait of a Fifteen-Year-Old Philosopher.' He was impressed and returned it with a dozen pages of comments, mostly favorable. "I read his remarks again and again, many times [Catherine later recalled in her memoirs]. I impressed them on my consciousness and resolved to follow his advice. In addition, there was something else surprising: one day, while conversing with me, he allowed the following sentence to slip out: 'What a pity that you will marry! I wanted to find out what he meant, but he would not tell me. ↗

— Robert K. Massie

#coming-of-age #independence #intelligence #marriage #matrimony

No: I shall not marry Samuel Fawthrop Wynne." "I ask why? I must have a reason. In all respects he is more than worthy of you." She stood on the hearth; she was pale as the white marble slab and cornice behind her; her eyes flashed large, dilated, unsmiling. "And I ask in what sense that young man is worthy of me? ↗

— Charlotte Brontë

#courtship #dignity #empowerment #equality #feminism

I disapprove of matrimony as a matter of principle.... Why should any independent, intelligent female choose to subject herself to the whims and tyrannies of a husband? I assure you, I have yet to meet a man as sensible as myself! (Amelia Peabody) ↗

— Elizabeth Peters

#humor #husbands #intelligence #intelligent #marriage

In matters of religion and matrimony I never give any advice; because I will not have anybody's torments in this world or the next laid to my charge. ↗

— Lord Chesterfield

#any #anybody #because #charge #give

So that ends my first experience of matrimony, which I always thought a highly over-rated performance. ↗

— Isadora Duncan

#ends #experience #first #highly #i

Matrimony is a process by which a grocer acquired an account the florist had. ↗

— Frances Rodman

#acquired #florist #grocer #had #matrimony

As far as my experience of matrimony goes -- I think it tends to draw you out of, and away from yourself. ↗

— Charlotte Brontë

#matrimony #experience

Well married, a man is winged—ill-matched, he is shackled. ↗