“Leibniz was somewhat mean about money. When any young lady at the court of Hanover married, he used to give her what he called a "wedding present," consisting of useful maxims, ending up with the advice not to give up washing now that she had secured a husband. History does not record whether the brides were grateful. ”

“In 1770, a British law was proposed to Parliament granting grounds for annulment if a bride used cosmetics prior to her wedding day. —Marjorie Dorfman, “The History of Make-up”

“Smith, you don't realize it's a privilege to practice giving presents to others.' The way he did it was charming; there was nothing glittery and Christmasy about it, but almost sad, and sometimes his gifts were old beat-up things but they had the charm of usefulness and sadness of his giving.”

“Does a soldier go to war in order to kill the enemy? no, he goes in order to die for his country.Does a wife want to show her husband how happy she is? no, she wants him to see how she suffers in order to make him happyDoes the husband go to work thinking he will find personal fulfillment there? no, he is giving his sweat and tears for the good of the familyAnd so it goes on: sons give up their dreams to please their parents, parents give up their lives in order to please their children; pain and suffering are used to justify the one thing that should bring only LOVE..”

“But even she had figured out that there was no point giving up a great job and following him to the ends of the earth, when he simply refused to make any promises about, or even discuss, the future.”

“What kind of a man thinks it's appropriate to give his soon- to-be bride a lethal weapon for a wedding present?”