“Perhaps it is not such a bad marriage after all? There are innumerable marriages where two people, both twisted and wrong in their depths, are well matched, making each other miserable in the way they need, in the way the pattern of their life demands.”

“Marriage. ’Tis an unholy union between two people, and for what purpose? To make them both miserable. (Stryder)I don’t believe is has to be that way. Imagine a marriage where the man and woman respect each other. Where they are partners and allies. (Rowena)You are sober and speak more foolishness than I do while drunk. (Stryder)”

“Commitment, I finally said. Both people have to be committed. I think if two people are committed to the marriage, if they really want to make it work, then they'll find a way to do it. No matter what happens in life.”

“There is no such thing as a perfect match. There are only somewhat good and somewhat bad matches. A couple are like two pebbles that are next to each other on a beach. They will have rough edges and rub each other the wrong way initially. But as they spend time together and the waves pound them, the edges rub off and they will seem made for each other.”

“No marriage stays in the same pattern forever. It is both the best feature of marriage and the worst, that it inevitably changes.”

“Marriage can be made to work if both the partners can see beyond themselves and understand the limitations,needs and abilities of the other person and are willing to embrace the positive and negative aspects of each other in their understanding.But it never happens that way. We expect others to understand and comply with us while we fail to do the same.Thus marriage loses all it's sheen by the time the couple reaches middle age.”