“Don't get me wrong: a happy marriage is wonderful-it's one of the greatest blessings that life can bring. But it's also true that a very great deal of it is tedious and repetitive, and if we women aren't very careful, the best of us can find ourselves turning into a drudge.”

“It's [marriage] about two people compromising, said Fee. It's about two people caring for each other and wanting to do as much as they can to make each other happy while still maintaining their own self-respect, which can sometimes get complicated . . . .”

“Sometimes other people do have problems dealing with a strong personality, especially if it comes in a girl, which seems unfair, but I'm afraid it's true.”

“Can I be Sophie instead of Charlie?" she asked. "I've had lots more practice being her." "I'd rather you were you," he said in a tone that was very far from reassuring, but caused instead a positive flotilla of butterflies to swoop and circle down to the very pit of her stomach.”

“But best behavior, admirable as its intentions may be, was never meant to last.”

“Of course we all want to make compromises for our spouse. That’s part of the bargain of marriage, after all. But when compromise gets into sacrifice, then that’s when the territory becomes dangerous, because that’s when resentments build up. And the problem with navigating this territory is that there is no map, because what’s compromise for one person might be the most terrible sacrifice for another.”

“I think most places can be interesting to live in if you find a way to make them so.”