“It takes two to make a marriage, but individually each can do so much to keep it filled with love and peace. Two who have come from different backgrounds, perhaps even lived in worlds apart, become as one. It takes a melting down of wills, a cheerful willingness to go a little more than halfway both in giving in and in planning for the future. The key of diplomacy is very useful in married life. If handled carefully, it will fit the lock of any door that has been bolted shut.”

~~~***~~~

“It seems strange to me that marriage is the one position we can take without previous training or preparation. It is the highest and most important job one can hold and yet people rush into it blindly. To know something about each other should be part of the training. How does a girl feel about being a wife? Does she enjoy cooking, cleaning, and keeping house? What kind of mother will she make? A man should want to know his sweetheart’s views on such things. And what kind of father will he be?”

~~~***~~~

“A wise woman will sit down and analyze the situation. Is this such a terrible thing her husband is doing? Why does it annoy her so much? Why not just let him be himself and read the paper to his heart’s content? He will love her even more for this freedom. When he is through reading, he will be his attentive, happy self again, perhaps even more so because there is no tension. This is just one of the many pet peeves that ruins so many homes in our day… it’s up to each wife to discover the source of any irritation that lets the little ‘fox’ slip into the home.”

~~~***~~~

“The way a marriage starts off is most important. If homes are solid, the nation is solid, and the nations form the whole world. So what we do in our individual home affects the whole world.“ (emphasis added)

—Thyra Ferré Bjorn, The Home Has a Heart