Tina

“There’s a pervasive but false notion that marriage is a matter of give and take. No; there is no taking in marriage, only giving and receiving. To take from another human being is abusive. Nor is marriage about dividing everything equally, split right down the middle, whether with regard to possessions or shared responsibilities. That’s not a marriage, it’s a living arrangement.”
― Manis Friedman, Creating a Life That Matters: How to Live and Love with Meaning and Purpose

“Marriage is something that takes up so much space, it can ruin your existence. But it makes life worth living. Wedding vows should explicitly state: “Of all people in the world, and of all possibilities, I choose you to be the only one to ruin my existence. I do not want anybody else but you to ruin my existence.” Otherwise, people get married, and a month later they start complaining that they feel cramped and need more space. “I love you” turns into “I love you, but I don’t like you.” Are you suffering because he ruined your existence? Of course he did. That’s what marriage does. What, then, would be the appropriate response? Very simple: “Go right ahead. Ruin my existence. Meanwhile I’ll be busy living.”
― Manis Friedman, Creating a Life That Matters: How to Live and Love with Meaning and Purpose

“You going to find a way, little one. I see it in you. You move like her. That way you swing your arms, the way you lean in when you run. Soon as you learned to walk, you moved like you knew how to fight.”
― Jesmyn Ward, Let Us Descend

“When God created the world out of nothingness, the first thing He had to do was create existence—because nothing had ever existed before.”
― Manis Friedman, Creating a Life That Matters: How to Live and Love with Meaning and Purpose