“Marriage, in contrast to the flu, starts with a fever and ends with the chills.”
(Georg Christoph Lichtenberg)

This quote by the German scientist/writer was the opening salvo to an online sharing session of people’s favorite marriage-related quotes. However, this was far from a lovefest. In fact, every single quote was anti-marriage or at the very least cautionary with regards to tying the knot.

If you’re wondering why more and more young Japanese people are turned off by the institution of marriage, these favored quotes may shed some light, or perhaps darkness, on the situation.

***Note: In some instances these quotes have been translated through several languages and may not appear exactly as they were first said – like a game of Japanese Telephone if you will.***

“Marriage is often likened to a lottery, but that’s wrong. Some people can win the lottery once in a while.”

(George Bernard Shaw)

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“A man who marries is a fool. A man who doesn’t is a bigger fool.”

(George Bernard Shaw)

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“I had a lot of enemies but, my wife, you are the worst.”

(Lord Byron)

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“The most dangerous food is wedding cake.”

(James Thurber)

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“Love is blind, but marriage restores its sight.”

(Georg Christoph Lichtenberg)

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“When I got married, I thought my wife was cute enough to eat. Looking back I wish I had eaten at the time.”

(Arthur Godfrey)

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“It is said that ‘a man is around seven of his enemies after taking one step from the house’ but that’s a lie. The real enemy is inside the house.”
(Fujioka Fujimaki)

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“Even if she makes a bad meal, you still have to praise her.”

(Date Masamune)

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“Get married, you’ll regret it. Don’t get married, you’ll regret it.”

(Søren Kierkegaard)

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“Men marry because they are tired, women because they are curious; both are disappointed.”
(Oscar Wilde)

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“Stupidity is to fancy a married life when single, and then to fancy the single life when married.”

(Saneatsu Mushanokoji)

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“Unlike spending every day with the woman you love, dying for the woman you love is easy.”

(Lord Byron)

Yikes, feeling a little bit cynical this week, Japan? It’s worth pointing out that many of these quotes seem to come from centuries past when marriage was an entirely different entity than we now know it. On the other hand, some say that great wisdom is timeless. One thing we know for sure is that folks are digging these adages in Japan.

Source: Alfalfalfa Mozaic (Japanese)
Top Image: Amazon
Images: Wikipedia – Neils Christian Kierkegaard, Unknown, Thomas Phillips, Fred Palumbo, H. Schwenterle, Harris & Ewing, Tosa Mitsusada, Napoleon Sarony, Unknown,  Amazon