Helpmate, n. A wife, or bitter half.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- A wife is described as a helper but also as a burden or equal half of a difficult partnership.
- In plain terms
- A wife is either a helper or a source of trouble.
- What can you take from it?
- Partnership can be supportive or contentious.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is a partner a helper or hindrance?
- What defines a marriage?
Another view
This perspective is cynical and ignores the positive aspects of marriage.
More from Ambrose Bierce
Happiness, n. An agreeable sensation arising from contemplating the misery of another.
Permalink to quote #41 Hers, pron. His.
Permalink to quote #43 Genealogy, n. An account of one's descent from an ancestor who did not particularly care to trace his own.
Permalink to quote #40
Related quotes
The most important thing about marriage is that the man must not let the woman feel downtrodden simply because she is a woman and he is a man.
Saddam HusseinSaddam Hussein quote #1 The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his …
Matthew HenryMatthew Henry quote #1 Marriage is not just spiritual communion and passionate embraces; marriage is also three meals a day, sharing the workload and remembering to carry out the tra…
Dr. Joyce BrothersDr. Joyce Brothers quote #1