A positive engagement to marry a certain person at a certain time, at all haps and hazards, I have always considered the most ridiculous thing on earth.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Carlyle critiques the absurdity of binding oneself to a specific marriage prospect at a fixed time.
- In plain terms
- Promising to marry someone at a specific time is ridiculous.
- What can you take from it?
- Avoid rigid commitments that ignore future uncertainties.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is predictability in relationships valuable?
- How much should we plan for the future?
Another view
It dismisses the stability that formal promises can provide.
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