"A so-called happy marriage corresponds to love as a correct poem to an improvised song"
- Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
About this Quote
Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel's quote is a comparison between a happy marriage and a correct poem. He is suggesting that a happy marriage is like a correct poem, in that it is carefully crafted and thoughtfully composed. A correct poem is the result of hard work and dedication, and a happy marriage is no different. It takes effort and dedication to make a marriage work, and it is not something that can be improvised. An improvised song is spontaneous and often lacks structure, whereas a correct poem is carefully constructed and has a clear structure. Schlegel's quote is a reminder that a happy marriage is not something that can be taken for granted, but rather something that requires effort and dedication. It is a reminder that a successful marriage is something that must be worked on and nurtured in order to be successful.
"Try to be happy in this present moment, and put not off being so to a time to come, as though that time should be of another make from this which has already come and is ours"