"I think the institution of marriage is a great idea, but for me it's just an idea"
About this Quote
Coming from an actress who came up in the 90s and early-2000s celebrity ecosystem, the subtext is also about how public life metabolizes women’s private choices. Female stars were routinely framed through relationship status: who they dated, why they weren’t “settling down,” whether a career had made them “difficult.” Boyle’s phrasing anticipates that scrutiny and denies it fuel. She doesn’t argue against marriage; she refuses to audition for it.
There’s a crisp cultural critique tucked inside the understatement. By demoting marriage from obligation to optional “idea,” she punctures the moral hierarchy that treats singlehood as a waiting room. It’s a modern, media-trained sentence: non-confrontational on the surface, quietly radical underneath. The intent isn’t to be provocative; it’s to set a boundary while sounding like she’s simply stating a preference. That’s the wit - a soft delivery for a hard line.
Quote Details
| Topic | Marriage |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite | Cite this Quote |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Boyle, Lara Flynn. (n.d.). I think the institution of marriage is a great idea, but for me it's just an idea. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-think-the-institution-of-marriage-is-a-great-84450/
Chicago Style
Boyle, Lara Flynn. "I think the institution of marriage is a great idea, but for me it's just an idea." FixQuotes. Accessed February 3, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-think-the-institution-of-marriage-is-a-great-84450/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I think the institution of marriage is a great idea, but for me it's just an idea." FixQuotes, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-think-the-institution-of-marriage-is-a-great-84450/. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.










