The married state, with and without the affection suitable to it, is the completest image of heaven and hell we are capable of receiving in this life.
Interpretation
Marriage embodies both the highest joys and the deepest sorrows in life.
This quote by Richard Steele suggests that the experience of being married can reflect the extremes of human emotion and experience, illustrating both the bliss associated with love and partnership, as well as the potential for conflict or unhappiness when affection is lacking. In essence, the married life serves as a microcosm of heaven and hell, highlighting the profound impact that relationships can have on our lives.
In practice
During a wedding toast, you might say this quote to signify the beauty and challenges of marriage.
Perhaps the great renewal of the world will consist of this, that man and woman, freed of all confused feelings and desires, shall no longer seek each other as opposites, but simply as members of a family and neighbors, and will unite as human beings, in order to simply, earnestly, patiently, and jointly bear the heavy responsibility of sexuality that has been entrusted to them.
It is a curious thing in human experience, but to live through a period of stress and sorrow with another person, creates a bond which nothing seems able to break.
We must love one another, yes, yes, that's all true enough, but nothing says we have to like each other. It may be the very recognition of all men as our brothers that accounts for the sibling rivalry, and even enmity, we have toward so many of them.
All those chemicals that create empathy only work when you are in a room together.
Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood.
If you age with somebody, you go through so many roles - you're lovers, friends, enemies, colleagues, strangers; you're brother and sister. That's what intimacy is, if you're with your soulmate.
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