“Nearly all marriages, even happy ones, are mistakes”

— John Ronald Reuel Tolkien

Letter to Michael Tolkien (March 1941)
Context: Nearly all marriages, even happy ones, are mistakes: in the sense that almost certainly (in a more perfect world, or even with a little more care in this very imperfect one) both partners might be found more suitable mates. But the real soul-mate is the one you are actually married to.

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John Ronald Reuel Tolkien 78

British philologist and author, creator of classic fantasy … 1892–1973

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