Every couple for whom marriage is forever unearths nuggets of wisdom along the way. In Love for a Lifetime: Daily Wisdom and Wit for a Long and Happy Marriage, columnist Mary Hance shares a wealth of golden tips, collected far and wide from young couples just setting out to those whose wedding vows still echo through half a century and more. Here are a few:










“Throw the word fair out the window. In one year of a marriage, one person may need 99 percent of the love, effort, or focus of the other; another year, it may be just the opposite.”
“What my father always told me when I was planning my wedding: ‘You have to want to have a marriage, not just a wedding. Remember the difference.’ ”
“Learn fast that the grass is not greener on the other side of the fence!”

“After several years of marriage, there is no way I’m training another husband, so I will just keep the one I have!”