proverb · Words worth keeping
Choose a wife to please yourself, not others.
Choose a wife to please yourself, not others.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Choosing a wife for oneself rather than others gives an intimate decision independence from outside approval. The saying values personal judgment within gendered wording.
Example
Two people discuss their shared choice without allowing social approval to replace mutual consent.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
A critical reading does not make another person a possession or reduce partnership to pleasing one chooser. A useful application values mutual consent, needs and respect while considering relevant concerns without making outside pressure decisive. The principle need not be limited to one gender or relationship form.
When to use it
Use it critically to value mutual choice without ownership or unilateral entitlement.
Keep in mind
No ownership, right to obtain a partner or decision without mutual consent is established.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown
- Culture
- Transylvania Province of Romania