I knew couples who had been married almost forever—tending each other's illnesses, dealing with money troubles or the daughter's suicide or the grandson's drug addiction. And I was beginning to suspect that it made no difference whether they'd married the right person. You're just with who you're with. You've signed on with her, put in half a century with her, grown to know her as well as you know yourself, and she's become the right person, or the only person. I wish someone had told me that earlier; I'd have hung on then.

About Anne Tyler

Anne Tyler (born October 25, 1941) is an American novelist, short story writer, and literary critic. She has published twenty-five novels, including Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant (1982), The Accidental Tourist (1985), and Breathing Lessons (1988). All three were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and Breathing Lessons won...

More quotations from Anne Tyler

It was typical of him that he lacked the taste to make a final exit. He spent too long at his farewells, chatting in the doorway, letting in the cold.

—Anne Tyler

People always call it luck when you've acted more sensibly than they have.

—Anne Tyler

luck

It is very difficult to live among people you love and hold back from offering them advice.

—Anne Tyler

advice

Sometimes," he said, "I believe we're given the same lessons to learn, over and over, exactly the same experiences, till we get them right. Things keep circling past us.

—Anne Tyler

History

25 Apr 2015 Added
26 Oct 2026 Wording changed

Previous wording

I knew couples who had been married almost forever — tending each other's illnesses, dealing with money troubles or the daughter's suicide or the grandson's drug addiction. And I was beginning to suspect that it made no difference whether they'd married the right person. You're just with who you're with. You've signed on with her, put in half a century with her, grown to know her as well as you know yourself, and she's become the right person, or the only person. I wish someone had told me that earlier; I'd have hung on then.