The Ten Commandments in the Modern Age

1. Do not look for perfection in your husband.
For God Almighty alone is perfect, and people — men and women alike — are made to err. Man was created in the image of God, but his works are not perfect like the works of God! And woman was created in the image of an angel, but her wings cannot sustain perpetual flight!

2. Fight rigidity and sameness in the home (Monotony): and know that nothing is surer to kill marital happiness than a life run on a single note... without change and without activity!

When Disraeli was asked about his wife — and she was twelve years his senior — he answered: "All my hours with her were sweet new surprises; she never allowed a single dull minute that invited boredom..."

3. Respect the differences and distinctions between you and him: each of you, man and woman, was raised and formed with certain habits; these habits must be respected, not imposed upon the other party, and accepted as an established fact...

4. Cooperate with him by sharing what gives pleasure: in reading or in physical exercise, it is well for each of you to keep pace with the other, with constant activity and lasting vitality, so that the desire for your companionship together is ever renewed.

5. Keep your life balanced: do not allow yourself to take more than you give, or to spend more than your husband's income can bear.

6. Be generous: A bride was asked, "When did you begin to understand your husband?" She answered: "The first time I asked him for money." Custom has made it one of the man's duties to supply the house with money; but there are things other than money that you can bestow... So be generous with your tenderness, with your fine character, with your forbearance, with your encouragement of your husband, with your praise of him, and with acknowledgment of his toil!..

7. Allow no one at all to meddle in your private affairs: for many a happy, flourishing family has come to ruin by way of some parasitic person.

8. Respect individual liberty: if you sense in him an inclination toward solitude and being alone, let him be, and do not be the cause of his captivity.

9. Be truthful with him: and beware of getting into the habit of misleading him with little falsehoods, even the smallest of them, for you never know when the lie will come to light and leave you standing small!

10. Keep growing: mentally, emotionally, and spiritually — and beware of standing still, for whoever stands still has already begun to decline and fall behind, and has lost her companion at a single stroke.

• The most beautiful melody in life is the one my husband hums as he comes home in the evening, worn and weary, drops of sweat wetting his brow and his body!
(A workman's wife)

• The most beautiful smile in existence is the one that makes its way through tears.

• My dear husband, why is your heart always so hard toward me?! Every time you are away from me, I feel as though you wanted to take your revenge on me!
(Madame Curie)