Quote of the Day (James Thurber, on ‘Sweetheart-Slurring’ as a Cause of Marital Discord)

“Neither party to a sacred union should run down, disparage or badmouth the other’s former girls or beaux, as the case may be. The tendency to attack the character, looks, intelligence, capability, and achievements of one’s mate’s former friends of the opposite sex is a common cause of domestic discontent. Sweetheart-slurring, as we will call this deplorable practice, is encouraged by a long spell of gloomy weather, too many highballs, hang-overs, and the suspicion that one’s spouse is hiding, and finding letters in a hollow tree, or is intercepting the postman, or putting in secret phone calls from the corner drugstore. These fears almost always turn out to be unfounded, but the unfounded fear, as we all know, is worse than the founded.” —James Thurber (1894-1961), “Ten Rules for a Happy Marriage,” in The Oxford Book of Essays, edited by John Gross (1991)