The Three Marriages Book Summary

In 'The Three Marriages,' poet and philosopher David Whyte explores the intricate web of relationships that shape our lives. The first marriage is to our partner, the second to our work, and the third to ourselves. Through captivating storytelling and profound insights, Whyte reveals how these marriages impact our identity and our capacity for fulfillment. As he intertwines personal anecdotes with timeless wisdom, readers are invited to reflect on their own commitments. This book is a compelling journey into the heart of what it means to live authentically and passionately.

By David Whyte

Published: 2009

""The greatest gift we can give ourselves is the willingness to marry the world around us, embracing its beauty and its pain, finding our true selves in the interplay of love and loss.""

Book Review of The Three Marriages

David Whyte knows there are three crucial relationships, or marriages, in our lives: the marriage or partnership with a significant other, the commitment we have to our work, and the vows, spoken or unspoken, we make to an inner, constantly developing self. In The Three Marriages, the bestselling author, poet, and speaker argues that it is not possible to sacrifice one relationship for the others without causing deep psychological damage. Too often, he says, we fracture our lives and split our energies foolishly, so that one or more of these marriages is sacrificed and may wither and die, in the process impoverishing them all. Whyte looks to a different way of seeing and connecting these relationships and prompts us to examine each marriage with a fierce but affectionate eye as he shows us the importance of cherishing all three equally.--From publisher description.

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"The greatest gift we can give ourselves is the willingness to marry the world around us, embracing its beauty and its pain, finding our true selves in the interplay of love and loss."

The Three Marriages

By David Whyte