"Marriage is more than a contract.... The contract of marriage is the most important of all human transactions. It is the very basis of the whole fabric of civilized society."
"Marriage is one of the basic civil rights of man, fundamental to our very existence and survival."
"From time immemorial the state has exercised the fullest control over the marriage relation, justly believing that happy, successful marriages constitute the fundamental basis of the general welfare of the people. Our people believe that marriage should be entered into freely as a matter of choice, not through fear, restraint, or compulsion. The marriage state ought not to be lightly entered into. It involves the profoundest interests of human life, transmitting its complex influences direct to posterity, and invading the happiness of parents and near kindred."
"Marriage is more than a contract.... The contract of marriage is the most important of all human transactions. It is the very basis of the whole fabric of civilized society."