Do I believe in coupling? Do I believe in commitment? Do I

The words of Laura Wasser—“Do I believe in coupling? Do I believe in commitment? Do I believe in co-parenting, raising children together, having a family, and growing old with someone? I absolutely believe in all of those things. I just don't believe that you need to be married to do that. I love going to weddings, though. I do love a good wedding.”—shine as a reflection on the nature of love and union. She distinguishes between the essence of commitment and the form of marriage, declaring that the sacred bonds of loyalty, family, and shared life are not dependent upon the ceremony, though she delights in its beauty when it is celebrated by others.

This utterance is a meditation on the substance versus the symbol. For generations, society has taught that marriage is the gateway to legitimacy in love, yet Wasser proclaims that the true sanctity lies in commitment itself. To raise children, to grow old together, to share burdens and joys—these are the fruits of devotion. The legal or ceremonial framework may honor these acts, but it is not what creates them. Thus, she separates the eternal from the temporal, the vow of the heart from the ritual of the world.

History offers a mirror in the story of Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin, two thinkers of the Enlightenment who challenged social norms. Their love was steadfast, their devotion sincere, though they questioned the institution of marriage, believing that genuine connection was not made sacred by law but by the constancy of hearts. Like Wasser, they cherished love’s depth while resisting the belief that it required ceremonial binding to be true.

The quote also carries a hymn to freedom and choice. Wasser honors those who marry, acknowledging the joy and spectacle of a wedding, yet she also claims the right to find meaning outside of tradition. This is a reminder that love is not diminished by walking a different path. Rather, it is strengthened when chosen authentically, without fear or pressure. For what matters most is not the ritual, but the intention of the bond.

Let this teaching endure: marriage is one vessel, but not the only one. What gives life its meaning is not the form of union, but the practice of love, day after day, in fidelity, compassion, and endurance. Celebrate the weddings of others with joy, but know that the heart’s vow is greater than law, and the truest bond is written not on paper, but upon the soul. In this way, Wasser’s words remind us that love itself is eternal, and institutions are but one of its many expressions.