Marriage and family life give us constant opportunities to deny ourselves for the sake of others. And yet self-denial is not a mask for self-contempt, but the necessary means for achieving self-mastery; for self-mastery makes possible our self-giving and self-fulfillment. Sin is not wanting too much, but settling for too little. It's settling for self-gratification rather than self-fulfillment. Scott Hahn
About This Quote

In a marriage, there is a balance of giving and taking. The husband and wife must give to the other. It’s not about asking for everything they want. It’s about making sure they are happy by giving what they want.

Without self-denial, the family would be destroyed because selfishness will always win in the end. Self-denial is essential in order for love to be fulfilled.

Source: First Comes Love: Finding Your Family In The Church And The Trinity

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More Quotes By Scott Hahn
  1. We...sin not because we want what is evil, but because we want what isn't good enough.
  2. As we grow detached from things, we come (with God's help) to master our desires, and we give the mastery over to God. Discipline and divine grace heal the intellect and the will of the effects of concupiscence. We can begin to see things clearly.
  3. Marriage and family life give us constant opportunities to deny ourselves for the sake of others. And yet self-denial is not a mask for self-contempt, but the necessary means for achieving self-mastery; for self-mastery makes possible our self-giving and self-fulfillment. Sin is not wanting too...
  4. We are created for the sake of love. When we experience love in family life, it is heavenly, but it is still only an image of the greater glory we hope to behold in heaven.
  5. Only when we cease to rely on our own strength can we discover that God's strength is always there for us.
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