Ruth Bader Ginsburg, better known as the Notorious R.B.G., is the judge to end all judges. She's got a calming but authoritative presence that is the envy of every living human. So it makes sense that she would know the secret to a happy and lasting marriage. We won't waste your time with "don't go to bed mad." That's impossible in a lot of situations, and leads to wild sleep deprivation in others.
Ginsburg has some better ideas anyways.
She was speaking at Stanford University when she shared advice that her mother-in-law gave her on her wedding day.
"'In every good marriage,' she counseled, 'it helps sometimes to be a little deaf.' I have followed that advice assiduously, and not only at home through 56 years of a marital partnership nonpareil. I have employed it as well in every workplace, including the Supreme Court. When a thoughtless or unkind word is spoken, best tune out. Reacting in anger or annoyance will not advance one’s ability to persuade."
By the way, she was married from 1954 until her husband's death in 2010. So she would know.
And it's great advice. It helps to just ignore what you suspect might be your partner's worst intentions. Unless they're really evil, which is something that you should run from as fast as possible. But if you're both working in good faith, it helps to tune things out.
Check out more of her advice here and watch her talk below.
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