Most people get married believing a myth--that marriage is a beautiful box full of all the things they have longed for: companionship, sexual fulfillment, intimacy, friendship. The truth is that marriage, at the start, is an empty box. You must put something in before you can take anything out. There is no love in marriage; love is in people, and people put it into marriage. There is no romance in marriage; people have to infuse it into their marriages.
A couple must learn the art and form the habit of giving, loving, serving, praising--keeping the box full. If you take out more than you put in, the box will be empty.
This is a great quote that I have witnessed as true. Those who put nothing in have only themselves to blame for an empty box. It is the sacrifices, selflessness, devotion, and love that someone puts in the box that gives the box any value at all.
Note: I have not personally verified the author or the exact text, but it appears likely to be accurate. If it is in any of the author's books, I would suspect it's in [amazon 0842346511 inline].