For a man who finds life tolerable only by staying on the surface of himself, it is natural to be satisfied with offering no more than this surface to others. There are few demands to be met, and no commitment is required. Marriage, on the other hand, closes the door. Your existence is confined to a narrow space in which you are constantly forced to reveal yourself -- and therefore, constantly obliged to examine your own depths. When the door is open there is never any problem: you can avoid unwanted confrontations, either with yourself or with another, simply by walking away.

P.Auster.The Invention of Solitude