"...the decision whether and whom to marry is among life’s momentous acts of self-definition."

...“ marriage itself — is one of the most important institutions of American life. And so any law that excludes an entire class of people from that institution is fundamentally incompatible with the freedoms guaranteed by the US Constitution.”  -  Amanda Taub

“Because it fulfills yearnings for security, safe haven, and connection that express our common humanity, civil marriage is an esteemed institution, and the decision whether and whom to marry is among life’s momentous acts of self-definition.”  -  Massachusetts Supreme Court Chief Justice Margaret Marshal

“No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right”  -  Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy

Why Marriage Equality Matters to All Americans