American actress Mary McCormack is well-known for her roles in a number of TV series and movies. She frequently shares her personal opinions on a range of subjects in interviews, including the institution of marriage. She is renowned for having voiced doubts about the notion that marriage automatically ensures happiness.

McCormack's viewpoint is based on her personal experiences and observations of couples in her immediate vicinity. Her "informal survey" involved interviewing friends and coworkers who have been married. McCormack observed a pattern in these discussions: a lot of people discovered that marriage doesn't always guarantee long-term happiness, even though it may provide some advantages like companionship or financial security.

She uses the example of marriage as a garden to make her point. Beautiful flowers and vibrant plants are not guaranteed to grow in your garden just because you plant seeds and take care of the soil. In a similar vein, marriage is like sowing those seeds; it creates the conditions for possible growth, but fostering true happiness calls for constant work and attention to detail.

A larger cultural discussion concerning expectations versus reality in marriage is reflected in McCormack's quote. It encourages people to approach marriage with reasonable expectations and the knowledge that sustaining a happy marriage is frequently more difficult than popular narratives would imply.

Her viewpoint casts doubt on the idea that marriage alone will make one happy or solve all issues without any further effort on the part of either spouse. Rather, in order to cultivate true happiness over time, she stresses the value of honest communication, respect for one another, and personal development in a partnership.