I have to disagree with this statement.
I have known a good handful of people married 50+ precious years.
"Niceness" is NOT what got them through the difficult times.
What nearly everyone shared about how they made it all those years was
COMMITMENT because they knew and understood that they had formed a COVENANT the day they said "I DO".
Good point, and I guess we have to keep defining what we mean by "Good Marriage."
To me a "Good Marriage" is one that you enjoy. Just enduring each other and not divorcing for 50 years was not my point.
Many have a testimony of how they put up with lots of grief and did not divorce but I have noticed that those who are always nice to each other don't have as much grief and hard times to put up with.
There are long marriages and then there are long
GOOD marriages. What makes one GOOD and another a trial of endurance? Being nice to each other and encouraging and positive. Humor helps also. No venting, criticism, caustic berating, or venom spewing toxic immature tantrums. Those things must never surface. No excuses. When we give ourselves excuses for them we will never change.
Staying together for a long time in and of itself can just be living in hell for a long time and a very sad life. Those that are always nice to each other make daily life a joy and that is a good marriage.
If you notice a potential suitor having emotional outbursts more than once after talking about it, then end the relationship and do not marry them. If you do you will be in for a living hell and you are not allowed to divorce over it. You will have made your bed and must lie in it. It will be very sad. Take toxic venting seriously. No excuses. Most people will allow for excuses and think it will change and get married and live in 20 years or more of hell and the toxic person will probably leave them after the kids are grown. This is very common. A wasted life of enduring misery because divorce is not allowed and they did not listen to the advice to run when they noticed the toxic behavior while dating.
When you find one who is nice under pressure. When they don't get their way or something very stressful occurs and they stay calm, positive, encouraging and seek solutions for every problem, that is a winner and a guaranteed happy marriage partner. Snatch them up as there are fewer and fewer in each generation of young people who are increasingly being trained to be obnoxious. The squeaky wheel gets the grease has become the character to aspire too and it is a tragic shame.
Now, back to my jaded and eternal singlehood. Leave me alone. Blissfully and peacefully alone.