GentleMimi: Intelligent woman all the way,no argument there.
I'll choose intelligence over gentility. Gentle peeps could be wickedly dangerous,you know? The intelligent woman knows how to handle situations as it deems fit. The man can go out and confidently leave his home in the intelligent woman's care.
The intelligent woman influences the children too. Makes them smart and active.
God forbid,but if the man passes away,the intelligence of the woman is needed for her children to make it in life with the few available resources.
The intelligent woman is not necessarily bossy or arrogant,just a lady who knows what she wants and then goes about achieving it in the easiest ways possible.
The man cannot be at his peak at all times in terms of mental capability. Sometimes,he needs a mentally strong woman to give him the required push.
Note: it is only strong men that take up the challange of an intelligent woman. Weak men want ''gentle'' pushovers,whom they can control like puppets on strings.

bukatyne:

Sorry to digress

I always hear that love is not enough to keep a home, please define love

delishpot:
Na lie?
All I dey see men mention here na as long as she do yes sir, yes sir thats all they want.
Only a few have sense that women are humans with brain and can cobtribute something from her brain to uplift the home.
99% of men here are only concerned about their wives wanting to advice them on what to do. And for ego sake are willing to marry a dummy just so they the men appear smart. I don talk am, na women dey give meaning to many men lives. A lot of men have the chance to be kings only because there are women out there called wives who say yes sir to all their demands.
We thank God for women.

apolonius:

I will not devalue love and its meaning by attempting a definition. I will just give some illustrative lines.

Forget scriptural exigesis. There is a reason why love is not called wisdom,understanding,maturity,capacity to consummate and satisfy the sexual demands of a union. Love is not what buy food and groceries for the home. In short,love is not what buys the asoebi madam wants to wear for her friend Nkiru's wedding.

Yes,love is foundational to a union but not its sustaining superstructure. I will recreate Cardinal Macinkus' saying that the Catholic Church is not ran on 'Hail Mary' alone to say marriage does not survive on love alone.

andromida:

That one holy pass!! na dat kind one you want?

andromida:

Na wa o just to define love na grammar we come dey see.

dmcdad:
No oooooo. I tell you say I wan preach Gospel?

andromida:

No wahala. The package is on the way.

dmcdad:
Consignment.

TRADELYN: SEE...

There's GREAT intelligence in being gentle!!!

apolonius:

I will not devalue love and its meaning by attempting a definition. I will just give some illustrative lines.

Forget scriptural exigesis. There is a reason why love is not called wisdom,understanding,maturity,capacity to consummate and satisfy the sexual demands of a union. Love is not what buy food and groceries for the home. In short,love is not what buys the asoebi madam wants to wear for her friend Nkiru's wedding.

Yes,love is foundational to a union but not its sustaining superstructure. I will recreate Cardinal Macinkus' saying that the Catholic Church is not ran on 'Hail Mary' alone to say marriage does not survive on love alone.

DonTonero: The word Gentle and intelligence has different meaning based on the writers point of view.....and from the writers point of view no man i repeat no man would go for the intelligent woman except the man is 007 and is willing to die young. No man wants a disrespectful woman and intelligence cannot bring about humility or gentleness but being gentle and submissive can actually transform into intelligence because it takes a gentle woman to learn observe and adapt to changes because of her gentility even the gentle dumb will adjust when taught but all this changes lies with the man and how he wants to run his family and as for me an intelligent arrogant woman is HELL NO for me because they have ripped my life severally with their i too know only to regret when its late. God created women to be submissive(this encompasses gentility, intelligent and co) and not intelligent(this brings about arrogance,gender equality and divorce).
NB.... it all depends on the man

nationwide24: If you are talking about wife material as your topic reads, none of the two qualities.makes anyone a good wife material although both are important attributes.

bukatyne:

@Bolded: No worries then

Thought you were a Christian; wanted to bring the definition from the Bible

kennygee: Most guys are intimidated by intelligent women, they want a gentle woman who will just say "how high" when they say jump without complaining. While an Intelligent woman will ask you why you want her to jump and offer a better way of doing it if there is one.


So guys o, we are waiting, which do you prefer?

apolonius:

I am a Christian, yet I know that we are slaves of human nature in reality than christian ideals. For example,the Bible is clear on fornication,how many of us are virgins even as singles? What of adultery as lustful sight?

By the way everyone on Nairaland are not Christians. Do we now quote St Paul's letters to define love and marriage to everyone?Marriage is dictated by love but sustained by more. Go figure dear.

bukatyne:

The only thing that sustains marriage in a Christian POV is love

What do you know as love if we are not to use the Christian definition?

@Bolded, very true

apolonius:

Well,yes,if that concept of love has Christ at its core.

bukatyne:

You did not answer my question

bukatyne:

You did not answer my question

apolonius:

I just skilled through some of your topics and thread contributions. And I am moved to do business with you from a christian perspective.

I like Myles Munroe a lot and his magna opus on christian marriage,for me,remains the foremost classic text that answers this question after the Bible.I am talking of The Purpose and Power of Love and Marriage. I will urge you to buy and read this masterclass. I can buy one from here for you!

You will see his analysis of the Garden of Eden marriage and the principles underlying it. By the way,this marriage was a marriage in Judaism as Christianity started with Christ millenia after this.

Now,Myles articulated marriage as a fellowship of love with God whom both couple owe fidelity to and are faithful to each other because of this. His concept of love is tied to our purpose on earth which is fellowship with God. Yet he acknowledges that our NATURAL NEEDS and how they are met sustains this commitment to each other that flows from a commitment to God.

For him,what keeps marriage is meeting our needs and staying fully faithful to marriage as a covenant of love entered not for the couple's sake but for God.

NB:I am a catholic!

Oya,bye!

eddieo:
i owe you a bottle of chilled yogurt!

GentleMimi: Intelligent woman all the way,no argument there.
I'll choose intelligence over gentility. Gentle peeps could be wickedly dangerous,you know? The intelligent woman knows how to handle situations as it deems fit. The man can go out and confidently leave his home in the intelligent woman's care.
The intelligent woman influences the children too. Makes them smart and active.
God forbid,but if the man passes away,the intelligence of the woman is needed for her children to make it in life with the few available resources.
The intelligent woman is not necessarily bossy or arrogant,just a lady who knows what she wants and then goes about achieving it in the easiest ways possible.
The man cannot be at his peak at all times in terms of mental capability. Sometimes,he needs a mentally strong woman to give him the required push.
Note: it is only strong men that take up the challange of an intelligent woman. Weak men want ''gentle'' pushovers,whom they can control like puppets on strings.