In 1838, when Darwin was first thinking of marriage, he made an irresistible series of notes on the subject - a scientific-seeming list of marriage pros and cons.
Against the idea, he listed "the expense and anxiety of children" and the odd truth that a married man could never "go up in a balloon".
In favour of marriage, he included the acquisition of a "constant companion and friend in old age" and, memorably and conclusively, decided that a wife would be "better than a dog, anyhow".
(с) Adam Gopnik, A Point of View