Harold B. Lee on the pressure to marry early

"Now don't misunderstand me. I am not trying to urge you younger men to
marry too early. I think therein is one of the hazards of today's living. W=
e
don't want a young man to think of marriage until he is able to take care o=
f
a family, to have an institution of his own, to be independent. He must mak=
e
sure that he has found the girl of his choice, they have gone together long
enough that they know each other, and that they know each other's faults an=
d
they still love each other. I have said to the mission presidents (some of
whom have been reported to us as saying to missionaries, "Now, if you are
not married in six months, you are a failure as a missionary"), "Don't you
ever say that to one of your missionaries. Maybe in six months they will no=
t
have found a wife; and if they take you seriously, they may rush into a
marriage that will be wrong for them."

Please don't misunderstand what we are saying; but, brethren, think more
seriously about the obligations of marriage for those who bear the holy
priesthood at a time when marriage should be the expectation of every man
who understands the responsibility;

[Harold B. Lee's, General Priesthood Address, Ensign, Jan. 1974, 96]