Jane Austen
Most people associate Jane Austen’s books with love and romance, but unlike many of the characters in her novels, she never married. It’s not as though she didn’t have the opportunity to wed: Austen actually had several suitors and a few marriage proposals—one of which even ended in an engagement that she broke off after one day. Though her exact reasons to remain single are unknown, some speculate that she didn’t want to relinquish any of her writing time, money, or success to married life, and opted to make decisions that would allow her to retain her career and autonomy.
Ricky Gervais
Comedian and controversial awards show host Ricky Gervais has been in a relationship with his partner, Jane Fallon, since 1982, but the pair has no plans to marry. In a 2010 interview with the Times, he revealed that he doesn’t see the point in marriage—especially as an atheist. “We are married for all intents and purposes, everything’s shared, and actually our fake marriage has lasted longer than a real one,” he said. “But there’s no point in us having an actual ceremony before the eyes of God because there is no God.”
Married or not, you should know these expert-backed relationship tips to get the love you want.
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was one of the most famous writers of fairy tales, so you’d think he would have known a thing or two about happy endings. (Though many of his fairy tales—especially The Little Mermaid—are actually pretty dark.) Unfortunately for Andersen, he experienced several cases of unrequited love for both men and women. Objects of his affection included the singer Jenny Lind and Danish dancer Harald Scharff. His writing also holds clues to his personality. For example, he had said that his story The Ugly Duckling was autobiographical and that he frequently felt like an outcast growing up.