die een wijf trouwt om het schoon lijf, verliest het lijf en houdt het wijf

Etymology
Coined by the 17th century Brabantian Jesuit poet, who wrote the verses:

Important to note is that divorce is prohibited to Catholics, and that, which is now considered derogatory, was a largely neutral term at the time when this poem was written.

Proverb

 * 1) In choosing a marriage partner, factors such as character are more important than looks

Usage notes

 * Countless variants exist: the word schoon is often omitted, die is today commonly replaced with wie, om is often replaced with voor, and so forth.