Marie Stopes: Christianity like most religions has a strong wave of ascetics, early in its history . While there was a harsh asceticism which is hostile to the other sex ...there was also a romantic asceticism which did not entirely prohibit the charms and pleasures of mutual companionship.

There is no disease that I know of which is caused by the normal and mutually happy marriage relation, a relation to most, has positive healing and vitalising power.

The profound truth which is perceived by ascetics is that the creative energy of sex can be transformed into other activities. This truth should never be lost sight of in marriage; the periods of abstinence should be opportunities for transmuting the healthy sex power into work of every sort.

One of the most famous married ascetics is Tolstoy, whose later opinion was that the highest human being completely inhibits his sexual desires and lives a celibate.