The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "A woman is like a rib. If you try hard to straighten her, you will break her, and if you leave her alone, you will enjoy her with her crookedness still in her."
حدثنا يحيى عن ابن عجلان قال سمعت أبي يحدث
قال رسول الله ﷺ المرأة كالضلع فإن تحرص على إقامته تكسره وإن تتركه تستمتع به وفيه عوج
No references are available.
Its isnad is sahih. Bukhari related it, 7/33, in the Book of Marriage, chapter on being gentle with women, and Muslim, 2/1090, no. 1468, in the Book of Suckling, chapter on the enjoinment concerning women, and Tirmidhi, in the Book of Divorce, chapter on what has been said about being gentle with women, and Ibn Abu Shayba, 5/276.