They seemed to come suddenly upon happiness as if they had surprised a butterfly in the winter woods
Edith WhartonRead
They are all alike you know. They hold their tongues for years and you think you're safe, but when the opportunity comes they remember everything.
Interpretation
People often hide their true feelings or thoughts for a long time, but they can reveal them when the moment is right.
This quote by Edith Wharton reflects the idea that individuals are capable of holding back their thoughts and feelings for extended periods. However, when circumstances allow, they may unleash these hidden emotions or memories, often surprising those around them. It suggests that one should be aware that people may not always express their true opinions or feelings and that the repressed emotions may emerge when given the chance.
In practice
This quote is perfect for a discussion on trust and relationships.
They seemed to come suddenly upon happiness as if they had surprised a butterfly in the winter woods
Set wide the window. Let me drink the day.
And I wonder, among all the tangles of this mortal coil, which one contains tighter knots to undo, & consequently suggests more tugging, & pain, & diversified elements of misery, than the marriage tie.
As he paid the hansom and followed his wife's long train into the house he took refuge in the comforting platitude that the first six months were always the most difficult in marriage. 'After that I suppose we shall have pretty nearly finished rubbing off each otherβs angles,' he reflected; but the worst of it was that May's pressure was already bearing on the very angles whose sharpness he most wanted to keep
There are two ways to spread happiness; either be the light who shines it or be the mirror who reflects it.
The real loneliness is living among all these kind people who only ask one to pretend!
Some of us have become so addicted to pointing fingers at others for all the wrong that happens in our lives that self-assessment has become synonymous with blaming the victim.
The most violent element in society is ignorance.
No great deed is done by falterers who ask for certainty.
One might equate growing up with a mistrust of words. A mature person trusts his eyes more than his ears. Irrationality often manifests itself in upholding the word against the evidence of the eyes. Children, savages and true believers remember far less what they have seen than what they have heard.
The woman who follows the crowd will usually believe that I said this.
What you are shouts at me so loudly that I can't hear a word you say.
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