Don't say 'wife.' I'm your mistress. Wife's such an ugly word. Your 'permanent mistress' is so much more tangible and desirable… .
Interpretation
This quote reflects on the complexities of love and attachment, suggesting that terms of endearment can be more meaningful than societal labels.
F. Scott Fitzgerald's quote captures the nuanced emotions surrounding relationships, particularly the distinctions between traditional labels like 'wife' and more passionate ones like 'mistress.' The speaker implies that the term 'mistress' conveys a sense of intimacy and desire that transcends conventional definitions of partnership, highlighting that what matters is the depth of connection rather than societal expectations.
In practice
During a romantic dinner, you might share this quote to discuss the complexities of commitment.
Don't be so anxious about it,' she laughed. 'I'm not used to being loved. I wouldn't know what to do; I never got the trick of it.' She looked down at him, shy and fatigued. 'So here we are. I told you years ago that I had the makings of Cinderella.' He took her hand; she drew it back instinctively and then replaced it in his. 'Beg your pardon. Not even used to being touched. But I'm not afraid of you, if you stay quiet and don't move suddenly.
The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.
It was about then [1920] that I wrote a line which certain people will not let me forget: "She was a faded but still lovely woman of twenty-seven."
The words seemed to bite physically into Gatsby.
But you can love more than just one person, can't you?
A sudden gust of rain blew over them and then another - as if small liquid clouds were bouncing along the land. Lightning entered the sea far off and the air blew full of crackling thunder. The table cloths blew around the pillars. They blew and blew and blew. The flags twisted around the red chairs like live things, the banners were ragged, the corners of the table tore off through the burbling billowing ends of the cloths.
Introverted feeling types have a wealth of warmth and enthusiasm, but they may not show it until they know someone well. They wear their warm side inside, like a fur-lined coat.
There are only four kinds of people in the world - those who have been caregivers, those who are caregivers, those who will be caregivers and those who will need caregivers.
But maybe, underneath, she loves him too much. Maybe it's her excessive love that pushes him away.
It would be very unjust to say that you deserted me, but that I was deserted, and sometimes terribly so, is true.
The single most important thing you can do politically for gay rights is to come out. Not to write a letter to your congressman but to come out.
There have been articles saying that all women need to read my book. I ask, why not all men? In fact, that would be even more valuable because we women want to sit down with men and tell them - this is how we feel, this is what we go through.
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