If you have the guts to be yourself, other people'll pay your price.
John UpdikeRead
The first breath of adultery is the freest; after it, constraints aping marriage develop.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The initial thrill of an affair feels liberating, but it quickly leads to complications similar to marriage.
In this quote, John Updike highlights the idea that while the beginning of an extramarital affair may feel exhilarating and free from the restraints of commitment, it soon becomes entangled in emotional and social complexities that mirror those found in traditional marital relationships. The quote suggests that even in acts of rebellion against societal norms, one cannot escape the inherent structures and expectations that come with intimacy and companionship.
Themes
AdulteryRelationshipsFreedomConstraintsMarriage
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the nature of relationships, one might say, 'As Updike pointed out, the first breath of adultery can seem liberating, but soon it becomes complicated.'
More from John Updike
All quotes βDost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of. _x000D_ _x000D_ Suspect each moment, for it is a thief, tiptoeing away with more than it brings.
John UpdikeRead
Museums and bookstores should feel, I think, like vacant lots - places where the demands on us are our own demands, where the spirit can find exercise in unsupervised play.
John UpdikeRead
But it is just two lovers, holding hands and in a hurry to reach their car, their locked hands a starfish leaping through the dark.
John UpdikeRead
The reader knows the writer better than he knows himself; but the writer's physical presence is light from a star that has moved on.
John UpdikeRead
To guarantee the individual maximum freedom within a social frame of minimal laws ensures - if not happiness - its hopeful pursuit.
John UpdikeRead
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