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.
Edith WhartonRead
If only we'd stop trying to be happy we'd have a pretty good time.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Pursuing happiness directly can often lead to disappointment, while accepting life as it is can lead to contentment.
Edith Wharton's quote suggests that the relentless pursuit of happiness can distract us from enjoying the present moment. By letting go of the pressure to constantly seek happiness, we may find that we can appreciate and enjoy life's simple pleasures, leading to a more fulfilling experience.
Themes
HappinessContentmentLifeEnjoymentAcceptance
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about dealing with stress and expectations.
More from Edith Wharton
All quotes βThey seemed to come suddenly upon happiness as if they had surprised a butterfly in the winter woods
Edith WhartonRead
Set wide the window. Let me drink the day.
Edith WhartonRead
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.
Edith WhartonRead
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
Edith WhartonRead
There are two ways to spread happiness; either be the light who shines it or be the mirror who reflects it.
Edith WhartonRead
Similar quotes
Everyday happiness means you can't wait to come home, because the soup is hot.
George BurnsRead
Minor sports in the community is fun and recreation for everyone, not just the elite. I think back to my days in minor hockey and those are my fondest memories, having fun.
Bobby OrrRead
My whole effort is how to beautify this present moment, how to make people more celebrating, how to make people more joyous, how to give them a little glimpse of blissfulness, how to bring laughter to their life. Then the future takes care of itself. You need not think of the tomorrow, it comes. It comes out of this moment. Let this moment be of great celebration.
RajneeshRead
A good life happens when you stop and are grateful for the ordinary moments that so many of us just steamroll over to try to find those extraordinary moments.
Bren BrownRead
There was a time in my life when I thought I had everything - millions of dollars, mansions, cars, nice clothes, beautiful women, and every other materialistic thing you can imagine. Now I struggle for peace.
Richard PryorRead
Meditation is the direct means of enjoying the greatest happiness and is the only means to quench the thirst for happiness on earth.
Maharishi Mahesh YogiRead