There's life for you. Spend the best years of your life studying penmanship and rhetoric and syntax and Beowulf and George Eliot, and then somebody steals your pencil.
Dorothy ParkerRead
Men They hail you as their morning star Because you are the way you are. If you return the sentiment, They'll try to make you different; And once they have you, safe and sound, They want to change you all around. Your moods and ways they put a curse on; They'd make of you another person. They cannot let you go your gait; They influence and educate. They'd alter all that they admired. They make me sick, they make me tired.
Interpretation
What this quote means
People often admire and idealize others but seek to change them once they become close.
This quote by Dorothy Parker reflects the struggle individuals face in relationships when others project their expectations and desires onto them. Initially, someone may be celebrated for their unique qualities, but as the relationship evolves, there is often pressure to conform or change to meet those expectations. This paradox highlights the tension between admiration and acceptance of individuality in interpersonal dynamics.
Themes
RelationshipsChangeIndividualityExpectationsIdentity
In practice
Example use cases
During a workshop on personal growth, one might use this quote to discuss the importance of authenticity.
More from Dorothy Parker
All quotes →My land is bare of chattering folk; / the clouds are low along the ridges, / and sweet's the air with curly smoke / from all my burning bridges.
Dorothy ParkerRead
Prince or commoner, tenor or bass, Painter or plumber or never-do-well, Do me a favor and shut your face - Poets alone should kiss and tell.
Dorothy ParkerRead
They say of me, and so they should, It's doubtful if I come to good. I see acquaintances and friends Accumulating dividends And making enviable names In science, art and parlor games. But I, despite expert advice, Keep doing things I think are nice, And though to good I never come Inseparable my nose and thumb.
Dorothy ParkerRead
It is that word 'hunny,' my darlings, that marks the first place in The House at Pooh Corner at which Tonstant Weader fwowed up.
Dorothy ParkerRead
I can’t write five words but that I change seven.
Dorothy ParkerRead
Similar quotes
People only tell lies when there is something they are terribly frightened of losing.
Orhan PamukRead
Although we are in different boats you in your boat and we in our canoe we share the same river of life.
Oren LyonsRead
I grew up writing thank-you notes. Real, honest-to-goodness, pen-and-ink, stamped and posted letters. More than simple habit, it's about what the commitment to expressing your thoughts and feelings in writing says about the character of the writer. About the joy such notes bring to the reader.
Taylor MaliRead
You young men need to know that you can hardly achieve your highest potential without the influence of a good women, particularly you mother, and in a few years, a good wife.
Russell M. NelsonRead
Absence makes the heart grow fonder, but it sure makes the rest of you lonely.
Charles M. SchulzRead
I never ask my wife about my flaws. Instead I try to get her to ignore them and concentrate on my sense of humor. You don't want any woman to look under the carpet because there's lots of flaws underneath. Joanne believes my character in a film we did together, "Mr. and Mrs. Bridge" comes closest to who I really am. I personally don't think there's one character who comes close... but I learned a long time ago not to disagree on things that I don't have a solid opinion about.
Paul NewmanRead