Bohemia is nothing more than the little country in which you do not live. If you try to obtain citizenship in it, at once the court and retinue pack the royal archives and treasure and move away beyond the hills.
O. HenryRead
The most notable thing about Time is that it is so purely relative. A large amount of reminiscence is, by common consent, conceded to the drowning man; and it is not past belief that one may review an entire courtship while removing one's gloves.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Time is subjective and can feel different based on circumstances and experiences.
In this quote, O. Henry explores the concept of time and its relativity, suggesting that our perception of time can vary dramatically based on our emotional and situational context. For instance, when faced with life-threatening situations, such as drowning, individuals may experience a rush of memories and reflections, whereas mundane activities, like putting on gloves, can feel elongated and filled with thoughts, illustrating the complex ways we engage with time.
Themes
TimeRelativityPerceptionMemories
In practice
Example use cases
This quote would be perfect for a discussion on the nature of time in a philosophy class.
More from O. Henry
All quotes →It's said that love makes the world go around. Let me tell you, the announcement lacks verification. It's the wind from the dinner horn that does it.
O. HenryRead
Yes, I get dry spells. Sometimes I can't turn out a thing for three months. When one of those spells comes on I quit trying to work and go out and see something of life. You can't write a story that's got any life in it by sitting at a writing table and thinking. You've got to get out into the streets, into the crowds, talk with people, and feel the rush and throb of real life-that's the stimulant for a story writer.
O. HenryRead
But the best, in my opinion, was the home life in the little flat--the ardent, voluble chats after the day's study; the cozy dinners and fresh, light breakfasts; the interchange of ambitions--ambitions interwoven each with the other's or else inconsiderable--the mutual help and inspiration; and--overlook my artlessness--stuffed olives and cheese sandwiches at 11 p.m.
O. HenryRead
You can't appreciate home till you've left it, money till it's spent, your wife till she's joined a woman's club, nor Old Glory till you see it hanging on a broomstick on the shanty of a consul in a foreign town.
O. HenryRead
She had become so thoroughly annealed into his life that she was like the air he breathed--necessary but scarcely noticed.
O. HenryRead
Similar quotes
In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can't build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery and death.
Anne FrankRead
The punitive use of force tends to generate hostility and to reinforce resistance to the very behavior we are seeking.
Marshall B. RosenbergRead
What a man believes may be ascertained, not from his creed, but from the assumptions on which he habitually acts.
George Bernard ShawRead
Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.
Oscar WildeRead
Thoughtfulness for others, generosity, modesty, and self-respect are the qualities which make a real gentleman or lady.
Thomas HuxleyRead
Well, if crime fighters fight crime and fire fighters fight fire, what do freedom fighters fight?
George CarlinRead