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
One can remain alive ... if one is unafraid of change, insatiable in intellectual curiosity interested in big things and happy in small ways.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Embracing change and finding joy in simplicity leads to a fulfilling life.
In this quote, Edith Wharton emphasizes the importance of being open to change and maintaining a deep intellectual curiosity. She suggests that a fulfilling life is not only about seeking grand experiences but also appreciating the small joys that everyday moments can bring, advocating for balance between ambition and contentment.
Themes
ChangeCuriosityJoyLifeContentment
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during a motivational speech about personal growth and adaptability.
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.
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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
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Come, come, my conservative friend, wipe the dew off your spectacles, and see that the world is moving.
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I'm optimistic. I see no longer people accepting fuzzy thinking in the world. The change is not that people aren't still saying under-informed things. The change is that if you're in power and you say something under-informed, there are people out there with a voice who will take you to task for having done so
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