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
When people ask for time, it's always for time to say no. Yes has one more letter in it, but it doesn't take half as long to say.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights how people often request time to avoid making commitments, especially when declining an invitation or request.
Edith Wharton's quote effectively captures the difficulty of saying 'no' compared to saying 'yes.' The act of needing time often serves as a buffer for people to think about their response, specifically to decline without feeling pressured. It emphasizes the hesitation many feel in making commitments and the ease of acceptance over rejection.
Themes
DecisionCommitmentSay NoTimeRelationships
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about personal boundaries, this quote can be used to emphasize the importance of prioritizing one's time.
More from Edith Wharton
All quotes βThey seemed to come suddenly upon happiness as if they had surprised a butterfly in the winter woods
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Set wide the window. Let me drink the day.
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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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