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
Selden and Lily stood still, accepting the unreality of the scene as a part of their own dream-like sensations. It would not have surprised them to feel a summer breeze on their faces, or to see the lights among the boughs reduplicated in the arch of a starry sky. The strange solitude about them was no stranger than the sweetness of being alone in it together.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the beauty and comfort found in shared solitude with someone special.
In this quote, Edith Wharton captures the essence of a unique relationship where two individuals find tranquility and joy in each other's company amidst a dream-like and surreal atmosphere. It emphasizes the notion that being alone together can create a profound sense of connection, highlighting the solace and sweetness derived from companionship, even in solitude.
Themes
SolitudeRelationshipsCompanionshipDreamTogetherness
In practice
Example use cases
Sharing this quote during a toast at a wedding can emphasize the beauty of companionship.
More from Edith Wharton
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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 other’s 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
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There are two ways to spread happiness; either be the light who shines it or be the mirror who reflects it.
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