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What's the use of making mysteries? It only makes people want to nose 'em out.
Edith Wharton
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Creating mysteries can lead to curiosity and attempts to uncover the truth.

This quote by Edith Wharton suggests that mysteries serve no practical purpose as they only ignite curiosity in others, prompting them to seek out the truth. The statement highlights the human tendency to explore the unknown and implies that transparency may be more beneficial than obscurity.

Themes

MysteryCuriosityTruthExplorationUnderstanding

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used during a discussion about the importance of transparency in relationships.

More from Edith Wharton

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.
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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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