Time and trouble will tame an advanced young woman, but an advanced old woman is uncontrollable by any earthly force.
Dorothy L. SayersRead
You're thinking that people don't keep up old jealousies for twenty years or so. Perhaps not. Not just primitive, brute jealousy. That means a word and a blow. But the thing that rankles is hurt vanity. That sticks. Humiliation. And we've all got a sore spot we don't like to have touched.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Old grudges often stem from feelings of humiliation and hurt rather than mere jealousy.
In this quote, Dorothy L. Sayers explores the deeper emotional roots of interpersonal conflict, suggesting that while primitive jealousy may fade, the pain of hurt vanity and humiliation lingers far longer. She implies that every individual has vulnerabilities that, when touched, can reignite old wounds and lead to ongoing resentment, demonstrating the complexities of human relationships.
Themes
JealousyHumiliationRelationshipsHurtVanity
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion about the impact of past grievances in friendships.
More from Dorothy L. Sayers
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. . . the fellow's got a bee in his bonnet. Thinks God's a secretion of the liver--all right once in a way, but there's no need to keep on about it. There's nothing you can't prove if your outlook is only sufficiently limited.
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None of us feels the true love of God till we realize how wicked we are. But you can't teach people that - they have to learn by experience.
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What is repugnant to every human being is to be reckoned always as a member of a class and not as an individual person.
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[O]ne can scarcely be frightened off writing what one wants to write for fear an obscure reviewer should patronise one on that account.
Dorothy L. SayersRead
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