They seemed to come suddenly upon happiness as if they had surprised a butterfly in the winter woods
Edith WhartonRead
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
People often hide their true feelings or thoughts for a long time, but they can reveal them when the moment is right.
This quote by Edith Wharton reflects the idea that individuals are capable of holding back their thoughts and feelings for extended periods. However, when circumstances allow, they may unleash these hidden emotions or memories, often surprising those around them. It suggests that one should be aware that people may not always express their true opinions or feelings and that the repressed emotions may emerge when given the chance.
Themes
SecretsHidden FeelingsTruthMemoryOpportunity
In practice
Example use cases
This quote is perfect for a discussion on trust and relationships.
More from Edith Wharton
All quotes βSet 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.
Edith WhartonRead
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
The real loneliness is living among all these kind people who only ask one to pretend!
Edith WhartonRead
Similar quotes
If he [Thomas Edison] had a needle to find in a haystack, he would not stop to reason where it was most likely to be, but would proceed at once with the feverish diligence of a bee, to examine straw after straw until he found the object of his search. ... [J]ust a little theory and calculation would have saved him ninety percent of his labor.
Nikola TeslaRead
To be unafraid of the judgement of others is the greatest freedom you can have.
Timothy ShriverRead
Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.
John WoodenRead
It was a Roman who said it was sweet to die for one's country. The Greeks never said it was sweet to die for anything. They had no vital lies.
Edith HamiltonRead
If I limit myself to knowledge that I consider true beyond doubt, I minimize the risk of error but I maximize, at the same time, the risk of missing out on what may be the subtlest, most important and most rewarding things in life.
E. F. SchumacherRead
Ponder and deliberate before you make your move. He will conquer who has learned the artifice of deviation. Such is the art of maneuvering.
Sun TzuRead