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 →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 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.
Edith WhartonRead
The real loneliness is living among all these kind people who only ask one to pretend!
Edith WhartonRead
Similar quotes
At school any spontaneous act was likely to get me into trouble. I learned never to act on impulse, and that whatever came into my mind first should be rejected in favour of better ideas. I learned that my imagination Wasn’t ‘good’ enough. I learned that the first idea was unsatisfactory because it was (1) psychotic; (2) obscene; (3) unoriginal. The truth is that the best ideas are often psychotic, obscene and unoriginal.
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Meditation takes us just as we are, with our confusion and our sanity. This complete acceptance of ourselves as we are is called maitri, or unconditional friendliness, a simple, direct relationship with the way we are.
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There cannot be mental atrophy in any person who continues to observe, to remember what he observes, and to seek answers for his unceasing hows and whys about things.
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When you cannot be deceived by men you will have realised the wisdom of strategy.
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I try to teach through my opinions, through my speeches, how wrong it is to judge people on the basis of what they look like, color of their skin, whether they're men or women.
Ruth Bader GinsburgRead
Don't sit as if you have nothing to say. You should be bursting with things to say. You just choose at this particular place and time, not to say them.
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