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
If only we'd stop trying to be happy we'd have a pretty good time.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Pursuing happiness directly can often lead to disappointment, while accepting life as it is can lead to contentment.
Edith Wharton's quote suggests that the relentless pursuit of happiness can distract us from enjoying the present moment. By letting go of the pressure to constantly seek happiness, we may find that we can appreciate and enjoy life's simple pleasures, leading to a more fulfilling experience.
Themes
HappinessContentmentLifeEnjoymentAcceptance
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about dealing with stress and expectations.
More from Edith Wharton
All quotes βThey seemed to come suddenly upon happiness as if they had surprised a butterfly in the winter woods
Edith WhartonRead
Set 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
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And therefore, Uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that [Christmas] has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!
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As we grow older and realize more clearly the limitations of human happiness, we come to see that the only real and abiding pleasure in life is to give pleasure to other people.
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