The comic spirit is given to us in order that we may analyze, weigh, and clarify things in us which nettle us, or which we are outgrowing, or trying to reshape
Thornton WilderRead
When you're safe at home you wish you were having an adventure; when you're having an adventure you wish you were safe at home.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the human tendency to desire what we don't have, illustrating the paradox of longing for safety while yearning for adventure.
Thornton Wilder's quote captures the essence of human dissatisfaction and the juxtaposition of our desires. While we often yearn for the comfort and safety of home, we simultaneously crave the excitement and unpredictability of adventure. This illustrates a broader commentary on the human experience, where we frequently find ourselves caught between familiarity and exploration, unable to fully appreciate either state.
Themes
AdventureHomeSafetyLongingExperience
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used to inspire a conversation about travel and life experiences at a gathering.
More from Thornton Wilder
All quotes →A man looks pretty small at a wedding, George. All those good women standing shoulder to shoulder, making sure that the knot's tied in a mighty public way.
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Good-by, Good-by, world. Good-by, Grover's Corners... Mama and Papa. Good-by to clocks ticking... and Mama's sunflowers. And food and coffee. And new-ironed dresses and hot baths...and sleeping and waking up. Oh, earth, you're too wonderful for anybody to realize you.
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Many great writers have been extraordinarily awkward in daily exchange, but the greatest give the impression that their style was nursed by the closest attention to colloquial speech.
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I want you to try and remember what it was like to have been very young. And particularly the days when you were first in love; when you were like a person sleepwalking, and you didn’t quite see the street you were in, and didn’t quite hear everything that was said to you. You’re just a little bit crazy. Will you remember that, please?
Thornton WilderRead
I didn't marry you because you were perfect. I didn't even marry you because I loved you. I married you because you gave me a promise. That promise made up for your faults. And the promise I gave you made up for mine. Two imperfect people got married and it was the promise that made the marriage. And when our children were growing up, it wasn't a house that protected them; and it wasn't our love that protected them--it was that promise.
Thornton WilderRead
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