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Edith Wharton Quotes

Powerful Edith Wharton for Daily Growth

About Edith Wharton

Edith Wharton, born Edith Newbold Jones on January 24, 1861, in New York City, was a renowned American author known for her nuanced exploration of the aristocracy and social issues in the Gilded Age. Raised in New York and educated privately, Wharton developed a keen eye for detail and a deep appreciation for art and literature at an early age. At 18, she married Edward "Ted" Robbins Wharton, an ambitious businessman who shared her passion for travel. Their marriage produced one daughter, but the couple was often separated due to Ted's business pursuits. These long solitary periods provided Wharton with ample time to write, and in 1899, she published her debut novel, 'The Dean's December.' Wharton's masterpiece, 'The House of Mirth,' was published in 1905. The story revolves around Lily Bart, a beautiful, impoverished socialite, who struggles to navigate the harsh realities of high society. This novel showcases Wharton's keen understanding of the suffocating social mores that governed upper-class women in her time. During her life, Wharton produced many other notable works, including 'Ethan Frome' (1911) and 'The Age of Innocence' (1920), which won her the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction—making her the first woman to receive this honor. In 1937, she became the first woman to be awarded a retrospective Pulitzer Prize for her body of work. Despite her success, Wharton's personal life was marked by tragedy. Ted Wharton died in a riding accident in 1882, leaving Edith with significant financial responsibilities. In 1902, she bought The Mount, a beautiful estate in Lenox, Massachusetts, where she spent the remainder of her days writing and entertaining friends from high society. Edith Wharton died on August 11, 1937, leaving behind an enduring legacy as a literary giant who fearlessly examined the complexities of American life during the Gilded Age. Her insightful commentary on social norms and women's roles continues to resonate in contemporary literature and culture.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"There are moments when time seems almost tangible, and for those moments I live wholly and completely."

This quote by Edith Wharton suggests a profound appreciation for the present moment, where one experiences life intensely and fully. She emphasizes that there are instances in life where we can touch and feel time, making these fleeting moments particularly valuable. The quote captures the essence of mindfulness – being completely engaged in the current experience rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.

"We have always stood in the sunshine of other people's happiness, and the shade of our own."

This quote by Edith Wharton highlights the human tendency to derive joy from others' successes but struggle to appreciate our own. It suggests that we often bask in the light of others' happiness, finding comfort and validation in their positive experiences, while neglecting to acknowledge or savor our own achievements. This discrepancy between enjoying the radiance of others' lives and dwelling in the shadows of our own can lead to feelings of dissatisfaction, unworthiness, or even envy. The quote serves as a call to self-awareness and encourages individuals to embrace their own happiness just as fervently as they do that of others.

"The only things certain in life are death, taxes, and tea at The Ritz."

This quote by Edith Wharton suggests that there are three certainties in life: inevitable events like death and taxes, and a comforting ritual or constant like tea at The Ritz (a famous hotel). It implies that amidst the uncertainties of life, there are still some things that remain consistent and bring a sense of familiarity and pleasure.

"Age brings not only wisdom but disillusionment as well."

This quote suggests that as we age, we gain a deeper understanding and perspective on life (wisdom). However, this increased knowledge can also bring disappointment or disenchantment with the world (disillusionment) due to the realization of its complexities, imperfections, and sometimes unfulfilled dreams. Age, in essence, is a double-edged sword that sharpens our intellect while tempering our ideals.

"There are two kinds of scenes in life: those we witness, and those we don't witness but of which we learn."

This quote highlights the idea that our experiences encompass both direct encounters (the scenes we witness) and knowledge gained from others' stories or historical accounts (scenes we don't witness). In essence, it suggests that learning and understanding come not only from personal experience but also through empathy, communication, and awareness of other people's stories. By acknowledging the importance of both kinds of scenes in life, we can expand our perspectives and enrich our human connections.

My little dog - a heartbeat at my feet.

- Edith Wharton

Dog, Pet, Feet, Heartbeat

I have never known a novel that was good enough to be good in spite of its being adapted to the author's political views.

- Edith Wharton

Political, Enough, Author, Spite

There are moments when a man's imagination, so easily subdued to what it lives in, suddenly rises above its daily level and surveys the long windings of destiny.

- Edith Wharton

Destiny, Level, Lives, Surveys

Beware of monotony; it's the mother of all the deadly sins.

- Edith Wharton

Mother, Beware, Monotony, Deadly

A New York divorce is in itself a diploma of virtue.

- Edith Wharton

New York, New, Itself, Diploma

The American landscape has no foreground and the American mind no background.

- Edith Wharton

Mind, American, Background, Foreground

He had to deal all at once with the packed regrets and stifled memories of an inarticulate lifetime.

- Edith Wharton

Regrets, Deal, Once, Inarticulate

Habit is necessary; it is the habit of having habits, of turning a trail into a rut, that must be incessantly fought against if one is to remain alive.

- Edith Wharton

Habits, Necessary, Having, Incessantly

Old age, calm, expanded, broad with the haughty breadth of the universe, old age flowing free with the delicious near-by freedom of death.

- Edith Wharton

Death, Old, Breadth, Haughty

There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.

- Edith Wharton

Inspirational, Mirror, Ways, Reflects

After all, one knows one's weak points so well, that it's rather bewildering to have the critics overlook them and invent others.

- Edith Wharton

Rather, Overlook, Invent, Bewildering

In any really good subject, one has only to probe deep enough to come to tears.

- Edith Wharton

Deep, Tears, Subject, Probe

The only way not to think about money is to have a great deal of it.

- Edith Wharton

Money, Think, Deal, Great Deal

Another unsettling element in modern art is that common symptom of immaturity, the dread of doing what has been done before.

- Edith Wharton

Art, Doing, Immaturity, Element

When people ask for time, it's always for time to say no. Yes has one more letter in it, but it doesn't take half as long to say.

- Edith Wharton

Yes, Always, Half, Letter

Life is the only real counselor; wisdom unfiltered through personal experience does not become a part of the moral tissue.

- Edith Wharton

Personal, Through, Part, Personal Experience

If only we'd stop trying to be happy we'd have a pretty good time.

- Edith Wharton

Stop, Pretty, Pretty Good, Good Time

Life is always a tightrope or a feather bed. Give me the tightrope.

- Edith Wharton

Feather, Bed, Always, Give Me

True originality consists not in a new manner but in a new vision.

- Edith Wharton

Vision, Imagination, New, Originality

I had the story, bit by bit, from various people, and, as generally happens in such cases, each time it was a different story.

- Edith Wharton

Had, Cases, Each Time, Generally

I don't know if I should care for a man who made life easy; I should want someone who made it interesting.

- Edith Wharton

Interesting, Want, Made, Easy

Misfortune had made Lily supple instead of hardening her, and a pliable substance is less easy to break than a stiff one.

- Edith Wharton

Break, Stiff, Hardening, Easy

The worst of doing one's duty was that it apparently unfitted one for doing anything else.

- Edith Wharton

Doing, Apparently, Else, Duty

Silence may be as variously shaded as speech.

- Edith Wharton

Silence, May, Speech

What's the use of making mysteries? It only makes people want to nose 'em out.

- Edith Wharton

Nose, Making, Use, Mysteries

The air of ideas is the only air worth breathing.

- Edith Wharton

Ideas, Only, Air, Breathing

To be able to look life in the face: that's worth living in a garret for, isn't it?

- Edith Wharton

Face, Living, Able, Worth Living

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