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Mary Augusta Ward Quotes

Powerful Mary Augusta Ward for Daily Growth

About Mary Augusta Ward

Mary Augusta Ward, born Mary Augusta Arnold (1851-1920), was an influential English novelist who contributed significantly to Victorian literature through her thought-provoking works that challenged societal norms. Born in a family of clergymen on May 24, 1851, she spent her early life in Norfolk and Lincolnshire, England. Ward's literary talent was evident from an early age. Her first published work, "Rosamund," written when she was just nineteen, demonstrated her ability to explore complex themes through compelling narratives. However, it was her later works that truly established her as a force in Victorian literature. Marriage to Thomas Ward, a Fellow of Magdalene College, Cambridge, provided her with financial stability and intellectual companionship, which greatly influenced her writing career. Her major works include "Robert Elsmere" (1888), a novel exploring religious skepticism within the Anglican Church; "Marcella" (1894), focusing on women's rights and societal expectations of women; and "Helen Heriton" (1898), a critique of late-Victorian marriage norms. Ward's works were praised for their insightful portrayals of the human condition, emotional depth, and bold questioning of social conventions. Despite facing criticism from some quarters due to her unconventional themes, Ward's influence extended beyond her time. Her work paved the way for more progressive literature that questioned the status quo and championed individuality. Mary Augusta Ward passed away on March 28, 1920, leaving behind a rich literary legacy that continues to resonate today.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"We are all at sea in a very troubled sea."

This quote by Mary Augusta Ward suggests that life is filled with challenges, uncertainties, and hardships, much like being at sea during a storm. In other words, we all face difficulties and troubles, and navigating through these difficult times requires perseverance, resilience, and hope for calmer waters ahead.

"The great thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving."

This quote suggests that it's less important about our current position or circumstances, but more about the direction we choose to move in life. Progress, growth, and change happen when we take steps forward, regardless of our starting point. It encourages individuals to focus on their personal journeys, growth, and self-improvement rather than comparing themselves to others or dwelling on where they are now.

"Ambition delights in obstacles; it would be dull if there were no adversity."

The quote suggests that ambition thrives on challenges, and adversity is a necessary element for it to feel fulfilled. In other words, overcoming obstacles is not just a means to an end, but also provides a sense of satisfaction and excitement that is missing in easy accomplishments. This insight highlights the intrinsic motivation behind ambition - it is not just about achieving something, but also about proving oneself, growing through hardship, and finding joy in the struggle.

"Character is the only secure foundation of happiness."

The quote by Mary Augusta Ward, "Character is the only secure foundation of happiness," suggests that a strong, moral character forms a reliable basis for achieving genuine happiness. In other words, living with integrity, honesty, and kindness can provide a stable and lasting source of contentment in life. Pursuing personal growth, developing good qualities, and treating others well not only benefits society but also offers a solid foundation for individual happiness. This quote underscores the importance of cultivating one's character to find long-term satisfaction and peace of mind.

"What we have to remember is that every life is a school, and every day a lesson."

This quote suggests that each person's life serves as a learning platform, with every day presenting a new opportunity for growth, self-discovery, and personal development. In essence, it's reminding us to find meaning in our experiences and use them to better ourselves. It encourages resilience, reflection, and continuous learning throughout the journey of life.

How little those who are schoolgirls of today can realize what it was to be a schoolgirl in the fifties or the early sixties of the last century!

- Mary Augusta Ward

How, Last, Century, Sixties

But no man has a monopoly of conscience.

- Mary Augusta Ward

Man, Conscience, Monopoly

It is the rank and file - the average woman - for whom the world has opened up so astonishingly.

- Mary Augusta Ward

Woman, Average, File, Rank

But a girl of seventeen is not always thinking of books, especially in the Oxford summer term.

- Mary Augusta Ward

Always, Books, Oxford, Seventeen

We believed that growth through Local Government, and perhaps through some special machinery for bringing the wishes and influence of women of all classes to bear on Parliament, other than the Parliamentary vote, was the real line of progress.

- Mary Augusta Ward

Through, Some, Other, Local Government

English girls' schools today providing the higher education are, so far as my knowledge goes, worthily representative of that astonishing rise in the intellectual standards of women which has taken place in the last half-century.

- Mary Augusta Ward

Education, Far, Providing, Rise

For nine years, till the spring of 1881, we lived in Oxford, in a little house north of the Parks, in what was then the newest quarter of the University town.

- Mary Augusta Ward

Town, Nine, Till, Quarter

It became plain very soon after our marriage that ours was to be a literary partnership.

- Mary Augusta Ward

Very, Became, Ours, Plain

For after my marriage I had made various attempts to write fiction. They were clearly failures.

- Mary Augusta Ward

Fiction, Failures, Made, Attempts

A life spent largely among books, and in the exercise of a literary profession, has very obvious drawbacks, as a subject-matter, when one comes to write about it.

- Mary Augusta Ward

Profession, Very, Spent, Largely

I loved nearly all my teachers; but it was not till I went home to live at Oxford, in 1867, that I awoke intellectually to a hundred interests and influences that begin much earlier nowadays to affect any clever child.

- Mary Augusta Ward

Affect, Hundred, Till, Oxford

But the mind travels far - and mysteriously - in sleep.

- Mary Augusta Ward

Sleep, Mind, Far, Travels

As far as intellectual training was concerned, my nine years from seven to sixteen were practically wasted.

- Mary Augusta Ward

Concerned, Nine, Practically, Intellectual

My grandmother made her home at Fox How under the shelter of the fells, with her four daughters, the youngest of whom was only eight when their father died.

- Mary Augusta Ward

Grandmother, Shelter, Made, Daughters

Our children, two daughters and a son, were born in 1874, 1876, and 1879.

- Mary Augusta Ward

Son, Children, Were, Daughters

I wanted to show how a man of sensitive and noble character, born for religion, comes to throw off the orthodoxies of his day and moment, and to go out into the wilderness where all is experiment, and spiritual life begins again.

- Mary Augusta Ward

Life, Show, Spiritual Life, Throw

So as the years draw on toward the Biblical limit, the inclination to look back, and to tell some sort of story of what one has seen, grows upon most of us.

- Mary Augusta Ward

Tell, Some, Grows, Inclination

The answer, of course, in the mouth of a Christian teacher is that in Christianity alone is there both present joy and future hope.

- Mary Augusta Ward

Teacher, Alone, Answer, Mouth

In this choice, as I look back over more than half a century, I can only follow - and trust - the same sort of instinct that one follows in the art of fiction.

- Mary Augusta Ward

Art, Trust, Over, Follows

A modern girls' school, equipped as scores are now equipped throughout the country, was of course not to be found in 1858, when I first became a school boarder, or in 1867, when I ceased to be one.

- Mary Augusta Ward

Country, Became, Scores, Equipped

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