Edith Wharton

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.