“ Doing all the vain things one likes is often very tiresome. ”
Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady (1881). copy citation
| Author | Henry James |
|---|---|
| Source | The Portrait of a Lady |
| Topic | |
| Date | 1881 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2834/2834-h/2834-h.htm |
Context
“he said at last, in a low, kind voice; “do everything; get everything out of life. Be happy,—be triumphant.”
“What do you mean by being triumphant?”
“Well, doing what you like.”
“To triumph, then, it seems to me, is to fail! Doing all the vain things one likes is often very tiresome.”
“Exactly,” said Osmond with his quiet quickness. “As I intimated just now, you’ll be tired some day.” He paused a moment and then he went on: “I don’t know whether I had better not wait till then for something I want to say to you.””
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