Thomas Hardy quote about will from Tess of the d'Urbervilles - The beauty or ugliness of a character lay not only in its achievements, but in its aims and impulses; its true history lay, not among things done, but among things willed.
pick facebookpinterest picture source

The beauty or ugliness of a character lay not only in its achievements, but in its aims and impulses; its true history lay, not among things done, but among things willed.
 Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891). copy citation

edit
Author Thomas Hardy
Source Tess of the d'Urbervilles
Topic will achievement character
Date 1891
Language English
Reference
Note
Weblink http://www.gutenberg.org/files/110/110-h/110-h.htm

Context

“Having long discredited the old systems of mysticism, he now began to discredit the old appraisements of morality. He thought they wanted readjusting. Who was the moral man? Still more pertinently, who was the moral woman? The beauty or ugliness of a character lay not only in its achievements, but in its aims and impulses; its true history lay, not among things done, but among things willed.
How, then, about Tess?
Viewing her in these lights, a regret for his hasty judgement began to oppress him. Did he reject her eternally, or did he not? He could no longer say that he would always reject her, and not to say that was in spirit to accept her now.” source

Meaning and analysis

write a note
report