"She was moved by a kind of commiseration for Madame Ratignolle — a pity for that colorless existence which never uplifted its possessor beyond the region of blind contentment, in which no moment of anguish ever visited her soul, in which she would never have the taste of life's delirium."

Kate Chopin Literature See all quotes by Kate Chopin →

React to this quote

More by Kate Chopin

“Edna wondered if they had all gone mad, to be talking and clamoring at that rate. She herself could think of nothing to say about Mexico or the Mexicans.”

“She says a wedding is one of the most lamentable spectacles on earth.”

“The bird that would soar above the plane of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth.”

“She could only realize that she herself — her present self — was in some way different from the other self. That she was seeing with different eyes.”

“There was no despondency when she fell asleep that night; nor was there hope when she awoke in the morning.”

“As she swam she seemed to be reaching out for the unlimited in which to lose herself.”

Resonant Thoughts

"It's not the honors and the prizes and the fancy outsides of life which ultimately nourish our souls. It's the knowing that we can be trusted, that we never have to fear the truth, that the bedrock of…"

— Fred Rogers

Politics1928–2003

#life

"All of us, no matter from what land our parents came, no matter in what way we may severally worship our Creator, must stand shoulder to shoulder in a united America for the elimination of race and re…"

— Theodore Roosevelt

Politics1858–1919

#justice

"The life-giving Spirit is the very one who slays you; the first thing the life-giving Spirit says is that you must enter into death, that you must die to – it is this way in order that you many not ta…"

— Søren Kierkegaard

Philosophy1813–1855

#life

"The Germans also attempted to muddle the issue. They composed fables and wrote on their lists that the Soviet generals had voluntarily deserted to the enemy side. None of us believed this. We knew wel…"

— Sergey Biryuzov

Military1904–1964

#life