Business Quote by Edith Wharton
![“[W]hat with the hours dedicated to the law and those given to dining out or entertaining friends at home, with an occasional evening at the Opera or the play, the life he was living had still seemed a fairly real and inevitable sort of business. But Newport represented the escape from duty...” quote by Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a94/edith-wharton-512_business_w-hat-with-the-hours-dedicated-to-the-la_1874158.jpg)
““[W]hat with the hours dedicated to the law and those given to dining out or entertaining friends at home, with an occasional evening at the Opera or the play, the life he was living had still seemed a fairly real and inevitable sort of business. But Newport represented the escape from duty...””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The House of Mirth, 1905
He feels trapped by societal expectations, yet seeks escape through a friend’s invitation, highlighting the tension between duty and desire.
In simple terms: He wants freedom from obligations.
Key Takeaway
Seek balance between responsibility and personal joy.
Themes
societal pressure
escape
friendship
Mood
reflective
nostalgic
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- career decisions
- social events
- personal relationships
- creative pursuits
Key Concepts
existential conflict
social norms
personal freedom
Questions to Reflect On
- What responsibilities are you neglecting for pleasure?
- Can escape be sustainable?
A Different Perspective
Escaping duties may lead to unintended consequences.
![“Nina could scarcely believe a house could be as quiet as the one on Washington Street. Although there were moments when she missed her children, her main response to living apart from her husband was relief…[H]er current solitude was not just a respite, it was a time to contemplate her future…” quote by Jean Elson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e9f/jean-elson-62560_adultery_nina-could-scarcely-believe-a-house-coul_2744625.jpg)
![“If they could not prove adultery or extreme cruelty, Nina's attorneys had an alternate strategy available. Rhode Island was unique in allowing divorce based upon other, more ambiguous grounds, as well...[as] an omnibus clause in the state's legal code authorized divorce based upon..."gross…” quote by Jean Elson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/72e/jean-elson-62560_adultery_if-they-could-not-prove-adultery-or-extr_1649382.jpg)
![“As a hedge against possible failure to prove adultery, this alleged “that for a period of time from 1901 and continuing thereafter he [had] kept up and continued an undue, improper, indecorous and licentious association and intimacy with a woman, named Mabel Cochrane, many years his junior, and of…” quote by Jean Elson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a8d/jean-elson-62560_adultery_as-a-hedge-against-possible-failure-to-p_357556.jpg)
![“[S]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
![“If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bad/bertrand-russell-69_acquire_if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy_1379.jpg)