--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Archer had reverted to all his old…" description: "\"“Archer had reverted to all his old inherited ideas about marriage. It was less trouble to conform with the tradition and treat May exactly as all his ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5db/edith-wharton-512_archer_archer-had-reverted-to-all-his-old-inher_1608554.png" --- # Archer had reverted to all his old inherited ideas about… ![“Archer had reverted to all his old inherited ideas about marriage. It was less trouble to conform with the tradition and treat May exactly as all his friends treated their wives than to try to put into practice the theories with which his untrammelled bachelorhood had dallied.” quote by Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5db/edith-wharton-512_archer_archer-had-reverted-to-all-his-old-inher_1608554.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5db/edith-wharton-512_archer_archer-had-reverted-to-all-his-old-inher_1608554.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5db/edith-wharton-512_archer_archer-had-reverted-to-all-his-old-inher_1608554.png) > ““Archer had reverted to all his old inherited ideas about marriage. It was less trouble to conform with the tradition and treat May exactly as all his friends treated their wives than to try to put into practice the theories with which his untrammelled bachelorhood had dallied.”” [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A man chooses societal expectations over personal ideals, showing how tradition can suppress individual thought and authentic relationships. **In simple terms:** Choosing tradition over personal belief. Key Takeaway Question the cost of conformity. Themes tradition marriage conformity personal freedom social pressure Mood critical contemplative Type novelistic social When to use this quote - marriage counseling - family gatherings - career decisions - political voting - community events Key Concepts social contract gender roles psychological conflict Questions to Reflect On - What fears keep you from challenging tradition? - Can you find balance between duty and desire? A Different Perspective Conformity can lead to personal dissatisfaction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Archer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/archer/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Gender roles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gender-roles/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition/) ## Related quotes > [“Dorothea, with all her eagerness to know the truths of life, retained very childlike ideas about marriage. She felt sure that she would have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/dorothea-with-all-her-eagerness-to-know-the-truths-of-life-retained/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [I don't have any romantic ideas about marriage. Trust me. A white dress... ? No. It's not something for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-kruger/i-don-t-have-any-romantic-ideas-about-marriage-trust-me-a-white-dress/) [Diane Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-kruger/) > [People are incredibly rude about it sometimes. Like, 'What? You're married?' Strange reaction to have. Proves what people's ideas about marriage are. 'We're having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/people-are-incredibly-rude-about-it-sometimes-like-what-you-re/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [But marriage is one long sacrifice… Chapter 21, Medora Manson speaking to Newland Archer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/but-marriage-is-one-long-sacrifice-chapter-21-medora-manson-speaking/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [“It was thus, Archer reflected, that New York managed its transitions; conspiring to ignore them till they were well over, and then, in all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/it-was-thus-archer-reflected-that-new-york-managed-its-transitions/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [She said she knew we were safe with you, and always would be, because once, when she asked you to, you'd given up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/she-said-she-knew-we-were-safe-with-you-and-always-would-be-because/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [Archer reddened to the temples but dared not move or speak: it was as if her words had been some rare butterfly that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/archer-reddened-to-the-temples-but-dared-not-move-or-speak-it-was-as/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [Archer had always been inclined to think that chance and circumstance played a small part in shaping people's lots compared with their innate tendency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/archer-had-always-been-inclined-to-think-that-chance-and-circumstance/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [“Archer looked down with wonder at the familiar spectacle. It surprised him that life should be going on in the old way when his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/archer-looked-down-with-wonder-at-the-familiar-spectacle-it-surprised/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [Archer was too intelligent to think that a young woman like Ellen Olenska would necessarily recoil from everything that reminded her of her past.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/archer-was-too-intelligent-to-think-that-a-young-woman-like-ellen/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [But you must be patient and careful; nor should you expect to become an accomplished archer without long and severe training.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-thompson/but-you-must-be-patient-and-careful-nor-should-you-expect-to-become/) [Maurice Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-thompson/) > [You can learn from an ordinary bamboo leaf what ought to happen. It bends lower and lower under the weight of snow. Suddenly the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugen-herrigel/you-can-learn-from-an-ordinary-bamboo-leaf-what-ought-to-happen-it/) [Eugen Herrigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugen-herrigel/) > [“With the suddneness of a cat leaping upon its prey, he leaned forward and caught up her wrist. "Tread lightly, Miranda Fair." His thumb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-callihan/with-the-suddneness-of-a-cat-leaping-upon-its-prey-he-leaned-forward/) [Kristen Callihan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-callihan/) > [“The bastard. It's bad enough knowing he's stolen our money,but it's humiliating having to watch him spend it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-archer/the-bastard-it-s-bad-enough-knowing-he-s-stolen-our-money-but-it-s/) [Jeffrey Archer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-archer/) > [Of everything I have done, 'The Archers' always gets the most excitement; there's a sort of uncontrollable joy from fans of the program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/of-everything-i-have-done-the-archers-always-gets-the-most-excitement/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) ## More by Edith Wharton > [“Suddenly the air was full of that deep clangor of bells which periodically covers Rome with a roof of silver.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/suddenly-the-air-was-full-of-that-deep-clangor-of-bells-which/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [“Untrained human nature was not frank and innocent; it was full of the twists and defences of an instinctive guile. And he felt himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/untrained-human-nature-was-not-frank-and-innocent-it-was-full-of-the/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [“High Pasture Come up--come up: in the dim vale below The autumn mist muffles the fading trees, But on this keen hill-pasture, though the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/high-pasture-come-up-come-up-in-the-dim-vale-below-the-autumn-mist/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [“Two ways to be a light for all, is to be a flaming candle or the mirror that reflects it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/two-ways-to-be-a-light-for-all-is-to-be-a-flaming-candle-or-the/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [“... no treasure-house of Atreus was ever as rich as a well-stored memory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/no-treasure-house-of-atreus-was-ever-as-rich-as-a-well-stored-memory/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [“...the endless labour of rolling human stupidity up the steep hill of understanding.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/the-endless-labour-of-rolling-human-stupidity-up-the-steep-hill-of/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [“he saw his marriage becoming what most of the other marriages about him were: a dull association of material and social interests held together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/he-saw-his-marriage-becoming-what-most-of-the-other-marriages-about/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [The real loneliness is living among all these kind people who only ask one to pretend!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/the-real-loneliness-is-living-among-all-these-kind-people-who-only/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [With a shiver of foreboding he saw his marriage becoming what most of the other marriages about him were: a dull association of material…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/with-a-shiver-of-foreboding-he-saw-his-marriage-becoming-what-most-of/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [Life is the saddest thing there is, next to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/life-is-the-saddest-thing-there-is-next-to-death/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [A classic is classic not because it conforms to certain structural rules, or fits certain definitions (of which its author had quite probably never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/a-classic-is-classic-not-because-it-conforms-to-certain-structural/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [There is too much sour grapes for my taste in the present American attitude. The time to denounce the bankers was when we were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/there-is-too-much-sour-grapes-for-my-taste-in-the-present-american/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [“But in a few years more perhaps there may be; for, deep within us as the ghost instinct lurks, I seem to see it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/but-in-a-few-years-more-perhaps-there-may-be-for-deep-within-us-as/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [Dialogue in fiction should be reserved for the culminating moments and regarded as the spray into which the great wave of narrative breaks in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/dialogue-in-fiction-should-be-reserved-for-the-culminating-moments/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [“These Americans, under their forthcoming manner, their surface-gush, as some might call it, have an odd reticence about what goes on underneath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/these-americans-under-their-forthcoming-manner-their-surface-gush-as/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) [Explore all 504 Edith Wharton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) ## More Archer quotes > [Of everything I have done, 'The Archers' always gets the most excitement; there's a sort of uncontrollable joy from fans of the program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/of-everything-i-have-done-the-archers-always-gets-the-most-excitement/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [“The bastard. It's bad enough knowing he's stolen our money,but it's humiliating having to watch him spend it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-archer/the-bastard-it-s-bad-enough-knowing-he-s-stolen-our-money-but-it-s/) [Jeffrey Archer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-archer/) > [“With the suddneness of a cat leaping upon its prey, he leaned forward and caught up her wrist. "Tread lightly, Miranda Fair." His thumb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-callihan/with-the-suddneness-of-a-cat-leaping-upon-its-prey-he-leaned-forward/) [Kristen Callihan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-callihan/) > [You can learn from an ordinary bamboo leaf what ought to happen. It bends lower and lower under the weight of snow. Suddenly the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugen-herrigel/you-can-learn-from-an-ordinary-bamboo-leaf-what-ought-to-happen-it/) [Eugen Herrigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugen-herrigel/) > [But you must be patient and careful; nor should you expect to become an accomplished archer without long and severe training.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-thompson/but-you-must-be-patient-and-careful-nor-should-you-expect-to-become/) [Maurice Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-thompson/) > [“It was chosen by the archer and though it is a long way off, we cannot blame it when we fail to hit it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-was-chosen-by-the-archer-and-though-it-is-a-long-way-off-we-cannot/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Don't think of what you have to do, don't consider how to carry it out!" he exclaimed. "The shot will only go smoothly when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugen-herrigel/don-t-think-of-what-you-have-to-do-don-t-consider-how-to-carry-it-out/) [Eugen Herrigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugen-herrigel/) > [I must only warn you of one thing. You have become a different person in the course of these years. For this is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugen-herrigel/i-must-only-warn-you-of-one-thing-you-have-become-a-different-person/) [Eugen Herrigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugen-herrigel/) > [Archer was too intelligent to think that a young woman like Ellen Olenska would necessarily recoil from everything that reminded her of her past.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/archer-was-too-intelligent-to-think-that-a-young-woman-like-ellen/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [“Archer looked down with wonder at the familiar spectacle. It surprised him that life should be going on in the old way when his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/archer-looked-down-with-wonder-at-the-familiar-spectacle-it-surprised/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [Insatiate archer! could not one suffice? Thy shaft flew thrice, and thrice my peace was slain; And thrice, ere thrice yon moon had filled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/insatiate-archer-could-not-one-suffice-thy-shaft-flew-thrice-and/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) > [Famous archer, Howard Hill won all of the 267 archery contests he entered. 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Which sucks seeing as how there are a lot of very corporeal things I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawkins/so-hologram-means-i-finally-said-it-means-non-corporeal-yeah-which/) [Rachel Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawkins/) [Browse all 201 Archer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/archer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Archer had reverted to all his old inherited ideas about marriage. 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