--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But I have sometimes thought that a…" description: "\"But I have sometimes thought that a woman's nature is like a great house full of rooms: there is the hall, through which everyone passes in going in an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/721/edith-wharton-512_comes-and-goes_but-i-have-sometimes-thought-that-a-woma_186886.jpg" --- # But I have sometimes thought that a woman's nature is like… ![“But I have sometimes thought that a woman's nature is like a great house full of rooms: there is the hall, through which everyone passes in going in and out; the drawing-room, where one receives formal visits; the sitting-room, where the members of the family come and go as they list; but beyond…” quote by Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/721/edith-wharton-512_comes-and-goes_but-i-have-sometimes-thought-that-a-woma_186886.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/721/edith-wharton-512_comes-and-goes_but-i-have-sometimes-thought-that-a-woma_186886.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/721/edith-wharton-512_comes-and-goes_but-i-have-sometimes-thought-that-a-woma_186886.jpg) > “But I have sometimes thought that a woman's nature is like a great house full of rooms: there is the hall, through which everyone passes in going in and out; the drawing-room, where one receives formal visits; the sitting-room, where the members of the family come and go as they list; but beyond that, far beyond, are other rooms, the handles of whose doors perhaps are never turned; no one knows the way to them, no one knows whither they lead; and in the innermost room, the holy of holies, the soul sits alone and waits for a footstep that never comes.” [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 woman’s inner self is likened to many hidden rooms, most never explored, with the deepest being a solitary soul awaiting connection. **In simple terms:** A woman's inner self is a series of hidden rooms, the deepest being a solitary soul. Key Takeaway Seek to explore deeper aspects of yourself and others. Themes identity exploration solitude gender psychology Mood reflective melancholic thoughtful Type metaphorical philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal introspection - relationships - mental health - creative writing - therapy Key Concepts self awareness inner life spirituality Questions to Reflect On - What hidden rooms exist within you? - How can you honor the solitary soul in others? A Different Perspective The metaphor may overgeneralize women's experiences and ignore social constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comes and goes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comes-and-goes/) [Doors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doors/) [Drawing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drawing/) [Footsteps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/footsteps/) [Formal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/formal/) [Halls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/halls/) [Handle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handle/) [Holy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holy/) [House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house/) [House Rooms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house-rooms-1599408/) [Innermost Room](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innermost-room-1983906/) [Lists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lists/) [Members](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/members/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Room](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/room/) [Room Holy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/room-holy-1983905/) [Rooms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rooms/) [Rooms Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rooms-hall-1983907/) [Sitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sitting/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [Each of us has an inner room where we can visit to be cleansed of fear-based thoughts and feelings. 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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 Comes and goes quotes > [A community is the mental and spiritual condition of knowing that the place is shared, and that the people who share the place define…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/a-community-is-the-mental-and-spiritual-condition-of-knowing-that-the/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Nominations come and go. 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I believe in style, not fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-lauren/fashion-is-transient-trends-come-and-go-i-believe-in-style-not-fashion/) [Ralph Lauren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-lauren/) > [Silently, like thoughts that come and go, the snowflakes fall, each one a gem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hamilton-gibson/silently-like-thoughts-that-come-and-go-the-snowflakes-fall-each-one/) [William Hamilton Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hamilton-gibson/) > [Does Heaven ever speak? The four seasons come and go, and all creatures thrive and grow. Does Heaven ever speak!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/does-heaven-ever-speak-the-four-seasons-come-and-go-and-all-creatures/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Money comes and goes. I'm thankful I have money. I'm trying to save up more. I would like more money. But it's not happiness.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dat-phan/money-comes-and-goes-i-m-thankful-i-have-money-i-m-trying-to-save-up/) [Dat Phan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dat-phan/) > [Tides are like politics. They come and go with a great deal of fuss and noise, but inevitably they leave the beach just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/tides-are-like-politics-they-come-and-go-with-a-great-deal-of-fuss/) [Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/) > [But the great thing to remember is that, though our feelings come and go, His love for us does not. It is not wearied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/but-the-great-thing-to-remember-is-that-though-our-feelings-come-and/) [C. S. 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It's more important than anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/an-ex-girlfriend-once-got-upset-when-i-told-her-that-music-is-the/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) [Browse all 388 Comes and goes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comes-and-goes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But I have sometimes thought that a woman's nature is like a great house full of rooms: there is the hall, through which everyone passes in going in and out; the drawing-room, where one receives formal visits; the sitting-room, where the members of the family come and go as they list; but beyond that, far beyond, are other rooms, the handles of whose doors perhaps are never turned; no one knows the way to them, no one knows whither they lead; and in the innermost room, the holy of holies, the soul sits alone and waits for a footstep that never comes.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edith Wharton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/but-i-have-sometimes-thought-that-a-woman-s-nature-is-like-a-great/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Comes and goes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/but-i-have-sometimes-thought-that-a-woman-s-nature-is-like-a-great/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/721/edith-wharton-512_comes-and-goes_but-i-have-sometimes-thought-that-a-woma_186886.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/721/edith-wharton-512_comes-and-goes_but-i-have-sometimes-thought-that-a-woma_186886.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/721/edith-wharton-512_comes-and-goes_but-i-have-sometimes-thought-that-a-woma_186886.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But I have sometimes thought that a woman's nature is like a great house full of rooms: there is the hall…” — Edith Wharton", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Edith Wharton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "But I have sometimes thought that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/but-i-have-sometimes-thought-that-a-woman-s-nature-is-like-a-great/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/but-i-have-sometimes-thought-that-a-woman-s-nature-is-like-a-great/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```