---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...It was one of the great…"
description: "\"...It was one of the great livery-stableman's most masterly intuitions to have discovered that Americans want to get away from amusement even more quic..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19f/edith-wharton-512_amusement_it-was-one-of-the-great-livery-stableman_571151.png"
---

#  ...It was one of the great livery-stableman's most…

![“...It was one of the great livery-stableman's most masterly intuitions to have discovered that Americans want to get away from amusement even more quickly than they want to get to it.” quote by Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19f/edith-wharton-512_amusement_it-was-one-of-the-great-livery-stableman_571151.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19f/edith-wharton-512_amusement_it-was-one-of-the-great-livery-stableman_571151.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19f/edith-wharton-512_amusement_it-was-one-of-the-great-livery-stableman_571151.png)

> “...It was one of the great livery-stableman's most masterly intuitions to have discovered that Americans want to get away from amusement even more quickly than they want to get to it.”

[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.

Americans prefer to avoid entertainment quickly, even more than they seek it, highlighting a paradox in leisure consumption.

**In simple terms:** People often rush away from fun.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and balance the desire for novelty with enjoyment.

Themes

leisure culture paradox

Mood

analytical observational

Type

cultural critique social commentary

When to use this quote

- marketing
- event planning
- media consumption
- cultural analysis
- personal habits

Key Concepts

consumer behavior psychology of entertainment social norms

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do we sometimes avoid what we enjoy?
- How does this tendency affect cultural production?

A Different Perspective

May overlook individual differences in entertainment preferences.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Amusement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amusement/) [Amusement Quickly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amusement-quickly-4713523/) [Away Amusement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/away-amusement-4713525/) [Get away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get-away/) [Great Livery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-livery-4713524/) [Intuition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intuition/) [Livery Stableman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/livery-stableman-4713522/) [Stableman Masterly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stableman-masterly-4713526/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/)

## Related quotes

> [She wanted, passionately and persistently, two things which she believed should subsist together in any well-ordered life: amusement and respectability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/she-wanted-passionately-and-persistently-two-things-which-she/)

[Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/)

> [Act as if the universe is a prodigious miracle created for your amusement and illumination. Assume that secret helpers are working behind the scenes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-brezsny/act-as-if-the-universe-is-a-prodigious-miracle-created-for-your/)

[Rob Brezsny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-brezsny/)

> [It has to be now,” he insisted, a flick of amusement in his voice. He nudged his burgeoning loins against her. “After all, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/it-has-to-be-now-he-insisted-a-flick-of-amusement-in-his-voice-he/)

[Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/)

> [I like these boots," I told Vayl. "Do you think they'd sell them to me cheap? I keep ruining mine." "Since when do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rardin/i-like-these-boots-i-told-vayl-do-you-think-they-d-sell-them-to-me/)

[Jennifer Rardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rardin/)

> [I realized, "Gee, you're making the same film over and over here." I just kept making them for my own amusement, but also with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jarmusch/i-realized-gee-you-re-making-the-same-film-over-and-over-here-i-just/)

[Jim Jarmusch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jarmusch/)

> [The Stoics say, "Retire within yourselves; it is there you will find your rest." And that is not true. Others say, "Go out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/the-stoics-say-retire-within-yourselves-it-is-there-you-will-find/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [My first job was at an amusement park in Virginia. It was the worst. I loved the park but once I'd worked there all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-mcbride/my-first-job-was-at-an-amusement-park-in-virginia-it-was-the-worst-i/)

[Danny McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-mcbride/)

> [Ordinary people simply don't know what books mean to us, shut up here. Reading, learning, and the radio are our amusements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-frank/ordinary-people-simply-don-t-know-what-books-mean-to-us-shut-up-here/)

[Anne Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-frank/)

> [The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-mass-of-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desperation-what-is-called/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [Happiness does not consist in pastimes and amusements but in virtuous activities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/happiness-does-not-consist-in-pastimes-and-amusements-but-in-virtuous/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [I just started writing for my own amusement and occasionally singing in little clubs around Los Angeles. Then I wrote 'The Rose,' and through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-mcbroom/i-just-started-writing-for-my-own-amusement-and-occasionally-singing/)

[Amanda McBroom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-mcbroom/)

> [By amusing myself with all these games, all this nonsense, all these picture puzzles, I became famous... I am only a public entertainer who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/by-amusing-myself-with-all-these-games-all-this-nonsense-all-these/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

> [Every producer in Hollywood had set me down as a type. I was both amused and disappointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-lugosi/every-producer-in-hollywood-had-set-me-down-as-a-type-i-was-both/)

[Bela Lugosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-lugosi/)

> [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [Cultivate the habit of thinking ahead, and of anticipating the necessary and immediate consequences of all your actions… Likewise in your pleasures, ask yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/cultivate-the-habit-of-thinking-ahead-and-of-anticipating-the/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

## 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 Amusement quotes

> [Cultivate the habit of thinking ahead, and of anticipating the necessary and immediate consequences of all your actions… Likewise in your pleasures, ask yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/cultivate-the-habit-of-thinking-ahead-and-of-anticipating-the/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [Every producer in Hollywood had set me down as a type. I was both amused and disappointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-lugosi/every-producer-in-hollywood-had-set-me-down-as-a-type-i-was-both/)

[Bela Lugosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-lugosi/)

> [By amusing myself with all these games, all this nonsense, all these picture puzzles, I became famous... I am only a public entertainer who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/by-amusing-myself-with-all-these-games-all-this-nonsense-all-these/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

> [I just started writing for my own amusement and occasionally singing in little clubs around Los Angeles. Then I wrote 'The Rose,' and through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-mcbroom/i-just-started-writing-for-my-own-amusement-and-occasionally-singing/)

[Amanda McBroom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-mcbroom/)

> [Happiness does not consist in pastimes and amusements but in virtuous activities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/happiness-does-not-consist-in-pastimes-and-amusements-but-in-virtuous/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-mass-of-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desperation-what-is-called/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [Ordinary people simply don't know what books mean to us, shut up here. Reading, learning, and the radio are our amusements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-frank/ordinary-people-simply-don-t-know-what-books-mean-to-us-shut-up-here/)

[Anne Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-frank/)

> [My first job was at an amusement park in Virginia. It was the worst. I loved the park but once I'd worked there all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-mcbride/my-first-job-was-at-an-amusement-park-in-virginia-it-was-the-worst-i/)

[Danny McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-mcbride/)

> [The Stoics say, "Retire within yourselves; it is there you will find your rest." And that is not true. Others say, "Go out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/the-stoics-say-retire-within-yourselves-it-is-there-you-will-find/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [I realized, "Gee, you're making the same film over and over here." I just kept making them for my own amusement, but also with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jarmusch/i-realized-gee-you-re-making-the-same-film-over-and-over-here-i-just/)

[Jim Jarmusch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jarmusch/)

> [I like these boots," I told Vayl. "Do you think they'd sell them to me cheap? I keep ruining mine." "Since when do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rardin/i-like-these-boots-i-told-vayl-do-you-think-they-d-sell-them-to-me/)

[Jennifer Rardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rardin/)

> [It has to be now,” he insisted, a flick of amusement in his voice. He nudged his burgeoning loins against her. “After all, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/it-has-to-be-now-he-insisted-a-flick-of-amusement-in-his-voice-he/)

[Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/)

> [Act as if the universe is a prodigious miracle created for your amusement and illumination. Assume that secret helpers are working behind the scenes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-brezsny/act-as-if-the-universe-is-a-prodigious-miracle-created-for-your/)

[Rob Brezsny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-brezsny/)

> [Amusement that is excessive and followed only for its own sake, allures and deceives us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/amusement-that-is-excessive-and-followed-only-for-its-own-sake/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

[Browse all 567 Amusement quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amusement/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "...It was one of the great livery-stableman's most masterly intuitions to have discovered that Americans want to get away from amusement even more quickly than they want to get to it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edith Wharton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/it-was-one-of-the-great-livery-stableman-s-most-masterly-intuitions/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Amusement"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/it-was-one-of-the-great-livery-stableman-s-most-masterly-intuitions/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19f/edith-wharton-512_amusement_it-was-one-of-the-great-livery-stableman_571151.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19f/edith-wharton-512_amusement_it-was-one-of-the-great-livery-stableman_571151.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19f/edith-wharton-512_amusement_it-was-one-of-the-great-livery-stableman_571151.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“...It was one of the great livery-stableman's most masterly intuitions to have discovered that Americans…” — 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": "...It was one of the great...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/it-was-one-of-the-great-livery-stableman-s-most-masterly-intuitions/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/it-was-one-of-the-great-livery-stableman-s-most-masterly-intuitions/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```