--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are few hours in life more…" description: "\"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.\" — Henry James" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e38/henry-james-417_afternoon-tea_there-are-few-hours-in-life-more-agreeab_364550.png" --- # There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour… ![“There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.” quote by Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e38/henry-james-417_afternoon-tea_there-are-few-hours-in-life-more-agreeab_364550.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e38/henry-james-417_afternoon-tea_there-are-few-hours-in-life-more-agreeab_364550.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e38/henry-james-417_afternoon-tea_there-are-few-hours-in-life-more-agreeab_364550.png) > “There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.” [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Afternoon tea offers a rare, pleasant pause amidst life's busyness. **In simple terms:** Tea time is a cherished, calm moment. Key Takeaway Savor simple, pleasant rituals. Themes leisure ritual comfort social culture Mood calm nostalgic Type cultural reflective When to use this quote - breaks at work - social gatherings - personal downtime - travel Key Concepts British tradition social etiquette mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What simple ritual brings you peace? - How can you integrate more pauses into your day? A Different Perspective Modern life can make such moments feel indulgent or unnecessary. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afternoon tea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afternoon-tea/) [Coffee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coffee/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Tea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tea/) ## Related quotes > [“Under certain circumstances there are few hours more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/under-certain-circumstances-there-are-few-hours-more-agreeable-than/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [Under certain circumstances there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/under-certain-circumstances-there-are-few-hours-in-life-more/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [“There are few hours in life more agreeable than the ceremony known as afternoon tea”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/there-are-few-hours-in-life-more-agreeable-than-the-ceremony-known-as/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [Everyone has noticed how hard it is to turn our thoughts to God when everything is going well with us... While what we call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/everyone-has-noticed-how-hard-it-is-to-turn-our-thoughts-to-god-when/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Surrounded by all the members of my dear family, enjoying the affection of numerous friends, who have never abandoned me, and possessing a sufficient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-james-audubon/surrounded-by-all-the-members-of-my-dear-family-enjoying-the/) [John James Audubon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-james-audubon/) > [Happiness may be defined as good fortune joined to virtue, or a independence, or as a life that is both agreeable and secure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/happiness-may-be-defined-as-good-fortune-joined-to-virtue-or-a/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [ “Nowhere is the English genius of domesticity more notably evident than in the festival of afternoon tea. The \[...\] chink of cups and the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nowhere-is-the-english-genius-of-domesticity-more-notably-evident/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You can serve high tea around the dining room table, but afternoon tea is more of a living room occasion, with everything brought in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-hynes/you-can-serve-high-tea-around-the-dining-room-table-but-afternoon-tea/) Angela Hynes > [I would give my back tooth - the one with the silver filling - to eat afternoon tea with my mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-dent/i-would-give-my-back-tooth-the-one-with-the-silver-filling-to-eat/) [Grace Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-dent/) > [Someone's killed 100,000 people. We're almost going, "Well done! You killed 100,000 people? You must get up very early in the morning! I can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-izzard/someone-s-killed-100-000-people-we-re-almost-going-well-done-you/) [Eddie Izzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-izzard/) > [Jihad is becoming as American as apple pie and as British as afternoon tea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anwar-al-awlaki/jihad-is-becoming-as-american-as-apple-pie-and-as-british-as/) Anwar al-Awlaki > [“At that moment, Bobbie Faye felt an unbridled hatred for every movie heroine who'd ever raced away from he villain in Jimmy Choo shoes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-mcgee-causey/at-that-moment-bobbie-faye-felt-an-unbridled-hatred-for-every-movie/) [Toni McGee Causey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-mcgee-causey/) > [“Mrs. Jones had invited a great and well-known violinist to entertain at her afternoon tea. When it was all over, everyone crowded around the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/mrs-jones-had-invited-a-great-and-well-known-violinist-to-entertain/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [“Coffee could easily become lunch if one was not careful, and lunch could so comfortably slip into afternoon tea.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/coffee-could-easily-become-lunch-if-one-was-not-careful-and-lunch/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [My grandparents were far more English in their manners than they were Chinese. For example, we spoke English at home, had afternoon tea every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kwan/my-grandparents-were-far-more-english-in-their-manners-than-they-were/) [Kevin Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kwan/) ## More by Henry James > [Though there are some disagreeable things in Venice there is nothing so disagreeable as the visitors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/though-there-are-some-disagreeable-things-in-venice-there-is-nothing/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [“In literature we move through a blest world in which we know nothing except by style, but in which everything is saved by it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/in-literature-we-move-through-a-blest-world-in-which-we-know-nothing/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [“I shall stay here as long as I may, I don't want to think — I needn't think. I don't care for anything but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/i-shall-stay-here-as-long-as-i-may-i-don-t-want-to-think-i-needn-t/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [“...It often seemed to her that she thought too much about herself, you could have made her blush any day of the year, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/it-often-seemed-to-her-that-she-thought-too-much-about-herself-you/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [“I reflected acutely that the sense of such differences, such superiorities of quality, always, on the part of the majority—which could include even stupid,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/i-reflected-acutely-that-the-sense-of-such-differences-such/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [“She had had a real fright but had fallen back to earth. The odd thing was that in her fall her fear too had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/she-had-had-a-real-fright-but-had-fallen-back-to-earth-the-odd-thing/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [I ought to tell you I'm probably your cousin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/i-ought-to-tell-you-i-m-probably-your-cousin/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [“She had never met a woman who had less of that fault which is the principal obstacle to friendship - the air of reproducing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/she-had-never-met-a-woman-who-had-less-of-that-fault-which-is-the/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [London is on the whole the most possible form of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/london-is-on-the-whole-the-most-possible-form-of-life/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [If you have work to do, don't wait to feel like it; set to work and you will feel like it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/if-you-have-work-to-do-don-t-wait-to-feel-like-it-set-to-work-and-you/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [“She answered that she liked standing up and”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/she-answered-that-she-liked-standing-up-and/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [It is no wonder he wins every game. He has never done a thing in his life exept play games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/it-is-no-wonder-he-wins-every-game-he-has-never-done-a-thing-in-his/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [Make (the reader) think the evil, make him think it for himself, and you are released from weak specifications. My values are positively all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/make-the-reader-think-the-evil-make-him-think-it-for-himself-and-you/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [“It was the air she wanted and the world she would now exclusively choose; the quiet chambers, nobly overwhelming, rich but slightly veiled, opened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/it-was-the-air-she-wanted-and-the-world-she-would-now-exclusively/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [The time-honored bread-sauce of the happy ending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/the-time-honored-bread-sauce-of-the-happy-ending/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) [Explore all 571 Henry James quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) ## More Afternoon tea quotes > [My grandparents were far more English in their manners than they were Chinese. For example, we spoke English at home, had afternoon tea every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kwan/my-grandparents-were-far-more-english-in-their-manners-than-they-were/) [Kevin Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kwan/) > [“Coffee could easily become lunch if one was not careful, and lunch could so comfortably slip into afternoon tea.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/coffee-could-easily-become-lunch-if-one-was-not-careful-and-lunch/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [Someone's killed 100,000 people. We're almost going, "Well done! You killed 100,000 people? You must get up very early in the morning! I can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-izzard/someone-s-killed-100-000-people-we-re-almost-going-well-done-you/) [Eddie Izzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-izzard/) > [I would give my back tooth - the one with the silver filling - to eat afternoon tea with my mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-dent/i-would-give-my-back-tooth-the-one-with-the-silver-filling-to-eat/) [Grace Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-dent/) > [“You can serve high tea around the dining room table, but afternoon tea is more of a living room occasion, with everything brought in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-hynes/you-can-serve-high-tea-around-the-dining-room-table-but-afternoon-tea/) Angela Hynes > [“Mrs. Jones had invited a great and well-known violinist to entertain at her afternoon tea. When it was all over, everyone crowded around the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/mrs-jones-had-invited-a-great-and-well-known-violinist-to-entertain/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [ “Nowhere is the English genius of domesticity more notably evident than in the festival of afternoon tea. The \[...\] chink of cups and the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nowhere-is-the-english-genius-of-domesticity-more-notably-evident/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Under certain circumstances there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/under-certain-circumstances-there-are-few-hours-in-life-more/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [“At that moment, Bobbie Faye felt an unbridled hatred for every movie heroine who'd ever raced away from he villain in Jimmy Choo shoes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-mcgee-causey/at-that-moment-bobbie-faye-felt-an-unbridled-hatred-for-every-movie/) [Toni McGee Causey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-mcgee-causey/) > [Jihad is becoming as American as apple pie and as British as afternoon tea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anwar-al-awlaki/jihad-is-becoming-as-american-as-apple-pie-and-as-british-as/) Anwar al-Awlaki > [Everyone's saved, we're in the grave. See you there for afternoon tea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jethro-tull/everyone-s-saved-we-re-in-the-grave-see-you-there-for-afternoon-tea/) [Jethro Tull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jethro-tull/) > [Just as London is not one endless afternoon tea, L.A. isn't all super-fit, health food-crazy freaks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suki-waterhouse/just-as-london-is-not-one-endless-afternoon-tea-l-a-isn-t-all-super/) [Suki Waterhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suki-waterhouse/) > [“Miss West is never idle. Below, in the big after-room, she does her own laundering. Nor will she let the steward touch her father's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/miss-west-is-never-idle-below-in-the-big-after-room-she-does-her-own/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [Flying has changed how we imagine our planet, which we have seen whole from space, so that even the farthest nations are ecological neighbors.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/flying-has-changed-how-we-imagine-our-planet-which-we-have-seen-whole/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Afternoon tea should be provided, fresh supplies, with thin bread-and-butter, fancy pastries, cakes, etc., being brought in as other guests arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabella-beeton/afternoon-tea-should-be-provided-fresh-supplies-with-thin-bread-and/) [Isabella Beeton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabella-beeton/) [Browse all 38 Afternoon tea quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afternoon-tea/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry James" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/there-are-few-hours-in-life-more-agreeable-than-the-hour-dedicated-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Afternoon tea" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/there-are-few-hours-in-life-more-agreeable-than-the-hour-dedicated-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e38/henry-james-417_afternoon-tea_there-are-few-hours-in-life-more-agreeab_364550.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e38/henry-james-417_afternoon-tea_there-are-few-hours-in-life-more-agreeab_364550.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e38/henry-james-417_afternoon-tea_there-are-few-hours-in-life-more-agreeab_364550.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.” — Henry James", "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": "Henry James", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There are few hours in life...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/there-are-few-hours-in-life-more-agreeable-than-the-hour-dedicated-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/there-are-few-hours-in-life-more-agreeable-than-the-hour-dedicated-to/#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 } } ] } ```