---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I look forward all day to evening, and…"
description: "\"“I look forward all day to evening, and then I put an \"engaged\" on the door and get into my nice red bath robe and furry slippers and pile all the cush..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dd/jean-webster-7791_jerusha-abbott_i-look-forward-all-day-to-evening-and-th_864890.jpg"
---

#  I look forward all day to evening, and then I put an…

![“I look forward all day to evening, and then I put an &quot;engaged&quot; on the door and get into my nice red bath robe and furry slippers and pile all the cushions behind me on the couch, and light the brass student lamp at my elbow, and read and read and read. One book isn't enough. I have four going at…” quote by Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dd/jean-webster-7791_jerusha-abbott_i-look-forward-all-day-to-evening-and-th_864890.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dd/jean-webster-7791_jerusha-abbott_i-look-forward-all-day-to-evening-and-th_864890.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dd/jean-webster-7791_jerusha-abbott_i-look-forward-all-day-to-evening-and-th_864890.jpg)

> ““I look forward all day to evening, and then I put an "engaged" on the door and get into my nice red bath robe and furry slippers and pile all the cushions behind me on the couch, and light the brass student lamp at my elbow, and read and read and read. One book isn't enough. I have four going at once. Just now, they're Tennyson's poems and "Vanity Fair" and Kipling's "Plain Tales" and - don't laugh - "Little Women." I find that I am the only girl in college who wasn't brought up on "Little Women." I haven't told anybody though (that would stamp me as queer). I just quietly went and bought it with $1.12 of my last month's allowance; and the next time somebody mentions pickled limes, I'll know what she is talking about!””

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A young woman finds solace in reading and personal rituals, using literature to create identity and escape societal expectations.

**In simple terms:** Reading provides comfort and a sense of self beyond social labels.

Key Takeaway

Seek refuge in books to discover yourself.

Themes

self‑discovery literature identity solace rebellion

Mood

reflective quiet empowering

Type

personal literary inspirational

When to use this quote

- college life
- quiet evenings
- private reading
- self‑expression
- cultural critique

Key Concepts

personal growth literary escapism social conformity

Questions to Reflect On

- What does reading reveal about your hidden self?
- How can rituals help cope with pressure?

A Different Perspective

May idealize solitary reading over real social interaction.

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[Little women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-women/) [Next time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next-time/) [Poems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poems/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Vanity fair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vanity-fair/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [“Behold me - a Sophomore! I came up last Friday, sorry to leave Lock Willow, but glad to see the campus again. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/behold-me-a-sophomore-i-came-up-last-friday-sorry-to-leave-lock/)

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> [“I've discovered the true secret of happiness, Daddy, and that is to live in the now . Not to be for ever regretting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/i-ve-discovered-the-true-secret-of-happiness-daddy-and-that-is-to/)

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> [“Where do you think my new novel is? In the waste basket. I can see myself that it's no good on earth, and when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/where-do-you-think-my-new-novel-is-in-the-waste-basket-i-can-see/)

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> [“Jerusha leaned forward watching with curiosity - and a touch of wistfulness - the stream of carriages and automobiles that rolled out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/jerusha-leaned-forward-watching-with-curiosity-and-a-touch-of/)

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> [“This is an extra letter in the middle of the month because I'm rather lonely tonight. It's awfully stormy; the snow is beating against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/this-is-an-extra-letter-in-the-middle-of-the-month-because-i-m-rather/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [“What do you think is my favourite book? Just now, I mean; I change every three days. "Wuthering Heights." Emily Bronte was quite young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/what-do-you-think-is-my-favourite-book-just-now-i-mean-i-change-every/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [“Do you want to know something? I have three pairs of kid gloves. I've had kid mittens before from the Christmas tree, but never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/do-you-want-to-know-something-i-have-three-pairs-of-kid-gloves-i-ve/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [“I've read seventeen novels and bushels of poetry-- really necessary novels like Vanity Fair and Richard Feverel and Alice in Wonderland. Also Emerson's Essays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/i-ve-read-seventeen-novels-and-bushels-of-poetry-really-necessary/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [“No, you are not worthy of the love which I have devoted to you. I knew all along that the prize I had set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/no-you-are-not-worthy-of-the-love-which-i-have-devoted-to-you-i-knew/)

[William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/)

> [“Middlemarch is a novel that is diminished by being put on the screen. It can't help but be, because so much of what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/middlemarch-is-a-novel-that-is-diminished-by-being-put-on-the-screen/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [“Q: Do you have any advice for upcoming writers who want to pen weird stories? A: READ, damn it. Fill your brain to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-e-grau/q-do-you-have-any-advice-for-upcoming-writers-who-want-to-pen-weird/)

T.E. Grau

> [Vanity Fair has but two major articles in its editorial creed: first, to believe in the progress and promise of American life, and, second,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-crowninshield/vanity-fair-has-but-two-major-articles-in-its-editorial-creed-first/)

[Frank Crowninshield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-crowninshield/)

> [I am an outsider looking in, absolutely. You're not going to see me at the Academy Awards 'Vanity Fair' party any time soon. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-griffin/i-am-an-outsider-looking-in-absolutely-you-re-not-going-to-see-me-at/)

[Kathy Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-griffin/)

> [We did a 'Vanity Fair' spread for 'The Hunger Games,' and we were on set, and I saw a little head pop up from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-ludwig/we-did-a-vanity-fair-spread-for-the-hunger-games-and-we-were-on-set/)

[Alexander Ludwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-ludwig/)

> ['Vanity Fair' is a left-wing rag.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/vanity-fair-is-a-left-wing-rag/)

[Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/)

## More by Jean Webster

> [“It isn't the big troubles in life that require character. Anybody can rise to a crisis and face a crushing tragedy with courage, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/it-isn-t-the-big-troubles-in-life-that-require-character-anybody-can/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [“Please be thinking about me. I'm quite lonely and I want to be thought about”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/please-be-thinking-about-me-i-m-quite-lonely-and-i-want-to-be-thought/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [Half of the time I don't know what they're talking about; their jokes seem to relate to a past that everyone but me has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/half-of-the-time-i-don-t-know-what-they-re-talking-about-their-jokes/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [... in spite of being happier than I ever dreamed I could be, I'm also soberer. The fear that something may happen to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/in-spite-of-being-happier-than-i-ever-dreamed-i-could-be-i-m-also/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [“Do you want to know something? I have three pairs of kid gloves. I've had kid mittens before from the Christmas tree, but never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/do-you-want-to-know-something-i-have-three-pairs-of-kid-gloves-i-ve/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [“I don't believe it pays to be a great author.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/i-don-t-believe-it-pays-to-be-a-great-author/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [“Examinations are even entertaining, if you know the right answers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/examinations-are-even-entertaining-if-you-know-the-right-answers/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [“Her eyes wandered back to the campus again, and she suddenly grew sober as the thought swept over her that in a few weeks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/her-eyes-wandered-back-to-the-campus-again-and-she-suddenly-grew/)

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> [I think that the most necessary quality for any person to have is imagination. It makes people able to put themselves in other people's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/i-think-that-the-most-necessary-quality-for-any-person-to-have-is/)

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> [I went to bed last night utterly dejected; I thought I was never going to amount to anything, and that you had thrown away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/i-went-to-bed-last-night-utterly-dejected-i-thought-i-was-never-going/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [“One does not miss what one has never had.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/one-does-not-miss-what-one-has-never-had/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [“You remember that illuminated text over the dining-room door--"The Lord Will Provide." We've painted it out, and covered the spot with rabbits. It's all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/you-remember-that-illuminated-text-over-the-dining-room-door-the-lord/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [“The bitterness of wearing your enemies' cast-off clothes eats into your soul. If I wore silk stockings for the rest of my life, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/the-bitterness-of-wearing-your-enemies-cast-off-clothes-eats-into/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [The world is full of happiness, and plenty to go round, if you are only willing to take the kind that comes your way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/the-world-is-full-of-happiness-and-plenty-to-go-round-if-you-are-only/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [This is your heart.Keep it locked until the chap turns up who has the key.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/this-is-your-heart-keep-it-locked-until-the-chap-turns-up-who-has-the/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

[Explore all 79 Jean Webster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

## More Jerusha-abbott quotes

> [“Do you want to know something? I have three pairs of kid gloves. I've had kid mittens before from the Christmas tree, but never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/do-you-want-to-know-something-i-have-three-pairs-of-kid-gloves-i-ve/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [“What do you think is my favourite book? Just now, I mean; I change every three days. "Wuthering Heights." Emily Bronte was quite young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/what-do-you-think-is-my-favourite-book-just-now-i-mean-i-change-every/)

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> [“This is an extra letter in the middle of the month because I'm rather lonely tonight. It's awfully stormy; the snow is beating against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/this-is-an-extra-letter-in-the-middle-of-the-month-because-i-m-rather/)

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> [“Jerusha leaned forward watching with curiosity - and a touch of wistfulness - the stream of carriages and automobiles that rolled out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/jerusha-leaned-forward-watching-with-curiosity-and-a-touch-of/)

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> [“I've discovered the true secret of happiness, Daddy, and that is to live in the now . Not to be for ever regretting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/i-ve-discovered-the-true-secret-of-happiness-daddy-and-that-is-to/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

> [“Behold me - a Sophomore! I came up last Friday, sorry to leave Lock Willow, but glad to see the campus again. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/behold-me-a-sophomore-i-came-up-last-friday-sorry-to-leave-lock/)

[Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/)

Browse all 8 Jerusha-abbott quotes

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