--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Among adults – and among orphans – Wilbur…" description: "\"Among adults – and among orphans – Wilbur Larch noted that delirious happiness was rare.\" — John Irving" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acf/john-irving-337_adults_among-adults-and-among-orphans-wilbur-la_1757653.png" --- # Among adults – and among orphans – Wilbur Larch noted that… ![“Among adults – and among orphans – Wilbur Larch noted that delirious happiness was rare.” quote by John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acf/john-irving-337_adults_among-adults-and-among-orphans-wilbur-la_1757653.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acf/john-irving-337_adults_among-adults-and-among-orphans-wilbur-la_1757653.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acf/john-irving-337_adults_among-adults-and-among-orphans-wilbur-la_1757653.png) > “Among adults – and among orphans – Wilbur Larch noted that delirious happiness was rare.” [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rare moments of intense joy are fleeting, especially for those lacking stable families. **In simple terms:** Delirious happiness is uncommon for adults and orphans. Key Takeaway Cherish rare joyful moments. Themes family happiness rarity Mood empathetic somber Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - mental health care - community building - support groups Key Concepts psychology sociology Questions to Reflect On - What creates lasting joy? - How can we foster happiness for orphans? A Different Perspective May generalize without data. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Orphan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orphan/) ## Related quotes > [“Wallace Worthington would have reminded Wilbur Larch of someone he might have met at the Channing-Peabodys’, where Dr. Larch went to perform his second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/wallace-worthington-would-have-reminded-wilbur-larch-of-someone-he/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [Grant us safe lodging, and holy rest,” Mrs. Grogan was saying, “and peace at last.” Amen, thought Wilbur Larch, the Saint of St. Cloud’s,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/grant-us-safe-lodging-and-holy-rest-mrs-grogan-was-saying-and-peace/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“You are my work of art," Wilbur Larch told Homer Wells. "Everything else has just been a job. I don't know if you've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/you-are-my-work-of-art-wilbur-larch-told-homer-wells-everything-else/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“The situation Larch was thinking of was war, the so-called war in Europe; Larch, and many others, feared that the war wouldn’t stay there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/the-situation-larch-was-thinking-of-was-war-the-so-called-war-in/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“In Wally’s bedroom Homer marveled at how the world was simultaneously being invented and destroyed. Nothing marvelous about that, Dr. Larch would have assured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/in-wally-s-bedroom-homer-marveled-at-how-the-world-was-simultaneously/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Wilbur Larch knew that freedom was an orphan’s most dangerous illusion, and when he finally heard from Homer, he scanned the oddly formal letter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/wilbur-larch-knew-that-freedom-was-an-orphan-s-most-dangerous/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [Happiness is rare so grab it while its still there!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-rao/happiness-is-rare-so-grab-it-while-its-still-there/) [Danny Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-rao/) > [The genius of happiness is still so rare. To possess it means to approach life with the humility of a beggar, but to treat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/the-genius-of-happiness-is-still-so-rare-to-possess-it-means-to/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [“I want to talk about happiness and well being, about those rare, unexpected moments when the voice in your head goes silent and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-want-to-talk-about-happiness-and-well-being-about-those-rare/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [Happiness is a rare plant that seldom takes root on earth-few ever enjoyed it, except for a brief period; the search after it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-gardiner-countess-of-blessington/happiness-is-a-rare-plant-that-seldom-takes-root-on-earth-few-ever/) [Marguerite Gardiner, Countess of Blessington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-gardiner-countess-of-blessington/) > [Happiness is a rare cosmetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-whyte-melville/happiness-is-a-rare-cosmetic/) George Whyte-Melville > [When I get lyrical it all seems spiritual but really its a miracle but then people say I'm delirious and that they don't take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-floyd/when-i-get-lyrical-it-all-seems-spiritual-but-really-its-a-miracle/) Victoria Floyd > [Don't want to get tipsy and break a hip.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gruen/don-t-want-to-get-tipsy-and-break-a-hip/) [Sara Gruen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gruen/) > [Men ought to know that from nothing else but the brain come joys, delights, laughter and sports, and sorrows, griefs, despondency, and lamentations. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hippocrates/men-ought-to-know-that-from-nothing-else-but-the-brain-come-joys/) [Hippocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hippocrates/) > [Frazzled and delirious, as I've just finished a new book of stories. I feel like Moses staggering down the mountainside with the tablets of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-barry/frazzled-and-delirious-as-i-ve-just-finished-a-new-book-of-stories-i/) [Kevin Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-barry/) ## More by John Irving > [Your memory is a monster; you forget - it doesn't. It simply files things away. It keeps things for you, or hides things from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/your-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-doesn-t-it-simply-files-things/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [Our memory is a monster; you forget it - it does not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/our-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-it-does-not/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [Watch out for people who call themselves religious; make sure you know what they mean––make sure they know what they mean!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/watch-out-for-people-who-call-themselves-religious-make-sure-you-know/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [The desire to never leave your side, the desire to never see you again. The desire to see your face asleep on the pillow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/the-desire-to-never-leave-your-side-the-desire-to-never-see-you-again/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I had been a student in Vienna, and one of the neat little things I had found out was about that zoo. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-had-been-a-student-in-vienna-and-one-of-the-neat-little-things-i/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“God, I think I just hit a high E-flat - and I really held it!" Esmeralda said, after one of her more prolonged orgasms,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/god-i-think-i-just-hit-a-high-e-flat-and-i-really-held-it-esmeralda/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Nostalgia!" Miss Frost cried. "You´re nostalgic!" She repeated. "Just how old are you, William?" She asked. "Seventeen, " I told her. "Seventeen!" Miss Frost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/nostalgia-miss-frost-cried-you-re-nostalgic-she-repeated-just-how-old/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [ “JUST BECAUSE A BUNCH OF ATHEISTS ARE BETTER WRITERS THAN THE GUYS WHO WROTE THE BIBLE DOESN'T NECESSARILY MAKE THEM RIGHT!" \[Owen Meany\] said… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/just-because-a-bunch-of-atheists-are-better-writers-than-the-guys-who/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [It is much easier to be flexible about where a story begins than it ever was for me to change my mind about where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/it-is-much-easier-to-be-flexible-about-where-a-story-begins-than-it/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Only the chicken-lover will understand me. He will give me a kindly look, maybe mildly desirous. His eyes will tell me: You might look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/only-the-chicken-lover-will-understand-me-he-will-give-me-a-kindly/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [You're nice,' Cushie told him, squeezing his hand. 'And you're my oldest friend.' But they both must have known that you can know someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/you-re-nice-cushie-told-him-squeezing-his-hand-and-you-re-my-oldest/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Because of A Prayer for Owen Meany, many of my readers assume I am “religious.” I go to church only occasionally—like a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/because-of-a-prayer-for-owen-meany-many-of-my-readers-assume-i-am/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Did anyone who was in love and was unsatisfied with how he was loved in return ever feel saved?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/did-anyone-who-was-in-love-and-was-unsatisfied-with-how-he-was-loved/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“I TRUST THAT GOD WILL HELP ME, BECAUSE WHAT I’M SUPPOSED TO DO LOOKS VERY HARD.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-trust-that-god-will-help-me-because-what-i-m-supposed-to-do-looks/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) [Explore all 641 John Irving quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) ## More Adults quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. 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Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [Plainly, the environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/plainly-the-environment-must-be-a-living-one-directed-by-a-higher/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Almost everywhere we find . . . the use of various coercive measures, to rid ourselves as quickly as possible of the child withinus--i.e.,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/almost-everywhere-we-find-the-use-of-various-coercive-measures-to-rid/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [Education, for most people, means trying to lead the child to resemble the typical adult of his society . . . but for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/education-for-most-people-means-trying-to-lead-the-child-to-resemble/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance”: “The differences between expert performers and normal adults are not immutable, that is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-anders-ericsson/the-role-of-deliberate-practice-in-the-acquisition-of-expert/) K. 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They will not stay with you if you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/kids-if-anything-are-harder-to-write-for-because-they-are-a-more/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [On the one hand, we had great filmic spectacles that brought in big audiences, adults as well as primary and secondary school students. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-wajda/on-the-one-hand-we-had-great-filmic-spectacles-that-brought-in-big/) [Andrzej Wajda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-wajda/) > [It's hard to change adults, and it's hard to change it from a political position or a perceived political position.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/it-s-hard-to-change-adults-and-it-s-hard-to-change-it-from-a/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [When I was a child at sixteen, I was just a child. All sixteen year-olds are just children. 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