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Stay Quote by Kenneth Grahame

“Nature's Grand Hotel has its Season, like the others. As the guests one by one pack, pay, and depart, and the seats at the table-d'hôte shrink pitifully at each succeeding meal; as suites of rooms are closed, carpets taken up, and waiters sent away; those boarders who are staying on, en pension…” quote by Kenneth Grahame
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““Nature's Grand Hotel has its Season, like the others. As the guests one by one pack, pay, and depart, and the seats at the table-d'hôte shrink pitifully at each succeeding meal; as suites of rooms are closed, carpets taken up, and waiters sent away; those boarders who are staying on, en pension , until the next year's full reopening, cannot help being somewhat affected by all these flittings and farewells, this eager discussion of plans, routes, and fresh quarters, this daily shrinkage in the stream of comradeship. One gets unsettled, depressed, and inclined to be querulous. Why this craving for change? Why not stay on quietly here, like us, and be jolly? You don't know this hotel out of the season, and what fun we have among ourselves, we fellows who remain and see the whole interesting year out. All very true, no doubt, the others always reply; we quite envy you—and some other years perhaps—but just now we have engagements—and there’s the bus as the door—our time is up! So they depart, with a smile and a nod, and we miss them, and feel resentful. The Rat was a self-sufficing sort of animal, rooted to the land, and whoever went, he stayed; still, he could not help noticing what was in the air, and feeling some of its influence in his bones.””

Kenneth Grahame

About This Quote

Source Book: The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, 1908

People feel restless when familiar companions leave, prompting envy and a desire for change, yet staying can bring quiet contentment.

In simple terms: Leaving makes us uneasy; staying can be peaceful.

Key Takeaway

Embrace change but value constancy.

Themes

change envy community restlessness contentment

Mood

melancholy reflective hopeful

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

  • friendships ending
  • new projects
  • seasonal work
  • personal growth
  • coping with loss

Key Concepts

impermanence human nature social dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

  • What makes you cling to the familiar?
  • How can you find joy in staying?
A Different Perspective

People may resist change out of fear of the unknown.

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