--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: her heart swelled up with misery, until…" description: "\"“her heart swelled up with misery, until it felt too large for her bosom. It beat with odd little jerks; her hands were cold, and a feeling of disaster..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f8/margaret-mitchell-692_first-time_her-heart-swelled-up-with-misery-until-i_1256687.jpg" --- # her heart swelled up with misery, until it felt too large… ![“her heart swelled up with misery, until it felt too large for her bosom. It beat with odd little jerks; her hands were cold, and a feeling of disaster oppressed her. There were pain and bewilderment in her face, the bewilderment of a pampered chhild who has always had her own way for the asking…” quote by Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f8/margaret-mitchell-692_first-time_her-heart-swelled-up-with-misery-until-i_1256687.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f8/margaret-mitchell-692_first-time_her-heart-swelled-up-with-misery-until-i_1256687.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f8/margaret-mitchell-692_first-time_her-heart-swelled-up-with-misery-until-i_1256687.jpg) > ““her heart swelled up with misery, until it felt too large for her bosom. It beat with odd little jerks; her hands were cold, and a feeling of disaster oppressed her. There were pain and bewilderment in her face, the bewilderment of a pampered chhild who has always had her own way for the asking and who now, for the first time, was in contact with the unplesantness of life.”” [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A privileged person’s sudden encounter with hardship expands her heart, mixing misery with a painful awareness of life’s harshness. **In simple terms:** Hardship expands empathy. Key Takeaway Allow hardship to deepen empathy. Themes hardship empathy awakening class Mood melancholic introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - literary analysis - social work - mental health counseling Key Concepts psychology social critique character development Questions to Reflect On - How does privilege affect your response to suffering? - What can you learn from confronting discomfort? A Different Perspective Hardship can also cause resentment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Heart Swelled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-swelled-1716964/) [Misery Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misery-felt-2657845/) [Oppressed Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppressed-pain-3980781/) [Swelled Misery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swelled-misery-3980779/) [Unplesantness Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unplesantness-life-3980780/) ## Related quotes > [“But, despite everything, it was almost a pleasure to suffer those torments. I had crawled through life blindly and dully for so long, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-hesse/but-despite-everything-it-was-almost-a-pleasure-to-suffer-those/) [Herman Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-hesse/) > [“glanced up at Sara and his heart swelled even more. 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She was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/her-heart-swelled-with-the-high-holiness-of-it-all-imminence-was-all/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [“My heart swelled until I felt as if it might take over my entire being. I had landed in heaven. This was heaven.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-donaldson/my-heart-swelled-until-i-felt-as-if-it-might-take-over-my-entire/) [Julianne Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-donaldson/) > [“My heart swelled, causing my chest to ache and breathing to become nearly impossiple. Paralyzed by her beaty, i hovered over her. She was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-mcgarry/my-heart-swelled-causing-my-chest-to-ache-and-breathing-to-become/) [Katie McGarry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-mcgarry/) > [“The pleasure almost split me like a baking stuffed tomato. Like my heart swelled and my skin got thinner and thinner in the heat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-heller/the-pleasure-almost-split-me-like-a-baking-stuffed-tomato-like-my/) [Peter Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-heller/) > [“Despite her earlier reservations, she maintained her seat and never lost her balance, as if she had been made to ride him. His heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-savage/despite-her-earlier-reservations-she-maintained-her-seat-and-never/) [Vivienne Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-savage/) ## More by Margaret Mitchell > [I won't think of it now. I can't stand it now. I'll think of it later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/i-won-t-think-of-it-now-i-can-t-stand-it-now-i-ll-think-of-it-later/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [“I don't want any money for it," he said. "It's a gift." Scarlett's mouth dropped open. 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I am not a marrying man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/i-do-not-want-to-marry-you-or-anyone-else-i-am-not-a-marrying-man/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) [Explore all 391 Margaret Mitchell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) ## More First time quotes > [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [“I’m so stressed that a weird Olympic-style commentary starts up in my head. 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