--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The chagrin which she had felt at her…" description: "\"“The chagrin which she had felt at her first failure to subvert this latest manifestation of his discontent had receded, leaving in its wake an uneasy ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/596/nella-larsen-16508_chagrin_the-chagrin-which-she-had-felt-at-her-fi_2848617.jpg" --- # The chagrin which she had felt at her first failure to… ![“The chagrin which she had felt at her first failure to subvert this latest manifestation of his discontent had receded, leaving in its wake an uneasy depression. Were all her efforts, all her labors, to make up to him that one loss, all her silent striving to prove to him that her way had been…” quote by Nella Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/596/nella-larsen-16508_chagrin_the-chagrin-which-she-had-felt-at-her-fi_2848617.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/596/nella-larsen-16508_chagrin_the-chagrin-which-she-had-felt-at-her-fi_2848617.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/596/nella-larsen-16508_chagrin_the-chagrin-which-she-had-felt-at-her-fi_2848617.jpg) > ““The chagrin which she had felt at her first failure to subvert this latest manifestation of his discontent had receded, leaving in its wake an uneasy depression. Were all her efforts, all her labors, to make up to him that one loss, all her silent striving to prove to him that her way had been best, all her ministrations to him, all her outward sinking of self, to count for nothing in some unperceived sudden moment? And if so, what, then, would be the consequences to the boys? To her? To Brian himself? Endless searching had brought no answer to these questions. There was only an intense weariness from their shuttlelike procession in her brain.”” [Nella Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nella-larsen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator feels deep disappointment after failing to influence a man, questioning the value of her efforts and fearing consequences for herself and others, leading to mental exhaustion. **In simple terms:** She doubts her work matters after a failure, feeling exhausted. Key Takeaway Reassess motivations and seek self‑validation. Themes disappointment self‑doubt consequences exhaustion Mood melancholic reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - career decisions - family dynamics - mental health Key Concepts existential angst gender dynamics racial identity Questions to Reflect On - What truly drives your efforts? - How can you find meaning beyond external approval? A Different Perspective The quote reflects personal turmoil, not universal truth about all failures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chagrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chagrin/) [Chagrin Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chagrin-felt-3776739/) [Discontent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discontent/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Sinking Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sinking-self-3622999/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Uneasy Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uneasy-depression-3776738/) ## Related quotes > [People sinking into self-pity and depression are dreary, but they can't get out of it by themselves. So every now and then, just sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/people-sinking-into-self-pity-and-depression-are-dreary-but-they-can/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) > [Men and women aren't really dogs: they only look like it and behave like it. Somewhere inside there is a great chagrin and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/men-and-women-aren-t-really-dogs-they-only-look-like-it-and-behave/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [Somewhere, within her, in a deep recess, crouched discontent. She began to lose confidence in the fullness of her life, the glow began to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nella-larsen/somewhere-within-her-in-a-deep-recess-crouched-discontent-she-began/) [Nella Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nella-larsen/) > [Differences in political opinions are as unavoidable as, to a certain point, they may perhaps be necessary; but it is exceedingly to be regretted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/differences-in-political-opinions-are-as-unavoidable-as-to-a-certain/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [As the reflections of our pride upon our defects are bitter, disheartening, and vexatious, so the return of the soul towards God is peaceful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-fenelon/as-the-reflections-of-our-pride-upon-our-defects-are-bitter/) [Francois Fenelon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-fenelon/) > [I think that the church has to develop its own agenda, and not allow itself to be consumed by either party to the chagrin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-d-jakes/i-think-that-the-church-has-to-develop-its-own-agenda-and-not-allow/) [T. D. Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-d-jakes/) > [Physical pain is easily forgotten, but a moral chagrin lasts indefinitely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-ramon-y-cajal/physical-pain-is-easily-forgotten-but-a-moral-chagrin-lasts/) [Santiago Ramon y Cajal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-ramon-y-cajal/) > [As he was pummeled into one tight spot after another, emerging each time breathless and in amazed chagrin, Bryan flushed, with spots of anger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-haldeman-julius/as-he-was-pummeled-into-one-tight-spot-after-another-emerging-each/) [E. Haldeman-Julius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-haldeman-julius/) > [Children of the middle years do not do their learning unaffected by attendant feelings of interest, boredom, success, failure, chagrin, joy, humiliation, pleasure, distress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-h-cohen/children-of-the-middle-years-do-not-do-their-learning-unaffected-by/) [Dorothy H Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-h-cohen/) > [I know very well what Goethe meant when he said that he never had a chagrin but he made a poem out of it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-know-very-well-what-goethe-meant-when-he-said-that-he-never-had-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [...most men have bound their eyes with one or another handkerchief, and attached themselves to some one of these communities of opinion. This conformity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/most-men-have-bound-their-eyes-with-one-or-another-handkerchief-and/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [What has happened in the last generation is that Tijuana has become a new Third World capital - much to the chagrin of Mexico…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/what-has-happened-in-the-last-generation-is-that-tijuana-has-become-a/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [“Judge of my chagrin and all that sort of thing, therefore, when, tottering to my room and switching on the light, I observed the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/judge-of-my-chagrin-and-all-that-sort-of-thing-therefore-when/) [P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/) > [I decided during my teens that I wasn't going to have the life of a concert pianist, much to the chagrin of a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cy-coleman/i-decided-during-my-teens-that-i-wasn-t-going-to-have-the-life-of-a/) [Cy Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cy-coleman/) > [Silence is the universal refuge, the sequel to all dull discourses and all foolish acts, a balm to our every chagrin, as welcome after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/silence-is-the-universal-refuge-the-sequel-to-all-dull-discourses-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## More by Nella Larsen > [“Brian darling, I’m really not such an idiot that I don’t realize that if a man calls me a nigger it’s his fault the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nella-larsen/brian-darling-i-m-really-not-such-an-idiot-that-i-don-t-realize-that/) [Nella Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nella-larsen/) > [“You knew what his opinion of you was, while he -- Well, 'twas ever thus. We know, always have. They don't. Not quite. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nella-larsen/you-knew-what-his-opinion-of-you-was-while-he-well-twas-ever-thus-we/) [Nella Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nella-larsen/) > [“No, certainly he didn’t. Not actually. He couldn’t, not very well, since he didn’t know. But he would have. It amounts to the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nella-larsen/no-certainly-he-didn-t-not-actually-he-couldn-t-not-very-well-since/) [Nella Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nella-larsen/) > [These people yapped loudly of race, of race consciousness, of race pride, and yet suppressed its most delightful manifestations, love of color, joy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nella-larsen/these-people-yapped-loudly-of-race-of-race-consciousness-of-race/) [Nella Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nella-larsen/) > [“And mingled with her disbelief and resentment was another feeling, a question. Why hadn’t she spoken that day? Why, in the face of Bellew’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nella-larsen/and-mingled-with-her-disbelief-and-resentment-was-another-feeling-a/) [Nella Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nella-larsen/) > [“But there was, she knew, something else. Happiness, she supposed. Whatever that might be. What, exactly, she wondered, was happiness. Very positively she wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nella-larsen/but-there-was-she-knew-something-else-happiness-she-supposed-whatever/) [Nella Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nella-larsen/) > [If sex isn't a joke, what is it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nella-larsen/if-sex-isn-t-a-joke-what-is-it/) [Nella Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nella-larsen/) > [“she regarded with an astonishment that had in it a mild degree of amusement the violence of the feelings which it stirred in her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nella-larsen/she-regarded-with-an-astonishment-that-had-in-it-a-mild-degree-of/) [Nella Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nella-larsen/) > [“This, Irene told her, was the year 1927 in the city of New York, and hundreds of white people of Hugh Wentworth’s type came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nella-larsen/this-irene-told-her-was-the-year-1927-in-the-city-of-new-york-and/) [Nella Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nella-larsen/) > [that's what everybody wants, just a little more money, even the people who have it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nella-larsen/that-s-what-everybody-wants-just-a-little-more-money-even-the-people/) [Nella Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nella-larsen/) > [“Not so lonely that that old, queer, unhappy restlessness had begun again within him; that craving for some place strange and different, which at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nella-larsen/not-so-lonely-that-that-old-queer-unhappy-restlessness-had-begun/) [Nella Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nella-larsen/) > [“After all these years to still blame her like this. Hadn’t his success proved that she’d been right in insisting that he stick to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nella-larsen/after-all-these-years-to-still-blame-her-like-this-hadn-t-his-success/) [Nella Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nella-larsen/) > [Have you ever stopped to think how much unhappiness and downright cruelty are laid to the loving kindness of the Lord? And always by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nella-larsen/have-you-ever-stopped-to-think-how-much-unhappiness-and-downright/) [Nella Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nella-larsen/) > [I feel like the oldest person in the world with the longest stretch of life before me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nella-larsen/i-feel-like-the-oldest-person-in-the-world-with-the-longest-stretch/) [Nella Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nella-larsen/) > [I think being a mother is the cruelest thing in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nella-larsen/i-think-being-a-mother-is-the-cruelest-thing-in-the-world/) [Nella Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nella-larsen/) [Explore all 39 Nella Larsen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nella-larsen/) ## More Chagrin quotes > [Silence is the universal refuge, the sequel to all dull discourses and all foolish acts, a balm to our every chagrin, as welcome after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/silence-is-the-universal-refuge-the-sequel-to-all-dull-discourses-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I decided during my teens that I wasn't going to have the life of a concert pianist, much to the chagrin of a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cy-coleman/i-decided-during-my-teens-that-i-wasn-t-going-to-have-the-life-of-a/) [Cy Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cy-coleman/) > [“Judge of my chagrin and all that sort of thing, therefore, when, tottering to my room and switching on the light, I observed the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/judge-of-my-chagrin-and-all-that-sort-of-thing-therefore-when/) [P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/) > [What has happened in the last generation is that Tijuana has become a new Third World capital - much to the chagrin of Mexico…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/what-has-happened-in-the-last-generation-is-that-tijuana-has-become-a/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [...most men have bound their eyes with one or another handkerchief, and attached themselves to some one of these communities of opinion. This conformity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/most-men-have-bound-their-eyes-with-one-or-another-handkerchief-and/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I know very well what Goethe meant when he said that he never had a chagrin but he made a poem out of it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-know-very-well-what-goethe-meant-when-he-said-that-he-never-had-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Men and women aren't really dogs: they only look like it and behave like it. Somewhere inside there is a great chagrin and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/men-and-women-aren-t-really-dogs-they-only-look-like-it-and-behave/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [Children of the middle years do not do their learning unaffected by attendant feelings of interest, boredom, success, failure, chagrin, joy, humiliation, pleasure, distress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-h-cohen/children-of-the-middle-years-do-not-do-their-learning-unaffected-by/) [Dorothy H Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-h-cohen/) > [As he was pummeled into one tight spot after another, emerging each time breathless and in amazed chagrin, Bryan flushed, with spots of anger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-haldeman-julius/as-he-was-pummeled-into-one-tight-spot-after-another-emerging-each/) [E. Haldeman-Julius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-haldeman-julius/) > [Physical pain is easily forgotten, but a moral chagrin lasts indefinitely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-ramon-y-cajal/physical-pain-is-easily-forgotten-but-a-moral-chagrin-lasts/) [Santiago Ramon y Cajal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-ramon-y-cajal/) > [I think that the church has to develop its own agenda, and not allow itself to be consumed by either party to the chagrin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-d-jakes/i-think-that-the-church-has-to-develop-its-own-agenda-and-not-allow/) [T. D. Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-d-jakes/) > [As the reflections of our pride upon our defects are bitter, disheartening, and vexatious, so the return of the soul towards God is peaceful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-fenelon/as-the-reflections-of-our-pride-upon-our-defects-are-bitter/) [Francois Fenelon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-fenelon/) > [Differences in political opinions are as unavoidable as, to a certain point, they may perhaps be necessary; but it is exceedingly to be regretted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/differences-in-political-opinions-are-as-unavoidable-as-to-a-certain/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [Nothing is so intolerable to man as being fully at rest, without passion, without business, without entertainment, without care. It is then that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/nothing-is-so-intolerable-to-man-as-being-fully-at-rest-without/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [The press in America has never been stronger and never been freer and never been more vibrant, sometimes to my chagrin, and a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/the-press-in-america-has-never-been-stronger-and-never-been-freer-and/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) [Browse all 33 Chagrin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chagrin/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The chagrin which she had felt at her first failure to subvert this latest manifestation of his discontent had receded, leaving in its wake an uneasy depression. 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