--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For the present he was outside the gates…" description: "\"“For the present he was outside the gates of everything, colleges included: perhaps some day he would be inside. Those palaces of light and leading; he..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c7/thomas-hardy-410_colleges_for-the-present-he-was-outside-the-gates_643691.jpg" --- # For the present he was outside the gates of everything… ![“For the present he was outside the gates of everything, colleges included: perhaps some day he would be inside. Those palaces of light and leading; he might some day look down on the world through their panes.” quote by Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c7/thomas-hardy-410_colleges_for-the-present-he-was-outside-the-gates_643691.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c7/thomas-hardy-410_colleges_for-the-present-he-was-outside-the-gates_643691.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c7/thomas-hardy-410_colleges_for-the-present-he-was-outside-the-gates_643691.jpg) > ““For the present he was outside the gates of everything, colleges included: perhaps some day he would be inside. Those palaces of light and leading; he might some day look down on the world through their panes.”” [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He feels excluded from elite institutions, hoping someday to belong within their privileged circles. **In simple terms:** Feeling left out of elite groups, hoping to join them later. Key Takeaway Seek inclusion through effort and learning. Themes exclusion aspiration social class Mood reflective hopeful Type observational personal When to use this quote - university applications - career advancement - networking - social events Key Concepts elitism identity belonging Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take to bridge the gap? - How does longing for inclusion shape your goals? A Different Perspective Access may be limited by systemic barriers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Colleges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colleges/) [Colleges Included](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colleges-included-5163080/) [Gates Colleges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gates-colleges-5163081/) [Inside Palaces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inside-palaces-5109849/) [Palaces Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/palaces-light-5163082/) ## Related quotes > [“I still don't know much about art, but I do know that there are places inside of us―palaces of glorious light and caverns of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/i-still-don-t-know-much-about-art-but-i-do-know-that-there-are-places/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [All schools, all colleges have two great functions: to confer, and to conceal valuable knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/all-schools-all-colleges-have-two-great-functions-to-confer-and-to/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Colleges would compete by adding professors, enhancing programmes or building nicer facilities. So they competed by making institutions better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-m-christensen/colleges-would-compete-by-adding-professors-enhancing-programmes-or/) [Clayton M. Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-m-christensen/) > [Instead, most colleges are studies in obsolescence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-mccord/instead-most-colleges-are-studies-in-obsolescence/) [Kent McCord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-mccord/) > [By making all my materials freely available through 'Giving 2.0' ProjectU, I am on a mission to extend philanthropy education to colleges globally and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-arrillaga-andreessen/by-making-all-my-materials-freely-available-through-giving-2-0/) [Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-arrillaga-andreessen/) > [We are looking for targets that have a tremendous strategic fit for the company. 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They avoid the fancy amenities four-year liberal arts colleges need in order to lure the children of the middle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/community-colleges-are-great-bargains-they-avoid-the-fancy-amenities/) [Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/) > [I came from a Hindi medium school... the principal felt that I would not fit into an English medium college. Though I was top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lakshmi-mittal/i-came-from-a-hindi-medium-school-the-principal-felt-that-i-would-not/) [Lakshmi Mittal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lakshmi-mittal/) > [Community colleges are the way of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-biden/community-colleges-are-the-way-of-the-future/) [Jill Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-biden/) > [There were male colleges, and there were very few female colleges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-smith/there-were-male-colleges-and-there-were-very-few-female-colleges/) [Maggie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-smith/) > [Community colleges provide higher education where people live, helping to build strong ladders of opportunity that allow people to secure a foothold in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perez/community-colleges-provide-higher-education-where-people-live-helping/) [Thomas Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perez/) > [When comics came along in the 1930s there was a talent pool waiting. And one reason is so many areas were closed to Jews.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-robinson/when-comics-came-along-in-the-1930s-there-was-a-talent-pool-waiting/) [Jerry Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-robinson/) ## More by Thomas Hardy > [“He grew away from old associations, and saw something new in life and humanity. Secondarily, he made close acquaintance with phenomena which he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/he-grew-away-from-old-associations-and-saw-something-new-in-life-and/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“She was in a sound sleep, Jude, dying of anxiety lest she should have caught a chill which might permanently injure her, was glad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/she-was-in-a-sound-sleep-jude-dying-of-anxiety-lest-she-should-have/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [Meanwhile, the trees were just as green as before; the birds sang and the sun shone as clearly now as ever. The familiar surroundings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/meanwhile-the-trees-were-just-as-green-as-before-the-birds-sang-and/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [You ride well, but you don't kiss nicely at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/you-ride-well-but-you-don-t-kiss-nicely-at-all/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [You could sometimes see her twelfth year in her cheeks, or her ninth sparkling from her eyes; and even her fifth would flit over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/you-could-sometimes-see-her-twelfth-year-in-her-cheeks-or-her-ninth/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“It was mid-May time, bringing with it weather not, perhaps, quite so blooming as that assumed to be natural to the month by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/it-was-mid-may-time-bringing-with-it-weather-not-perhaps-quite-so/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [If Galileo had said in verse that the world moved, the inquisition might have let him alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/if-galileo-had-said-in-verse-that-the-world-moved-the-inquisition/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [Some folk want their luck buttered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/some-folk-want-their-luck-buttered/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [Measurement of life should be proportioned rather to the intensity of the experience than to its actual length.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/measurement-of-life-should-be-proportioned-rather-to-the-intensity-of/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“I was court-martialed in my absence, and sentenced to death in my absence, so I said they could shoot me in my absence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/i-was-court-martialed-in-my-absence-and-sentenced-to-death-in-my/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“It being the first time in his life that he had touched female fingers under water, Dick duly registered the sensation as rather a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/it-being-the-first-time-in-his-life-that-he-had-touched-female/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“As soon as she could discern the outline of the house, it had all its old effect upon Tess's imagination. Part of her body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/as-soon-as-she-could-discern-the-outline-of-the-house-it-had-all-its/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [ The perfect woman, you see \[is\] a working-woman; not an idler; not a fine lady; but one who \[uses\] her hands and her head… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/the-perfect-woman-you-see-is-a-working-woman-not-an-idler-not-a-fine/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“The Sinister Spirit sneered: 'It had to be!' And again the Spirit of Pity whispered, 'Why?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/the-sinister-spirit-sneered-it-had-to-be-and-again-the-spirit-of-pity/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“Justice” was done, and the President of the Immortals (in Aeschylean phrase) had ended his sport with Tess.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/justice-was-done-and-the-president-of-the-immortals-in-aeschylean/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) [Explore all 561 Thomas Hardy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) ## More Colleges quotes > [When comics came along in the 1930s there was a talent pool waiting. And one reason is so many areas were closed to Jews.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-robinson/when-comics-came-along-in-the-1930s-there-was-a-talent-pool-waiting/) [Jerry Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-robinson/) > [Community colleges provide higher education where people live, helping to build strong ladders of opportunity that allow people to secure a foothold in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perez/community-colleges-provide-higher-education-where-people-live-helping/) [Thomas Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perez/) > [There were male colleges, and there were very few female colleges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-smith/there-were-male-colleges-and-there-were-very-few-female-colleges/) [Maggie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-smith/) > [Community colleges are the way of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-biden/community-colleges-are-the-way-of-the-future/) [Jill Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-biden/) > [I came from a Hindi medium school... the principal felt that I would not fit into an English medium college. Though I was top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lakshmi-mittal/i-came-from-a-hindi-medium-school-the-principal-felt-that-i-would-not/) [Lakshmi Mittal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lakshmi-mittal/) > [Community colleges are great bargains. They avoid the fancy amenities four-year liberal arts colleges need in order to lure the children of the middle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/community-colleges-are-great-bargains-they-avoid-the-fancy-amenities/) [Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/) > [Colleges must do their part to keep costs down, and its our job to make sure they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/colleges-must-do-their-part-to-keep-costs-down-and-its-our-job-to/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [All the colleges I played, most of the colleges, they were white.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-smith/all-the-colleges-i-played-most-of-the-colleges-they-were-white/) [Jimmy Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-smith/) > [Young adults enrolled in universities and colleges or other postsecondary training should avail themselves of the opportunity to take institute of religion courses or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/young-adults-enrolled-in-universities-and-colleges-or-other/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [We are looking for targets that have a tremendous strategic fit for the company. The colleges must have complementary education programs, have an excellent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-larson/we-are-looking-for-targets-that-have-a-tremendous-strategic-fit-for/) [John Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-larson/) > [By making all my materials freely available through 'Giving 2.0' ProjectU, I am on a mission to extend philanthropy education to colleges globally and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-arrillaga-andreessen/by-making-all-my-materials-freely-available-through-giving-2-0/) [Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-arrillaga-andreessen/) > [Instead, most colleges are studies in obsolescence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-mccord/instead-most-colleges-are-studies-in-obsolescence/) [Kent McCord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-mccord/) > [Colleges would compete by adding professors, enhancing programmes or building nicer facilities. So they competed by making institutions better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-m-christensen/colleges-would-compete-by-adding-professors-enhancing-programmes-or/) [Clayton M. Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-m-christensen/) > [All schools, all colleges have two great functions: to confer, and to conceal valuable knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/all-schools-all-colleges-have-two-great-functions-to-confer-and-to/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Student loan debt is the reason I don't advise students who want to become entrepreneurs to apply to elite, expensive colleges. They can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-wadhwa/student-loan-debt-is-the-reason-i-don-t-advise-students-who-want-to/) [Vivek Wadhwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-wadhwa/) [Browse all 78 Colleges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colleges/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“For the present he was outside the gates of everything, colleges included: perhaps some day he would be inside. 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