Skip to content

Early morning Quote by Virginia Woolf

“What a lark! What a plunge! For so it had always seemed to her, when, with a little squeak of the hinges, which she could hear now, she had burst open the French windows and plunged at Bourton into the open air. How fresh, how calm, stiller than this of course, the air was in the early morning…” quote by Virginia Woolf
Download Open image
““What a lark! What a plunge! For so it had always seemed to her, when, with a little squeak of the hinges, which she could hear now, she had burst open the French windows and plunged at Bourton into the open air. How fresh, how calm, stiller than this of course, the air was in the early morning; like the flap of a wave; the kiss of a wave; chill and sharp and yet (for a girl of eighteen as she then was) solemn, feeling as she did, standing there at the open window, that something awful was about to happen; looking at the flowers, at the trees with the smoke winding off them and the rooks rising, falling; standing and looking until Peter Walsh said, "Musing among the vegetables?"—was that it?—"I prefer men to cauliflowers"—was that it? He must have said it at breakfast one morning when she had gone out on to the terrace—Peter Walsh. He would be back from India one of these days, June or July, she forgot which, for his letters were awfully dull; it was his sayings one remembered; his eyes, his pocket-knife, his smile, his grumpiness and, when millions of things had utterly vanished—how strange it was!—a few sayings like this about cabbages.””

Virginia Woolf

About This Quote

Source Novel: Mrs Dalloway, Virginia Woolf, 1925

A young woman experiences a vivid, sensory awakening at a window, mixing anticipation, fear, and the ordinary with the extraordinary.

In simple terms: A moment of intense, mixed emotions at a window.

Key Takeaway

Embrace fleeting moments of heightened awareness.

Themes

awakening anticipation fear ordinary vs extraordinary

Mood

contemplative melancholic

Type

literary psychological

When to use this quote

  • morning routines
  • creative writing
  • travel experiences
  • personal reflection

Key Concepts

existentialism sensory perception psychology

Questions to Reflect On

  • What triggers your moments of heightened perception?
  • How do you navigate fear in beautiful moments?
A Different Perspective

Such intensity may be fleeting and not always predictive.

3.7 out of 5 (10 ratings)

More by Virginia Woolf

Explore all 1,872 Virginia Woolf quotes

More Early morning quotes

Browse all 495 Early morning quotes