--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nothing can be more touching than to…" description: "\"Nothing can be more touching than to behold a soft and tender female, who had been all weakness and dependence, and alive to every trivial roughness wh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/440/washington-irving-1386_abiding_nothing-can-be-more-touching-than-to-beh_255608.jpg" --- # Nothing can be more touching than to behold a soft and… ![“Nothing can be more touching than to behold a soft and tender female, who had been all weakness and dependence, and alive to every trivial roughness while treading the prosperous paths of life, suddenly rising in mental force to be the comforter and supporter of her husband under misfortune, and…” quote by Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/440/washington-irving-1386_abiding_nothing-can-be-more-touching-than-to-beh_255608.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/440/washington-irving-1386_abiding_nothing-can-be-more-touching-than-to-beh_255608.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/440/washington-irving-1386_abiding_nothing-can-be-more-touching-than-to-beh_255608.jpg) > “Nothing can be more touching than to behold a soft and tender female, who had been all weakness and dependence, and alive to every trivial roughness while treading the prosperous paths of life, suddenly rising in mental force to be the comforter and supporter of her husband under misfortune, and abiding with unshrinking firmness the bitterest blast of adversity.” [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A woman transforms from dependent to resilient, becoming a steadfast support for her husband during hardship. **In simple terms:** A woman becomes strong and supportive in tough times. Key Takeaway Cultivate inner strength and support loved ones. Themes resilience gender roles support adversity growth Mood determined empathetic Type inspirational reflective When to use this quote - marriage - family crisis - career setbacks - health challenges Key Concepts female empowerment psychological fortitude social expectations Questions to Reflect On - How can you develop resilience in adversity? - What roles can partners play in mutual support? A Different Perspective May overlook other supportive figures beyond the husband. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adversity/) [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Dependence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dependence/) [Female](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/female/) [Husband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/husband/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Misfortunes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misfortunes/) [Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path/) [Prosperous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prosperous/) [Roughness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roughness/) [Touching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/touching/) [Weakness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weakness/) [Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife/) ## Related quotes > [As a human sentiment, it's touching to behold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-crawford/as-a-human-sentiment-it-s-touching-to-behold/) [James Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-crawford/) > [Even though the third season of 'Necessary Roughness' was only ten episodes, they were an extremely intense bunch of episodes, especially toward the finale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/callie-thorne/even-though-the-third-season-of-necessary-roughness-was-only-ten/) [Callie Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/callie-thorne/) > [The art of our time, sacred art included, will necessarily be characterized by a certain poverty, grimness and roughness which correspond to the violent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-art-of-our-time-sacred-art-included-will-necessarily-be/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [There is no week, nor day, nor hour, when tyranny may not enter upon this country, if the people lose their supreme confidence in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/there-is-no-week-nor-day-nor-hour-when-tyranny-may-not-enter-upon-2/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [Sometimes unnecessary roughness is necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-harrison/sometimes-unnecessary-roughness-is-necessary/) [Rodney Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-harrison/) > [You either get Norfolk, with its wild roughness and uncultivated oddities, or you don't. 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And in the bracing atmosphere of a high aim, the very roughness only stimulates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-croswell-doane/but-life-has-no-smooth-roads-for-any-of-us-and-in-the-bracing/) William Croswell Doane > [This is some fellow, Who having been prais'd for bluntness, doth affect A saucy roughness and constrains the garb Quite from his nature: he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/this-is-some-fellow-who-having-been-prais-d-for-bluntness-doth-affect/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Mr. Lely, I desire you would use all your skill to paint my picture truly like me, and not flatter me at all; but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-cromwell/mr-lely-i-desire-you-would-use-all-your-skill-to-paint-my-picture/) [Oliver Cromwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-cromwell/) > [Everything is roughness, except for the circles. How many circles are there in nature? Very, very few. The straight lines. Very shapes are very,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/everything-is-roughness-except-for-the-circles-how-many-circles-are/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) > [Nobody will deny that there is at least some roughness everywhere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/nobody-will-deny-that-there-is-at-least-some-roughness-everywhere/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) > [“Under the rough and ridiculous circumstances of life in the Rocky Mountains there was something exciting and vital, full of rude poetry: the heartbeat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/under-the-rough-and-ridiculous-circumstances-of-life-in-the-rocky/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [“The locust has no king Just noise and hard language They talk me over”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eugene-edwards/the-locust-has-no-king-just-noise-and-hard-language-they-talk-me-over/) David Eugene Edwards > [A child may have to be snatched with roughness away from a fire so that he shall not be burnt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-child-may-have-to-be-snatched-with-roughness-away-from-a-fire-so/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [To reject wisdom because the person communicates it is uncouth and his manners are inelegant, what is it but to throw away a pine-apple,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hartwell-horne/to-reject-wisdom-because-the-person-communicates-it-is-uncouth-and/) [Thomas Hartwell Horne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hartwell-horne/) ## More by Washington Irving > [Some minds corrode and grow inactive under the loss of personal liberty; others grow morbid and irritable; but it is the nature of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/some-minds-corrode-and-grow-inactive-under-the-loss-of-personal/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [Language gradually varies, and with it fade away the writings of authors who have flourished their allotted time; otherwise, the creative powers of genius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/language-gradually-varies-and-with-it-fade-away-the-writings-of/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [A woman's life is a history of the affections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-woman-s-life-is-a-history-of-the-affections/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-father-may-turn-his-back-on-his-child-brothers-and-sisters-may/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [Over no nation does the press hold a more absolute control than over the people of America, for the universal education of the poorest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/over-no-nation-does-the-press-hold-a-more-absolute-control-than-over/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [I have never found, in anything outside of the four walls of my study, an enjoyment equal to sitting at my writing desk with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/i-have-never-found-in-anything-outside-of-the-four-walls-of-my-study/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [There is no character in the comedy of human life more difficult to play well than that of an old bachelor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-no-character-in-the-comedy-of-human-life-more-difficult-to/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [He who thinks much says but little in proportion to his thoughts. He selects that language which will convey his ideas in the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/he-who-thinks-much-says-but-little-in-proportion-to-his-thoughts-he/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [A woman's whole life is a history of the affections. The heart is her world: it is there her ambition strives for empire; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-woman-s-whole-life-is-a-history-of-the-affections-the-heart-is-her/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [Redundancy of language is never found with deep reflection. Verbiage may indicate observation, but not thinking. He who thinks much says but little in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/redundancy-of-language-is-never-found-with-deep-reflection-verbiage/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [History fades into fable; fact becomes clouded with doubt and controversy; the inscription molders from the tablet: the statue falls from the pedestal. Columns,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/history-fades-into-fable-fact-becomes-clouded-with-doubt-and/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [There is a majestic grandeur in tranquillity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-a-majestic-grandeur-in-tranquillity/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [There rise authors now and then, who seem proof against the mutability of language, because they have rooted themselves in the unchanging principles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-rise-authors-now-and-then-who-seem-proof-against-the-mutability/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [There is nothing in England that exercises a more delightful spell over my imagination than the lingerings of the holiday customs and rural games…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-nothing-in-england-that-exercises-a-more-delightful-spell/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [It is but seldom that any one overt act produces hostilities between two nations; there exists, more commonly, a previous jealousy and ill will,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/it-is-but-seldom-that-any-one-overt-act-produces-hostilities-between/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) [Explore all 244 Washington Irving quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) ## More Abiding quotes > [If there is an abiding theme in 'The Pursuit of Happiness,' it is the idea that you come into the world already shaped by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-kennedy/if-there-is-an-abiding-theme-in-the-pursuit-of-happiness-it-is-the/) [Douglas Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-kennedy/) > [Why is it, my shadow-striding friend, that we don't fear dreams? We lose consciousness, lose control, things happen with no apparent logic and abiding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-weeks/why-is-it-my-shadow-striding-friend-that-we-don-t-fear-dreams-we-lose/) [Brent Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-weeks/) > [I think that there is just a deep and abiding sexism that's part of your life from the moment that you're conscious as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-w-garcia/i-think-that-there-is-just-a-deep-and-abiding-sexism-that-s-part-of/) [Liz W. Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-w-garcia/) > [Faith is the capacity of the soul to perceive the abiding, the invisible in the visible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-baeck/faith-is-the-capacity-of-the-soul-to-perceive-the-abiding-the/) [Leo Baeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-baeck/) > [I think we have two conflicting traditions in this country. I think it's important for us to recognize that we've got a tradition of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-think-we-have-two-conflicting-traditions-in-this-country-i-think-it/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [A wicked mortal is not the idea of God. He is little else than the expression of error. To suppose that sin, lust, hatred,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-baker-eddy/a-wicked-mortal-is-not-the-idea-of-god-he-is-little-else-than-the/) [Mary Baker Eddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-baker-eddy/) > [When the penalty for a policeman's mistake is to put a criminal back out on the street, then we are hurting America; we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/when-the-penalty-for-a-policeman-s-mistake-is-to-put-a-criminal-back/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) > [The value of a dollar is to buy just things; a dollar goes on increasing in value with all the genius and all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-value-of-a-dollar-is-to-buy-just-things-a-dollar-goes-on/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The aims of these three groups are entirely irreconcilable. The aim of the High is to remain where they are. The aim of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-aims-of-these-three-groups-are-entirely-irreconcilable-the-aim-of/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [After more than two decades of trying to destroy the firearms rights of more than 80 million law-abiding American gun owners - and statistically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-gottlieb/after-more-than-two-decades-of-trying-to-destroy-the-firearms-rights/) Alan Gottlieb > [When you defile the pleasant streams, And the wild bird's abiding place, You massacre a million dreams, And cast your spittle in God's face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-drinkwater/when-you-defile-the-pleasant-streams-and-the-wild-bird-s-abiding/) [John Drinkwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-drinkwater/) > [How can we hope to retain our freedom through the generations if we fail to teach our young that our liberty springs from an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-falwell/how-can-we-hope-to-retain-our-freedom-through-the-generations-if-we/) [Jonathan Falwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-falwell/) > [Love and friendship, two of life's abiding rewards, are endangered species in Hollywood. People crave both, mistaking alliance for friendship, lust for love, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-obst/love-and-friendship-two-of-life-s-abiding-rewards-are-endangered/) [Lynda Obst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-obst/) > [In a government like ours, the Crown is the abiding and unshakable element in government; politicians may come and go, but the Crown remains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/in-a-government-like-ours-the-crown-is-the-abiding-and-unshakable/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [I sometimes forget that life is fragile. 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