--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was to him a very strange and…" description: "\"“It was to him a very strange and perplexing place, where people wore fine clothes and had hard hearts.”\" — Willa Cather" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f9/willa-cather-634_perplexing_it-was-to-him-a-very-strange-and-perplex_1815429.png" --- # It was to him a very strange and perplexing place, where… ![“It was to him a very strange and perplexing place, where people wore fine clothes and had hard hearts.” quote by Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f9/willa-cather-634_perplexing_it-was-to-him-a-very-strange-and-perplex_1815429.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f9/willa-cather-634_perplexing_it-was-to-him-a-very-strange-and-perplex_1815429.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f9/willa-cather-634_perplexing_it-was-to-him-a-very-strange-and-perplex_1815429.png) > ““It was to him a very strange and perplexing place, where people wore fine clothes and had hard hearts.”” [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A bewildering setting where outward elegance hides inner cruelty. **In simple terms:** Fine clothes mask hard hearts. Key Takeaway Look beyond appearances. Themes social class deception empathy Mood curious reflective Type literary observational When to use this quote - travel - first impressions - cultural encounters Key Concepts psychology social critique Questions to Reflect On - How do you discern true character? - What assumptions do you make about appearances? A Different Perspective Not all cultured societies are kind. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clothes Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clothes-hard-2149532/) [Perplexing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perplexing/) [Perplexing Place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perplexing-place-2149530/) [Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange/) [Strange Perplexing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange-perplexing-2149531/) ## Related quotes > [“What strange, perplexing, questionable questions!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/what-strange-perplexing-questionable-questions/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I have my own people that make my clothes because it's hard for me to find stuff that fits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-johnson/i-have-my-own-people-that-make-my-clothes-because-it-s-hard-for-me-to/) [Calvin Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-johnson/) > [“I know so many words. It's perplexing to come across so many I don't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-murdoch/i-know-so-many-words-it-s-perplexing-to-come-across-so-many-i-don-t/) [Emily Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-murdoch/) > [“Life is an interplay and display of perplexing energy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/life-is-an-interplay-and-display-of-perplexing-energy/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [Feel is the most perplexing part of golf, and probably the most important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/feel-is-the-most-perplexing-part-of-golf-and-probably-the-most/) [Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/) > [Grace is the most perplexing, powerful force in the universe, and, I believe, the only hope for our twisted, violent planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/grace-is-the-most-perplexing-powerful-force-in-the-universe-and-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Beginnings are definitely the most exciting, middles are perplexing and endings are a disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/beginnings-are-definitely-the-most-exciting-middles-are-perplexing/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [What's perplexing to me is that I never think it's anybody's business to know my business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-alsina/what-s-perplexing-to-me-is-that-i-never-think-it-s-anybody-s-business/) [August Alsina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-alsina/) > [We shall never have a science of economics unless we learn to discern the operation of law even among the most perplexing complications and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stanley-jevons/we-shall-never-have-a-science-of-economics-unless-we-learn-to-discern/) [William Stanley Jevons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stanley-jevons/) > [“What New England is, is a state of mind, a place where dry humor and perpetual disappointment blend to produce an ironic pessimism that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-lange/what-new-england-is-is-a-state-of-mind-a-place-where-dry-humor-and/) [Willem Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-lange/) > [Written by the ancient Chinese philosopher of the same name, the 'Zhuangzi' is one long perplexing puzzle of a rambling collection of enigmatic short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-stump/written-by-the-ancient-chinese-philosopher-of-the-same-name-the/) [Patrick Stump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-stump/) > [“If the world was full of perplexing problems she would trust, and only ask to see the one step needful for the hour.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/if-the-world-was-full-of-perplexing-problems-she-would-trust-and-only/) [Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/) > [Arnold Schwarzenegger's gubernatorial campaign raises a series of fascinating questions, the most perplexing of all being why an international star of his stature would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-medved/arnold-schwarzenegger-s-gubernatorial-campaign-raises-a-series-of/) [Michael Medved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-medved/) > [For the FBI and for the United States, the war on terrorism is a complex and perplexing issue. It is as complex and perplexing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mueller/for-the-fbi-and-for-the-united-states-the-war-on-terrorism-is-a/) [Robert Mueller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mueller/) > [“Life can be very perplexing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-bin-laden/life-can-be-very-perplexing/) [Omar bin Laden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-bin-laden/) ## More by Willa Cather > [The end is nothing; the road is all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-end-is-nothing-the-road-is-all/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Of all the bewildering things about a new country, the absence of human landmarks is one of the most depressing and disheartening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/of-all-the-bewildering-things-about-a-new-country-the-absence-of/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Success is less interesting than struggle. There is great pleasure in the effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/success-is-less-interesting-than-struggle-there-is-great-pleasure-in/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“I only knew the schoolbooks said he "died in the wilderness, of a broken heart." "More than him has done that," said Antonia sadly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/i-only-knew-the-schoolbooks-said-he-died-in-the-wilderness-of-a/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“Have the last word ma'm," he said cheerfully. "It's a lady's privilege.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/have-the-last-word-ma-m-he-said-cheerfully-it-s-a-lady-s-privilege/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > ["More than him has done that," said Antonia sadly, and the girls murmured assent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/more-than-him-has-done-that-said-antonia-sadly-and-the-girls-murmured/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Nothing mattered ... but writing books, and living the kind of life that made it possible to write them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/nothing-mattered-but-writing-books-and-living-the-kind-of-life-that/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“Money and office and success are the consolations of impotence. Fortune turns kind to such solid people and lets them suck their bone in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/money-and-office-and-success-are-the-consolations-of-impotence/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [But she still had that something which fires the imagination, could still stop one's breath for a moment by a look or gesture that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/but-she-still-had-that-something-which-fires-the-imagination-could/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“You remember how homesick I used to get, and what long talks we used to have coming from school? We've someway always felt alike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/you-remember-how-homesick-i-used-to-get-and-what-long-talks-we-used/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“He placed this book in my grandmother's hands, looked at her entreatingly, and said, with an earnestness which I shall never forget, "Te-e-ach, te-e-ach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/he-placed-this-book-in-my-grandmother-s-hands-looked-at-her/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [The sincerity of feeling that is possible between a writer and a reader is one of the finest things I know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-sincerity-of-feeling-that-is-possible-between-a-writer-and-a/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [One realizes that human relationships are the tragic necessity of human life; that they can never be wholly satisfactory, that every ego is half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/one-realizes-that-human-relationships-are-the-tragic-necessity-of/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Our tree became the talking tree of the fairy tale; legends and stories nestled like birds in its branches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/our-tree-became-the-talking-tree-of-the-fairy-tale-legends-and/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“Isn’t it queer: there are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/isn-t-it-queer-there-are-only-two-or-three-human-stories-and-they-go/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) [Explore all 434 Willa Cather quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) ## More Perplexing quotes > [“Life can be very perplexing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-bin-laden/life-can-be-very-perplexing/) [Omar bin Laden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-bin-laden/) > [For the FBI and for the United States, the war on terrorism is a complex and perplexing issue. It is as complex and perplexing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mueller/for-the-fbi-and-for-the-united-states-the-war-on-terrorism-is-a/) [Robert Mueller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mueller/) > [Arnold Schwarzenegger's gubernatorial campaign raises a series of fascinating questions, the most perplexing of all being why an international star of his stature would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-medved/arnold-schwarzenegger-s-gubernatorial-campaign-raises-a-series-of/) [Michael Medved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-medved/) > [“If the world was full of perplexing problems she would trust, and only ask to see the one step needful for the hour.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/if-the-world-was-full-of-perplexing-problems-she-would-trust-and-only/) [Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/) > [Written by the ancient Chinese philosopher of the same name, the 'Zhuangzi' is one long perplexing puzzle of a rambling collection of enigmatic short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-stump/written-by-the-ancient-chinese-philosopher-of-the-same-name-the/) [Patrick Stump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-stump/) > [“What New England is, is a state of mind, a place where dry humor and perpetual disappointment blend to produce an ironic pessimism that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-lange/what-new-england-is-is-a-state-of-mind-a-place-where-dry-humor-and/) [Willem Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-lange/) > [We shall never have a science of economics unless we learn to discern the operation of law even among the most perplexing complications and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stanley-jevons/we-shall-never-have-a-science-of-economics-unless-we-learn-to-discern/) [William Stanley Jevons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stanley-jevons/) > [What's perplexing to me is that I never think it's anybody's business to know my business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-alsina/what-s-perplexing-to-me-is-that-i-never-think-it-s-anybody-s-business/) [August Alsina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-alsina/) > [Beginnings are definitely the most exciting, middles are perplexing and endings are a disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/beginnings-are-definitely-the-most-exciting-middles-are-perplexing/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [Grace is the most perplexing, powerful force in the universe, and, I believe, the only hope for our twisted, violent planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/grace-is-the-most-perplexing-powerful-force-in-the-universe-and-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Feel is the most perplexing part of golf, and probably the most important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/feel-is-the-most-perplexing-part-of-golf-and-probably-the-most/) [Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/) > [“Life is an interplay and display of perplexing energy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/life-is-an-interplay-and-display-of-perplexing-energy/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [“I know so many words. It's perplexing to come across so many I don't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-murdoch/i-know-so-many-words-it-s-perplexing-to-come-across-so-many-i-don-t/) [Emily Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-murdoch/) > [“What strange, perplexing, questionable questions!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/what-strange-perplexing-questionable-questions/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [One of the most perplexing political questions of the late 20th century is how new democracies should punish deposed dictators and their associates. Victims…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/one-of-the-most-perplexing-political-questions-of-the-late-20th/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) [Browse all 23 Perplexing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perplexing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It was to him a very strange and perplexing place, where people wore fine clothes and had hard hearts.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Willa Cather" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/it-was-to-him-a-very-strange-and-perplexing-place-where-people-wore/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Perplexing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/it-was-to-him-a-very-strange-and-perplexing-place-where-people-wore/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f9/willa-cather-634_perplexing_it-was-to-him-a-very-strange-and-perplex_1815429.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f9/willa-cather-634_perplexing_it-was-to-him-a-very-strange-and-perplex_1815429.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f9/willa-cather-634_perplexing_it-was-to-him-a-very-strange-and-perplex_1815429.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It was to him a very strange and perplexing place, where people wore fine clothes and had hard hearts.” — Willa Cather", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Willa Cather", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It was to him a very...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/it-was-to-him-a-very-strange-and-perplexing-place-where-people-wore/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/it-was-to-him-a-very-strange-and-perplexing-place-where-people-wore/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```