"Marriage is the torment of one, the felicity of two, the strife and enmity of three."

Wisdom

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Insight & Reflection

This reflection on wisdom by Washington Irving resonates across generations. It highlights a fundamental truth about human nature: our continuous search for meaning in wisdom is what ultimately defines our character and our path forward.

About Washington Irving

Washington Irving was an American writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He wrote the short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (1820), both of which appear in his collection The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works include biographies of the writer Oliver Goldsmith, Islamic prophet Muhammad, and also first U.S. president George Washington, as well as several histories of 15th-century Spain that deal with topics such as the Alhambra palace, Christopher Columbus European discovery of the Americas, and the Reconquista. Irving served as the American ambassador to Spain in the 1840s.

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Editorial Note: This quote is curated and fact-checked by the ShortQuote Editorial Team. Verified Literature Specialist.

More by Washington Irving

"Christmas is a season for kindling the fire for hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart."

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"There is never jealousy where there is not strong regard."

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"After all, it is the divinity within that makes the divinity without and I have been more fascinated by a woman of talent and intelligence, though deficient in personal charms, than I have been by the most regular beauty."

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"An inexhaustible good nature is one of the most precious gifts of heaven, spreading itself like oil over the troubled sea of thought, and keeping the mind smooth and equable in the roughest weather."

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More about Wisdom

"Wisdom principle 102 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 27."

— Charlotte Armstrong
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"There are high spots in all of our lives and most of them have come about through encouragement from someone else. I don't care how great, how famous or successful a man or woman may be, each hungers for applause."

— George Matthew Adams
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"Wisdom principle 49 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 62."

— Nancy Huston Banks
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"If my closet were burning, it'd be my collection of jackets I would save - they always make me feel pulled-together."

— Nina Garcia
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