Quote by Henry James
Experience was to be taken as showing that one might get a five-pound note as one got a light for a cigarette; but one had to check the friendly impulse to ask for it in the same way.
Summary
This quote suggests that while experience may reveal that certain things can be acquired easily, like getting a light for a cigarette, one must resist the urge to expect the same ease when asking for something valuable, like a five-pound note. It conveys the idea that one should not assume that all desires or requests will be fulfilled as effortlessly as simpler or less significant ones. It implies the need to be cautious and considerate when asking for or expecting valuable things.
Topics
Tact
By Henry James
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