Quote by Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet

It was a folly, with the materiality of this daily life pressing so intrusively upon me, to attempt to fling myself back into another age; or to insist on creating a semblance of a world out of airy matter . . . This wiser effort would have been, to diffuse thought and imagination through the opaque substance of to-day, and thus make it a bright transparency . . . to seek resolutely the true and indestructible value that lay hidden in the petty and wearisome incidents and ordinary characters with which I was now conversant. The fault was mine. The page of life that was spread out before me was dull and commonplace, only because I had not fathomed its deeper import. A better book than I shall ever write was there . . . These perceptions came too late . . . I had ceased to be a writer of tolerably poor tales and essays, and had become a tolerably good Surveyor of the Customs. That was all.

Summary

In this quote, the speaker reflects on their misguided attempt to escape the mundane aspects of daily life by immersing themselves in a different time period or creating a fictional world. The speaker realizes that instead of seeking escape, they should have focused on infusing their thoughts and imagination into the present reality, making it more meaningful and transformative. They acknowledge their mistake in not recognizing the hidden value in the ordinary and mundane incidents and characters they encounter daily. The quote ends with the speaker lamenting the missed opportunity to fully understand and appreciate the richness of life, as they have resigned themselves to being a mere customs surveyor instead of pursuing their passion for writing.