“Our first youth is of no value; for we are never conscious of it, until after it is gone. But sometimes--always, I suspect, unless one is exceedingly unfortunate--there comes a sense of second youth, gushing out of the heart's joy at being in love; or possibly, it may come to crown some other grand festival in life, if any other such there be. This bemoaning of one's self. . . over the first, careless, shallow gayety of youth departed, and this profound happiness at youth regained,--so much deeper and richer than that we lost,--are essential to the soul's development. In some cases, the two states come almost simultaneously, and mingle the sadness and the rapture in one mysterious emotion.”

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About Nathaniel Hawthorne

American novelist and short story writer

Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short story writer. He is known for fiction that explores history, morality, and religion, often through a reflective and uneasy lens. His work helped define the American short story and remains closely associated with themes of guilt, conscience, and the past. Across his novels and shorter fiction, he returns to questions of human nature and the moral weight of experience.

More from Nathaniel Hawthorne (113 quotes) →

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Books by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Scarlet Letter

1871

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The Blithedale Romance

1999

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Mosses from an Old Manse

2005

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Tanglewood Tales

2007

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The House of Seven Gables Readalong

2006

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