To the Lighthouse : Quotations
To the Lighthouse is a notable literary work by Virginia Woolf. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of To the Lighthouse.
Quotations
Quotes
“Yes, of course, if it’s fine tomorrow.” – (The Window – Mrs. Ramsay, Part I, Chapter I)
Explanation: Mrs. Ramsay gives hope to little James about going to the Lighthouse. This shows her kindness and motherly love.
“But, it won’t be fine.” – (The Window – Mr. Ramsay, Part I, Chapter I)
Explanation: Mr. Ramsay crushes James’s hope about the Lighthouse. This shows his harsh realism.
“Had there been an axe handy… would have gashed a hole in his father’s breast and killed him.” – (The Window – Narrator about James, Part I, Chapter I)
Explanation: James’s secret anger against his father is revealed. It shows conflict between father and son.
“Women can’t paint, women can’t write.” – (The Window – Charles Tansley, Part I, Chapter IX)
Explanation: Charles Tansley insults Lily Briscoe. This shows the gender prejudice of society.
“I have had my vision.” – (The Lighthouse – Lily Briscoe, Part III, Chapter XLII)
Explanation: Lily finishes her painting at the end. It shows artistic completion and inner peace.
“And all the lives we ever lived and all the lives to be are full of trees and changing leaves.” – (The Window – Mrs. Ramsay, Part I, Chapter XIX)
Explanation: This line shows the passing of time and the constant change in life. Life is like leaves that always change.
“He smiled the most exquisite smile, veiled by memory, tinged by dreams.” – (The Window – Narrator, Part I, Chapter XVII)
Explanation: The smile mixes past memories with future hopes. It shows how human feelings are never simple
“Friendships, even the best of them, are frail things. One drifts apart.” – (The Window – Narrator through William Bankes inner thoughts, Part I, Chapter XVII)
Explanation: This line tells the truth of life. Even close friendships can fade with time.
“Beauty was not everything. Beauty had this penalty — it came too readily, came too completely. It stilled life — froze it.” – (The Lighthouse – Lily Briscoe, Part III, Chapter VI)
Explanation: Beauty is powerful, but it can also limit life. It freezes other truths.
“I am drowning, my dear, in seas of fire.” – (The Window – Mrs. Ramsay, Part I, Chapter XVII)
Explanation: Mr. Ramsay feels despair. He uses this metaphor to show his inner suffering.
“So that is marriage, Lily thought, a man and a woman looking at a girl throwing a ball.” – (The Window – Narrator about Lily Briscoe, Part I, Chapter XIII)
Explanation: Lily reflects on marriage. She sees it as ordinary, not romantic.
“She had the whole of the other sex under her protection.” – (The Window – Narrator about Mrs. Ramsay, Part I, Chapter I)
Explanation: Mrs. Ramsay feels responsible for men. This shows her role as caretaker and emotional center of the house.
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