...though she had not had the strength to shake off the spell that bound her to him she had lost all spontaneity of feeling, and seemed to herself to be passively awaiting a fate she could not avert.
Edith WhartonBut marriage is one long sacrifice.... Chapter 21, Medora Manson speaking to Newland Archer
Edith WhartonBeauty (was)a gift which, in the eyes of New York, justified every success, and excused a certain number of failings.
Edith Wharton