Ten Beautiful “Gone With the Wind” Quotes To Savour
“Perhaps — I want the old days back again and they’ll never come back, and I am haunted by the memory of them and of the world falling about my ears ”
Gone With the Wind did the impossible.
It overwhelmed me. It proved that selfish and flawed characters could be made likable. It exposed the egregiously flawed ideas of traditional gender roles. It showed what a complex emotion love was.
It left me with a bad heartbreak.
Our main lead, Scarlet O’Hara, is beautiful beyond words. Beneath her deep dimples and her perfect figure, though, lies a heart that is woefully stubborn, arrogant, and twisted.
We watch in pain as Scarlet makes the mistakes we all do while growing up.
Scarlet lives in a racist and patriarchal America. She has to face the Civil War of the States. Tragic and trying conditions are thrown in her way. But Scarlet somehow always manages to navigate through these circumstances.
Her hard journey teaches us so much; here are the lines I loved the most.
1. On the underlying sexism in our society…
“I’m tired of pretending I don’t know anything, so men can tell me things and feel important while they’re doing it … Why is it a girl has to be so silly to catch a husband?”
Scarlet’s question made me pause and reflect.
Back in the 1800s, men were supposed to embody all the “masculine traits” like headstrongness and strength, while women were supposed to be apt in the act of fainting.
The latter were mere objects to carry on the line of the family. If they didn’t act in a feminine way — being meek and silly — they won the disapproval of society.
The 2000s have arrived, and yet we haven’t managed to root out this mindset.
Still, people think that the final say should come from a man. This is proved when we see how few women hold posts of actual authority. I just hope all men come to understand that we are also humans, as capable as you.
Not above you, now below you, but equal to you.
2. On not imagining the aftermaths…
“Her imagination carried her just as far as the altar and no further.”
Scarlet mocked how dull married women’s lives were; she also was eager to attract suitors. She fervently wished to get the boy of her dreams to propose to her as soon as possible. In one way, Scarlet didn’t think too deeply.
Often, we act like Scarlet.
We dream of success, fame, a million followers, two billion dollars. But — we have never thought of what would happen after, have we? Everything has a price. Re-evaluate your goals by keeping the consequences in your mind.
3. On true freedom…
“Until you’ve lost your reputation, you never realize what a burden it was or what freedom really is.”
Scarlet, tired of the rigid norms of the society, wanted to do the unorthodox. The only thing that held her back was the criticisms she was to receive if she went ahead with her plan. Rhett Butler encouraged Scarlet by the above lines.
If we constantly worry about the conventional routes, we won’t achieve true freedom.
Instead, do what you think is right. There may be a volley of backlashes, but they won’t hurt if you deafen your ears against them. Don’t be afraid of the petty opinions of others if they are only to stop you from your goal.
Listen to all the advice, but follow your heart without fearing others.
If your reputation is hindering your path to success, don’t hesitate in shedding it.
4. On the vacillating nature of fate…
“Why, she had never had to do a thing for herself in all her life.”
Fate changes faster than you can blink. Nothing is constant except change. If today the day is sunny, in an hour clouds can gather and pour down. We should always be ready for challenges.
Life is tricky and unpredictable.
That is the true test of life you should be prepared for.
5. On the worst of times…
“And now in this hour of greatest need, there was no one. It was incredible that she could be so completely alone, and frightened, and far from home.”
Life is full of ups and downs.
You may be surfing now, but a huge tide may hit and drown you for a while. At that moment, those brief seconds seem like an eternal period. Scarlet faced multiple such times when she was completely alone in a predicament.
She could have cried and let life take its course.
Instead, she fought back.
She did everything in her power to make the moments better. There will come lows when you would feel that hope is all but lost. Do remember while fighting it that the situation is not permanent, just as Sun comes up after every night.
6. On opinions…
“Everybody thinks differently and everybody’s got a right to their own opinion.”
The world is a diverse place.
Naturally, there are a billion views around clashing with each other. On every subject, your personal experiences and mindset make your thoughts different from your neighbor. Even in a conflict, there are always at least two contradictory sides.
Unless others’ views are hurting people intentionally, you should respect them instead of beginning a Twitter fight.
7. On our conceitful hearts…
“I kept on loving the pretty clothes — and not him at all.”
Our hearts are fickle.
We are untrained to identify most of our emotions. Only after trials and errors do we begin to understand ourselves. In Scarlet’s case, nobody taught the value of true love over materialistic things.
When the time came, she chose the latter, and she suffered.
We may like to live around all the flashy, glittery, and wealthy objects in our lives, but we should be careful to not prioritize them. After all, the little things and memories will matter the most when you will be counting your last breaths.
Don’t throw friendships away in avarice, for they are priceless.
8. On hardships…
“Hardships make or break people.”
There will come harsh times like never before. When they will be over, you will either come out stronger, wiser, and sharper than ever — or you would cave into their pressure and get your heart shattered.
It all depends on your resilience.
9. On internal conflicts we face…
“The whole world can’t lick us but we can lick ourselves by longing too hard for things we haven’t got any more — and by remembering too much.”
I remember the time rather too vividly when I changed my school.
Outside, I was just fine. I was receiving an excellent education, my peers were polite, and my teachers were encouraging. Inside, however, I was torn for weeks. I would shed tears for all the things I could never get back.
External conflicts may look stronger, but it is how you face the internal woes that determine your future.
The pandemic left people bereft. They lost their jobs, their peace, and their loved ones. Some people couldn’t move past the tragedies they faced — they couldn’t accept what had happened. Only those who did and had a strong will could continue with life.
Your will is a huge factor in life for success and peace.
10. On hope…
“Tomorrow, I’ll think of some way to get him back. After all, tomorrow is another day.”
In the end, our heroine gains a few things and loses others.
There will come days when you will stand in Scarlet’s shoes. You will see an opportunity slip from your grip, and you will be able to do nothing about it at the moment. However, don’t think you have lost all your chances.
Hope still remains in Pandora’s jar.
Hope is what defines our kind. We suffer, we face setbacks, we fight with unprecedented challenges. And, we always find a way to emerge out of the troubles.
Until Ragnarök comes, there will be no literal end of the world.
This means you neither should stop hoping nor trying.
