Set in the 1880s, The Gilded Age centers on the life of a young woman who witnesses the disparity between the rich and the poor. Marian Brook, an orphaned girl, lives with her aunts who have strict rules. As she struggles with the strict rules of her aunts, she is drawn into the glamorous world of her wealthy neighbors. As the young girl witnesses these different worlds, she is forced to make a difficult decision to forge her own path.
The Gilded Age Quotes
“Charity has two functions in our world, my dear. The first is to raise funds for the less fortunate, which is wholly good. The second is to provide a ladder for people to climb into society who do not belong there.” -Agnes van Rhijn
1- “I don’t want to come a long way. I want to go all the way.” -Bertha Russell
2- “I like to do the right thing. If I don’t lose any money by it.” -George Russell
3- “I may be a bastard, but you are a fool, and of the two, I think I know which I prefer.” -George Russell
4- “If you’re going to do a thing, you might as well do it properly.” -Ada Brook
5- “Power belongs to old New York, my dear. Not the new. Never the new.” – Agnes van Rhijn
6- “Never break your own moral code, for that is the soundest guide any of us can have.” -Ada Brook
7- “Never overestimate your own power. It’s always a mistake.” -Agnes van Rhijn
8- “Once people learn that my second offer is invariably my last, they won’t, as a rule, refuse me. Over the years, I expect to save a lot more money than I am spending now.” -George Russell
9- “Persistence is the key to everything. Patience and persistence.” -Bertha Russell
10- “Revolutions are launched by clever people with strong views and excess energy.” -Agnes van Rhijn
11- “These people. You shut the door, they come in the window. You shut the window, they come down the chimney. They never give up.” -Agnes van Rhijn
12- “To act on impulse is to make oneself a hostage to ridicule.” -Agnes van Rhijn
13- “We don’t have a choice in the matter. We must go where history takes us.” -Bertha Russell
14- “Why should I align myself with either party when I don’t have the right to vote?” -Peggy Scott
15- “Charity has two functions in our world, my dear. The first is to raise funds for the less fortunate, which is wholly good. The second is to provide a ladder for the people to climb into society who do not belong there.” – Agnes van Rhijn
16- “You need to know we only receive the old people in this house, not the new. Never the new.” -Agnes van Rhijn
17- “Do people like that bring their daughters out? I thought they just sold them to the highest bidder.” -Agnes van Rhijn
18- “First Mrs. Chamberlain and now them. Why don’t we just go outside and roam in the gutter? It will save time.” -Agnes van Rhijn
19- “I’m not concerned with facts. Not if they interfere with my beliefs.” -Agnes van Rhijn
20- “If you don’t want to be disappointed, only help those who help themselves.” -Agnes van Rhijn
21- “Life is like a bank account. You cannot write a check without first making a deposit.” -Bertha Russell
22- “You must meet the right people in the right way.” -Agnes van Rhijn
23- “You’ve just discovered injustice. I’ve lived with it my whole life. If I spent every day fighting with bigots, I’d never get anything done.” -Peggy Scott
24- “I’m not going to let anyone define who I am. I’m going to define myself.” – Marian Brook
25- “I’m going to be the richest woman in America.” – Bertha Russell
