The Portrait of a Lady Quotes
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Source: The Portrait of a Lady
Author: Henry James
"I call people rich when they're able to meet the requirements of their imagination."
"Isabel's poor then. My mother tells me that she has but a few hundred dollars a year. I should like to make her rich."
"What do you mean by rich?"
"I call people rich when they're able to meet the requirements of their imagination. Isabel has a great deal of imagination."
Context
This line is spoken by Ralph Touchett in the novel The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James (1881).
Ralph Touchett is pretty into Isabel Archer, but he doesn't like the idea of using his riches to force her to marry him. Good on you, Ralph.
So instead, he convinces his father to leave her a fortune when he dies so that she can do whatever she likes and not have to marry for money. Ralph wants Isabel to have a bit of money and independence.
Of course, this backfires epically when the newly-rich Isabel gets tricked into marrying the wicked Gilbert Osmond. He ends up controlling everything she does and only loves her for her money. So much for imagination and independence.
Where you've heard it
You've probably heard this anywhere fans of Henry James are gathering…or anywhere people are pointing out the differences between the haves and the have-nots.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
This quote has just enough old-timey flair to make you sound a little bit pretentious. But the basic truth of it is sound—if you've got the bucks, you can pretty much do what you want.