No matter how vital experience might be while you lived it, no sooner was it ended and dead than it became as lifeless as the piles of dry dust in a school history book.
The quote by Ellen Glasgow highlights the fleeting nature of experience. It suggests that the significance of an event or experience is lost once it has passed, much like how historical events become dry facts in a textbook.
This quote can be seen as a commentary on the human tendency to forget the past and the importance of holding onto memories. It also touches on the idea that our experiences shape us, but once they are over, they become mere footnotes in the grand tapestry of our lives.
Ellen Glasgow was an American novelist and journalist, best known for her novels that explored the lives of women in the American South during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.