A miniature dining table crowded with dishes at one end and a single place setting at the other on a dark green background.

Original artwork, not a still

Theodore Roosevelt

I generally have people in to lunch, but at dinner, thank fortune, we are usually alone.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker contrasts lunches with guests and dinners usually spent without them. The thankful aside makes the quieter meal sound especially welcome. The sentence acknowledges a regular social routine while finding relief in the chance to be alone together afterwards.

Context reviewed

Share this quote