How we cite our quotes: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
'Oh I don't say but what there are plenty of pretty places and remarkable old things; but the trouble is that I don't seem to feel anywhere in tune.' (1.2.10)
Strether isn't the only dude in this book who feels dissatisfied. His buddy Waymarsh, for example, also feels deeply down—but for him, it's by his European "vacation." Sure, he can admit that there's some cool stuff to see and do in Europe; but the man never manages to feel like he's at home or "in tune" with his surroundings. It's like Europe moves to a different rhythm than him, and he misses being back in The States where things feel normal to him.
Quote #2
It was by the oddest, the least admirable of laws demoralizing him now; and the way it boldly took was to make him want more wants. (1.3.15)
Usually, the feeling of dissatisfaction leads a person to want something. But for Strether, the issue goes even deeper. For him, dissatisfaction makes him wish that there were more things he wanted. After all, Strether has lived much of his life serving others (like Mrs. Newsome). But now that he's in Europe alone, he realizes that he needs to get in touch with his own desires.
Quote #3
'It's exactly the thing that I'm reduced to doing for myself. It seems to rescue a little, you see, from the wreck of hopes and ambitions, the refuse-heap of disappointments and failures, my presentable little scrap of identity.' (2.1.31)
This is pretty pathetic, yo. Strether tells Maria that he enjoys working on the Woollett Revue magazine because it gives him consolation for all of the ambitions and dreams that have never come true in his life. This is all really depressing, but at least it does the trick of setting up a nice motive for Strether's actions later in the book. As we will see, dissatisfaction can be a very powerful force.