"I can only note that the past is beautiful because one never realises an emotion at the time. It expands later, and thus we don't have complete emotions about the present, only about the past"

This quote by Virginia Woolf speaks with the concept that our feelings about the past are typically more extreme than our emotions about the present. Woolf recommends that this is due to the fact that we do not totally understand our feelings in the present minute, however rather they expand and end up being more extreme over time. This is why the past can seem so beautiful and powerful - due to the fact that we have the ability to review it with a greater understanding of our emotions. Woolf's quote also talks to the idea that our emotions about the present are often insufficient, as we do not have the very same level of understanding of them as we finish with our emotions about the past. This is why the past can appear so much more gorgeous and powerful - since we are able to reflect on it with a higher understanding of our emotions.