I wish I were a girl again, half-savage and hardy, and free. This quote from Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights expresses a longing for the simplicity, strength, and freedom of childhood. It reflects a nostalgic desire to return to a time before life's burdens and complexities took hold, emphasizing the purity and resilience of youth.

The speaker yearns for a past where life was less restricted, more wild, and filled with a sense of independence. This sentiment highlights a contrast between childhood innocence and adult struggles, emphasizing a deep longing for the unencumbered and untamed spirit of earlier days.