The truth is how you say it, and to be 'one's self' is the most shocking custom of all.
Djuna BarnesRead
Our bones ache only while the flesh is on them. Stretch it as thin as the temple flesh of an ailing woman and still it serves to ache the bone and to move the bone about; and in like manner the night is a skin pulled over the head of day that the day may be in a torment. We will find no comfort until the night melts away; until the fury of the night rots out its fire.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the pain and struggles of existence, suggesting that discomfort persists until a transformative change occurs.
Djuna Barnes' quote contemplates the inherent suffering in life, likening it to the ache of bones which is felt most strongly when flesh is present. The imagery of night as a tormenting veil over the day symbolizes the struggles and challenges we face, suggesting that true relief is only found when these hardships pass, much like the night giving way to the dawn. The idea is that the discomfort we endure serves a purpose and that ultimately, a sense of peace can only be achieved through transformation and resolution of these struggles.
Themes
SufferingTransformationPainNightDayChangeExistenceStruggle
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a motivational speech to inspire resilience in the face of adversity.
More from Djuna Barnes
All quotes →Matthew,' she said, 'have you ever loved someone and it became yourself?' For a moment he did not answer. Taking up the decanter he held it to the light. 'Robin can go anywhere, do anything,' Nora continued, 'because she forgets, and I nowhere because I remember.' She came toward him. 'Matthew,' she said, 'you think I have always been like this. Once I was remorseless, but this is another love — it goes everywhere; there is no place for it to stop — it rots me away.
Djuna BarnesRead
“God,” she cried, “what is love? Man seeking his own head? The human head, so rented by misery that even the teeth weigh! She couldn't tell me the truth because she had never planned it; her life was a continual accident, and how can you be prepared for that? Everything we can't bear in this world, some day we find in one person, and love it all at once.”
Djuna BarnesRead
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