...we shall board our imagined ship and wildly sail among sacred islands of the mad till death shatters the fabulous stars and makes us real.
Sylvia PlathRead
I am not cruel, only truthful.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses that honesty, even when harsh, is not an act of cruelty but rather a reflection of truthfulness.
Sylvia Plath's quote emphasizes the importance of honesty over kindness, suggesting that being truthful may sometimes come across as cruel, but it is essential for understanding and growth. This statement invites reflection on the nature of truth in relationships and the potential discomfort that can arise from confronting reality.
Themes
TruthHonestyWisdomCrueltyPerception
In practice
Example use cases
In a workshop on communication, this quote could be used to emphasize the value of honesty over sugarcoating.
More from Sylvia Plath
All quotes βThe hardest thing, I think, is to live richly in the present, without letting it be tainted & spoiled out of fear for the future or regret for a badly-managed past.
Sylvia PlathRead
It is as if my life were magically run by two electric currents: joyous positive and despairing negative--which ever is running at the moment dominates my life, floods it.
Sylvia PlathRead
You walked in, laughing, tears welling confused, mingling in your throat. How can you be so many women to so many people, oh you strange girl?
Sylvia PlathRead
I keep wanting to crawl back into the womb.
Sylvia PlathRead
It's the living, the eating, the sleeping that everyone needs. Ideas don't matter so much after all. My three best friends are Catholic. I can't see their beliefs, but I can see the things they love to do on earth. When you come right down to it, I do believe in the freedom of the individual.
Sylvia PlathRead
Similar quotes
We like to think about how smart we are. But I think talent as a writer is hard-wired in, it's all there, at least the basic elements of it. You can't change it any more than you can choose whether to be right handed or left handed.
Stephen KingRead
The things you refuse to meet today always come back at you later on, usually under circumstances which make the decision twice as difficult as it originally was.
Eleanor RooseveltRead
The purpose of today's training is to defeat yesterday's understanding.
Miyamoto MusashiRead
Don't wish me happiness - I don't expect to be happy it's gotten beyond that, somehow. Wish me courage and strength and a sense of humor - I will need them all.
Anne Morrow LindberghRead
Letting go means we stop trying to force outcomes and make people behave. It means we give up resistance to the way things are, for the moment. It means we stop trying to do the impossible-controlling that which we cannot-and instead, focus on what is possible-which usually means taking care of ourselves. And we do this in gentleness, kindness, and love, as much as possible.
Melody BeattieRead
Failure is a great teacher and, if you are open to it, every mistake has a lesson to offer.
Oprah WinfreyRead