I want [my daughter] to look at the world through the underside of a glass-bottom boat, to look through a microscope at the galaxies that exist on the pinpoint of a human mind.
Interpretation
This quote encourages a perspective that appreciates both the minute details and the vast possibilities of life.
Sarah Kay's quote emphasizes the importance of having a unique perspective on the world. It suggests that one should be curious and observant, exploring the intricacies of life as well as the grand tapestry of existence. The imagery of looking through the underside of a glass-bottom boat evokes a sense of wonder, inviting us to observe life from different angles, while looking through a microscope draws attention to the vast potential thoughts and ideas can hold within a single mind. This dual focus on the micro and the macro reflects a holistic view of life that encourages exploration and understanding.
In practice
During a graduation speech to inspire students to explore their potential.
When I hear other people's stories, I like to believe that they contribute to my 'Encyclopedia of Human Experience.' The stories I hear help me expand my definition of what love is, what pain feels like, what sacrifice means, what laughter can do.
Spoken word poetry is the art of performance poetry. I tell people it involves creating poetry that doesn't just want to sit on paper, that something about it demands it be heard out loud or witnessed in person.
Life will hit you hard in the face, wait for you to get back up just so it can kick you in the stomach. But getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.
But in Hiroshima, some people were wiped clean away, leaving only a wristwatch or a diary page. So no matter that I have inhibitions to fill all my pockets, I keep trying, hoping that one day I'll write a poem I can be proud to let sit in a museum exhibit as the only proof I existed.
If I should have a daughter, instead of "Mom," she's going to call me "Point B," because that way she knows that no matter what happens, at least she can always find her way to me.
Not all poetry wants to be storytelling. And not all storytelling wants to be poetry. But great storytellers and great poets share something in common: They had something to say, and did.
Data isn't information. ... Information, unlike data, is useful. While there's a gulf between data and information, there's a wide ocean between information and knowledge. What turns the gears in our brains isn't information, but ideas, inventions, and inspiration. Knowledge-not information-implies understanding. And beyond knowledge lies what we should be seeking: wisdom.
Thus every matter, if it is to be done well, calls for the attention of the whole person.
Modesty is the graceful, calm virtue of maturity; bashfulness the charm of vivacious youth.
Hang that question up in your houses, "What would Jesus do?" and then think of another, "How would Jesus do it?" for what he would do, and how he would do it, may always stand as the best guide to us.
...but I've never regretted it. You can't regret experience.
Literary Experience heals the wound, without undermining the privilege of individuality.. .Here, as in worship, in love, in moral action, and in knowing, I transcend myself; and am never more myself than when I do.
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