There is a certain kind of peace that is not merely the absence of war. It is larger than that. The peace I am thinking of is not at the mercy of history's rule, nor is it a passive surrender to the status quo. The peace I am thinking of is the dance of an open mind when it engages another equally open one -- an activity that occurs most naturally, most often in the reading/writing world we live in. Accessible as it is, this particular kind of peace warrants vigilance.
I dream a dream that dreams back at me.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote expresses the idea that our dreams and aspirations have a reciprocal relationship with us. They reach back to shape our identity and influence our actions.
Toni Morrison's quote suggests that the dreams we hold are not just one-sided aspirations; they are alive and dynamic. Our dreams reflect our innermost desires and thoughts, and in turn, they challenge and inspire us to become the person we are meant to be, shaping our reality and experiences. It emphasizes the connection between our dreams and our conscious existence, representing a deeper dialogue between our aspirations and ourselves.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a motivational speech about pursuing one's aspirations.
More from Toni Morrison
All quotes βYou looking good." "Devil's confusion. He lets me look good long as I feel bad.
What do you say? There really are no words for that. There really aren't. Somebody tries to say, 'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.' People say that to me. There's no language for it. Sorry doesn't do it. I think you should just hug people and mop their floor or something.
An innocent man is a sin before God. Inhuman and therefore untrustworthy. No man should live without absorbing the sins of his kind, the foul air of his innocence, even if it did wilt rows of angel trumpets and cause them to fall from their vines.
Like friendship, hatred needed more than physical intimacy; it wanted creativity and hard work to sustain itself
One of my kids was born in 1968. There were going to be political difficulties, but they were never going to have that level of hatred and contempt that my brothers and my sister and myself were exposed to.
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Two things awe me most, the starry sky above me and the moral law within me.
The erosion of a nation's concern for life and for individual rights, has always preceded the intrusion of tyranny.
Allies never trust each other, but that doesn't spoil their effectiveness.
Animals are sentient, intelligent, perceptive, funny and entertaining. We owe them a duty of care as we do to children.
It is hard enough to remember my opinions, without also remembering my reasons for them!
Bart Giamatti did not grow up (as he had dreamed) to play second base for the Red Sox. He became a professor at Yale, and then, in time president of the National Baseball League. He never lost his love for the Boston Red Sox. It was as a Red Sox fan, he later realized that human beings are fallen, and that life is filled with disappointment. The path to comprehending Calvinism in modern America, he decided, begins at Fenway Park.