Among writers, if you don't have a therapist, it's like saying you don't keep a journal or use the thesaurus. It's a natural accompaniment.
Amy TanRead
Her education only made her unhappy thinking about it - that no matter how much she changed her life, she could not change the world that surrounded her.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the limitations of education in bringing about personal happiness amidst societal issues.
In this quote, Amy Tan addresses the disillusionment that can accompany education when it leads to an awareness of the world's shortcomings. Despite gaining knowledge and striving to improve her own life, the speaker feels a deep sense of frustration and unhappiness, recognizing that true change in the broader world often feels unattainable, leaving her feeling powerless in the face of societal challenges.
Themes
EducationHappinessChangeSocietyDiscontent
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the purpose of education, one might use this quote to illustrate its limitations.
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Even if I had expected it, even if I had known what I was going to do with my life, it would have knocked the wind out of me. When something that violent hits you, you can't help but lose your balance and fall. And after you pick yourself up, you realize you can't trust anybody to save you- not your husband, not your mother, not God. So what can you do to stop yourself from tilting and falling all over again?
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And for all those years, we never talked about the disaster at the recital or my terrible accusations afterward at the piano bench. All that remained unchecked, like a betrayal that was now unbreakable. So I never found a way to ask her why she had hoped something so large that failure was inevitable. And even worse, I never asked her what frightened me the most: Why had she given up hope?
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I learned to make things not matter, to put a seal on my hopes and place them on a high shelf, out of reach. And by telling myself that there was nothing inside those hopes anyway, I avoided the wounds of deep disappointment. The pain was no worse than the quick sting of a booster shot. And yet thinking about this makes me ache again. How is it that as a child I knew I should have been loved more? Is everyone born with a bottomless emotional resevoir?
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I would tell him that shoot me but first listen to me. And I would tell him that education is my right and education is the right of your daughter and son a well. And I'm speaking up for them. I'm speaking up for peace.
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