I wanted to invent myself as a fictional character. And I did, and it has caused a great deal of confusion.
Interpretation
The quote reflects the idea of self-invention and the complexities that arise from creating one's identity.
Jeanette Winterson's quote speaks to the profound human desire to shape and redefine oneself, almost as if crafting a character in a story. This exploration of identity can lead to confusion both internally and externally, as the lines between the self and the fictional persona can blur, raising questions about authenticity and perception in a world that often values distinct, clear identities.
In practice
Use this quote during a speech about personal growth and self-discovery.
What is remembered is not a deed in stone but a metaphor. Meta = above. Pheren = to carry. That which is carried above the literalness of life. A way of thinking that avoids the problems of gravity. The word won't let me down. The single word that can release me from all that unuttered weight.
Reading things that are relevant to the facts of your life is of limited value. The facts are, after all, only the facts, and the yearning passionate part of you will not be met there. That is why reading ourselves as a fiction as well as fact is so liberating. The wider we read the freer we become.
I have a list of titles that I leave at the [library] desk, because they are bound to be written some day, and it's best to be ahead of the queue.
Woolf wanted to say dangerous things in Orlando but she did not want to say them in the missionary position.
In that house, you will find my heart. You must break in, Henri, and get it back for me.' Was she mad? We had been talking figuratively. Her heart was in her body like mine. I tried to explain this to her, but she took my hand and put it against her chest. Feel for yourself.
History is a string full of knots, the best you can do is admire it, and maybe tie it up a bit more. History is a hammock for swinging and a game for playing.
...the case for individual freedom rests largely on the recognition of the inevitable and universal ignorance of all of us concerning a great many of the factors on which the achievements of our ends and welfare depend.
I have a wife, I have sons: all of them hostages given to fate.
How beautiful the world was when one looked at it, without searching... just looked, simply and innocently.
Truth has beauty, power, and necessity.
Law never is, but is always about to be.
What we see before us is just one tiny part of the world. We get in the habit of thinking, this is the world, but that's not true at all. The real world is a much darker and deeper place than this, and much of it is occupied by jellyfish and things.
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