You fall out of your mother's womb, you crawl across open country under fire, and drop into your grave.
Quentin CrispRead
The flagrantly gay Quentin Crisp dealt with homophobic bullying by refusing to bow to its onslaught. His number listed in the phone directory, he responded to derogatory remarks accompanied with a stated intent to kill him by asking, "Would you like to make an appointment?"
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote illustrates how Quentin Crisp confronted homophobic bullying with bravery and wit.
Quentin Crisp's approach to dealing with homophobic bullying exemplifies immense courage and resilience. Rather than succumbing to fear or aggression, he maintained his dignity and responded with a sardonic challenge, showing that he would not allow intimidation to dictate his life. His boldness in directly addressing threats with humor highlights the power of confronting hate with strength and wit, offering a unique perspective on resilience in the face of adversity.
Themes
Quainton CrispBullyingHomophobiaCourageResilienceHumor
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about overcoming adversity, one might cite this quote to emphasize the importance of strength in the face of bullying.
More from Quentin Crisp
All quotes →The consuming desire of most human beings is deliberately to plant their whole life in the hands of some other person. I would describe this method of searching for happiness as immature. Development of character consists solely in moving toward self-sufficiency.
Quentin CrispRead
What would you be like if you were the only person in the world? If you want to be truly happy you must be that person.
Quentin CrispRead
The search for a life-style involves a journey to the interior. This is not altogether a pleasant experience, because you not only have to take stock of what you consider your assets but you also have to take a long look at what your friends call “the trouble with you.” Nevertheless, the journey is worth making.
Quentin CrispRead
If you describe things as better than they are, you are considered to be a romantic; if you describe things as worse than they are, you will be called a realist; and if you describe things exactly as they are, you will be thought of as a satirist.
Quentin CrispRead
It is explained that all relationships require a little give and take. This is untrue. Any partnership demands that we give and give and give and at the last, as we flop into our graves exhausted, we are told that we didn't give enough.
Quentin CrispRead
Similar quotes
At the core, the American citizen soldiers knew the difference between right and wrong, and they didn't want to live in a world in which wrong prevailed. So they fought, and won, and we all of us, living and yet to be born, must be forever profoundly grateful.
Stephen AmbroseRead
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.
Anais NinRead
Cowardice, as distinguished from panic, is almost always simply a lack of ability to suspend the functioning of the imagination.
Ernest HemingwayRead
A word does not frighten the man who, in acting feels no fear.
SophoclesRead
The way I was taught, being black was a plus, always. Being a human being, being in America, and being black, all three were the greatest things that could happen to you. The combination was unbeatable.
Leontyne PriceRead
So I didn't pass. It was the army's decision that they didn't want me to go into the service. They're the boss. I don't want to say no whole lot about it.
Muhammad AliRead