Good is towing the line, being behaved, being quiet, being passive, fitting in, being liked, and great is being messy, having a belly, speaking your mind, standing up for what you believe in, fighting for another paradigm, not letting people talk you out of what you know to be true.
Interpretation
The quote contrasts the norms of good behavior with the bravery of being authentic and true to oneself.
Eve Ensler's quote highlights the difference between conforming to societal expectations—represented by being 'good'—and embracing one's true self and ideals, which may often be seen as 'messy' or unconventional. It encourages individuals to speak their minds and advocate for their beliefs, fostering a sense of empowerment and personal integrity over societal approval.
In practice
During a motivational speech to encourage students to embrace their uniqueness.
Dancing insists we take up space, and though it has no set direction, we go there together. Dance is dangerous, joyous, sexual, holy, disruptive, and contagious and it breaks the rules. It can happen anywhere, at anytime, with anyone and everyone, and it's free. Dance joins us and pushes us to go further and that is why it's at the center of ONE BILLION RISING.
Before cancer, I was obviously disconnected. I had a tumor the size of a mango inside me and didn't do anything about it. It wasn't like I didn't know something was wrong.
It's a weird thing about the truth: It protects you. What really makes you vulnerable is when you're lying because you're going to get caught. When you tell the truth, there's a strange relief that comes.
Well, the tyranny of masculinity and the tyranny of patriarchy I think has been much more deadly to men than it has to women. It hasn’t killed our hearts. It’s killed men’s hearts. It’s silenced them, it’s cut them off.
Why are women immobile? Because so many feel like they’re waiting for someone to say, "You’re good, you’re pretty, I give you permission."
Security is elusive. It's impossible. We all die. We all get old. We all get sick. People leave us. People change us. Nothing is secure.
When you stop having dreams and ideals - well, you might as well stop altogether.
...you're on this earth with a divine purpose: to rise to the level of your highest creative possibility, expressing all that you are intellectually, emotionally, psychologically, and physically in order to make the universe a more beautiful place.
How long will this last, this delicious feeling of being alive, of having penetrated the veil which hides beauty and the wonders of celestial vistas? It doesn't matter, as there can be nothing but gratitude for even a glimpse of what exists for those who can become open to it.
They're not prosthetics. They're my bones. They come out when I’m inspired. They've always been inside of me, but I have been waiting for the right time to reveal to the universe who I truly am.
It really is an honor if I can be inspirational to a younger singer or person. It means I've done my job.
I am an ordinary person who has been blessed with extraordinary opportunities and experiences.
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