Life with most teenagers was like having a low-grade bladder infection. It hurts, but you had to tough it out.
Anne LamottRead
Grace arrived, like the big, loopy stitches with which a grandmotherly stranger might baste your hem temporarily.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Grace is often unexpected and provides temporary support in difficult times.
In this quote, Anne Lamott compares grace to the loving, albeit temporary, stitches that a grandmother might use to hold clothing together. This metaphor suggests that grace comes into our lives much like a gentle, unanticipated aid that helps us through challenges, offering comfort and support when we need it most, but not in a permanent way. It reminds us that grace can manifest in small, nurturing acts from others that help us along our journey.
Themes
GraceSupportKindnessTemporaryNurturing
In practice
Example use cases
During a difficult time at a funeral, I shared this quote to remind everyone of the grace that helps us through our grief.
More from Anne Lamott
All quotes βOr you might shout at the top of your lungs or whisper into your sleeve, "I hate you, God." That is a prayer too, because it is real, it is truth, and maybe it is the first sincere thought you've had in months.
Anne LamottRead
Your problem is how you are going to spend this one odd and precious life you have been issued. Whether you're going to spend it trying to look good and creating the illusion that you have power over people and circumstances, or whether you are going to taste it, enjoy it and find out the truth about who you are.
Anne LamottRead
It is hard to remember that you are a cherished spiritual being when you're burping up apple fritters and Cheetos.
Anne LamottRead
Gorgeous, amazing things come into our lives when we are paying attention: mangoes, grandnieces, Bach, ponds. This happens more often when we have as little expectation as possible. If you say, "Well, that's pretty much what I thought I'd see," you are in trouble. At that point you have to ask yourself why you are even here. [...] Astonishing material and revelation appear in our lives all the time. Let it be. Unto us, so much is given. We just have to be open for business.
Anne LamottRead
...because when people have seen you at their worst, you don't have to put on the mask as much.
Anne LamottRead
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I used to be one of those students who needed to see something bigger, and God brought people into my life who gave me a bigger vision than the circumstances that surrounded me.
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A day spent without the sight or sound of beauty, the contemplation of mystery, or the search of truth or perfection is a poverty-stricken day; and a succession of such days is fatal to human life.
Lewis MumfordRead