Reading a poem in translation is like kissing a woman through a veil.
Anne MichaelsRead
History and memory share events; that is, they share time and space. Every moment is two moments.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the intricate relationship between history and memory, emphasizing that every moment has dual significance.
Anne Michaels suggests that history and memory are intertwined aspects of our existence, as events are perceived and recalled through individual memory. Each moment in time carries layers of meaning, shaped by both the objective facts of history and the subjective experiences residing in our memory, creating a complex tapestry of understanding our past.
Themes
HistoryMemoryMomentsTimeSpace
In practice
Example use cases
In a presentation about personal storytelling, this quote emphasizes how our memories shape our understanding of historical events.
More from Anne Michaels
All quotes →Hold a book in your hand and you're a pilgrim at the gates of a new city.
Anne MichaelsRead
When my parents were liberated, four years before I was born, they found that the ordinary world outside the camp had been eradicated. There was no more simple meal, no thing was less than extraordinary: a fork, a mattress, a clean shirt, a book. Not to mention such things that can make one weep: an orange, meat and vegetables, hot water. There was no ordinariness to return to, no refuge from the blinding potency of things, an apple screaming its sweet juice.
Anne MichaelsRead
If love wants you; if you've been melted down to stars, you will love with lungs and gills; with feathers and scales; with warm blood and cold.
Anne MichaelsRead
Long after you’ve forgotten someone’s voice, you can still remember the sound of their happiness or their sadness. You can feel it in your body.
Anne MichaelsRead
Love makes you see a place differently, just as you hold differently an object that belongs to someone you love. If you know one landscape well, you will look at all other landscapes differently. And if you learn to love one place, sometimes you can also learn to love another.
Anne MichaelsRead
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