I want to still be me when I wake up one fine morning and have breakfast at Tiffany´s.
But I'm not a saint yet. I'm an alcoholic. I'm a drug addict. I'm homosexual. I'm a genius.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the complexity of human identity and struggles, highlighting that one can possess multiple conflicting identities and traits.
Truman Capote's statement serves as a candid acknowledgment of personal flaws and struggles alongside his exceptional talents. It illustrates the idea that individuals are multi-faceted, often grappling with divergent aspects of their identity, such as addiction and sexual orientation, while also possessing brilliance. By declaring he is 'not a saint yet,' Capote emphasizes the human experience of imperfection and the ongoing journey of self-acceptance.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on addiction recovery, this quote can be shared to illustrate the struggles many face.
More from Truman Capote
All quotes →All writing, all art, is an act of faith. If one tries to contribute to human understanding, how can that be called decadent? It's like saying a declaration of love is an act of decadence. Any work of art, provide it springs from a sincere motivation to further understanding between people, is an act of faith and therefore is an act of love.
No one will ever know what 'In Cold Blood' took out of me. It scraped me right down to the marrow of my bones. It nearly killed me. I think, in a way, it did kill me.
Hot weather opens the skull of a city, exposing its white brain, and its heart of nerves, which sizzle like the wires inside a lightbulb. And there exudes a sour extra-human smell that makes the very stone seem flesh-alive, webbed and pulsing.
I don't want to own anything until I find a place where me and things go together.
The quietness of his tone italicized the malice of his reply.
Similar quotes
People talk of the pathos and failure of plain women; but it is a more terrible thing that a beautiful woman may succeed in everything but womanhood.
he wanted people to like his mind again-after awhile it might be such a nice place in which to live.
I never wanted to be Marilyn - it just happened. Marilyn's like a veil I wear over Norma Jeane.
Any time I claimed to be white, that would be unacceptable. It just doesn't make sense in people's minds. If I'm white, how can I walk through a department store and still have people scared that I'm going to rob them? Which, that can still happen.
If there is existence, there must be non-existence. And if there was a time when nothing existed, there must have been a time before that - when even nothing did not exist. Suddenly, when nothing came into existence, could one really say whether it belonged to the category of existence or non-existence?
One problem with globalisation is that bad ideas seem to travel faster than good ones; first there was smearing tomato ketchup on everything; then drinking sugar-soaked cocktails ('Cosmo'-politanism) instead of our traditional whisky soda, and now this idea that we should abandon the poor to their fate in order to protect their dignity.