When I look at my life I realise that the mistakes I have made, the things I really regret, were not errors of judgement but failures of feeling.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes that true regrets stem from emotional failures rather than poor decisions.
Jeanette Winterson reflects on her life, suggesting that the deepest regrets arise not from bad judgment or decisions, but rather from moments where she failed to connect with her feelings. This implies that emotional intelligence and awareness are crucial for leading a fulfilling life, highlighting the importance of understanding our emotions in making choices.
In practice
During a motivational speech about resilience and emotional awareness.
What is remembered is not a deed in stone but a metaphor. Meta = above. Pheren = to carry. That which is carried above the literalness of life. A way of thinking that avoids the problems of gravity. The word won't let me down. The single word that can release me from all that unuttered weight.
Reading things that are relevant to the facts of your life is of limited value. The facts are, after all, only the facts, and the yearning passionate part of you will not be met there. That is why reading ourselves as a fiction as well as fact is so liberating. The wider we read the freer we become.
I have a list of titles that I leave at the [library] desk, because they are bound to be written some day, and it's best to be ahead of the queue.
Woolf wanted to say dangerous things in Orlando but she did not want to say them in the missionary position.
In that house, you will find my heart. You must break in, Henri, and get it back for me.' Was she mad? We had been talking figuratively. Her heart was in her body like mine. I tried to explain this to her, but she took my hand and put it against her chest. Feel for yourself.
History is a string full of knots, the best you can do is admire it, and maybe tie it up a bit more. History is a hammock for swinging and a game for playing.
Why should we be in such desperate haste to succeed, and in such desperate enterprises? If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.
Come, then, affliction, if my Father wills, and be my frowning friend. A friend that frowns is better than a smiling enemy.
People assume you can't be shy and be on television. They're wrong.
In the heroic effort of the handcart pioneers, we learn a great truth. All must pass through a refinerβs fire, and the insignificant and unimportant in our lives can melt away like dross and make our faith bright, intact, and strong. There seems to be a full measure of anguish, sorrow, and often heartbreak for everyone, including those who earnestly seek to do right and be faithful. Yet this is part of the purging to become acquainted with God.
Doubt is one of the names of intelligence.
Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.
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