He was like me - a kindred spirit crazy enough to keep on trying.
Interpretation
This quote speaks to the bond between individuals who share similar passions and perseverance in their pursuits.
Octavia Butler highlights the importance of finding those who resonate with us on a deeper level, as kindred spirits often inspire one another to continue striving towards our goals. The notion of being 'crazy enough to keep on trying' emphasizes the need for resilience and determination, suggesting that it is perfectly acceptable to embrace our uniqueness as we chase our dreams.
In practice
In a motivational speech addressing young entrepreneurs, this quote can encourage them to find supportive communities.
What I'm working on now - I'm back to fantasy, although considering that it's me, I'm turning it into a kind of science fantasy. It's a vampire story - but my vampires are biological vampires. They didn't become vampires because someone bit them; they were born that way.
Slavery was a long slow process of dulling.
Here I was into astronomy, and here into anthropology, and there I go into geology. It was much more fun to be able to research and write about whatever I wanted to.
There is no end To what a living world Will demand of you.
You don't start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it's good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That's why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.
Better to stay alive," I said. "At least while there's a chance to get free." I thought of the sleeping pills in my bag and wondered just how great a hypocrite I was. It was so easy to advise other people to live with their pain.
You know how many men make music without biting each other's heads off? Why do we have to do that? There's room for everybody. I really couldn't care less what the next girl's doing. If she's shining, that's good. It's not taking away from my light.
There is so much we can do to render service, to make a difference in the world - no matter how large or small our circle of influence.
What I see everywhere in the world are ordinary people willing to confront despair, power, and incalculable odds in order to restore some semblance of grace, justice, and beauty to this world.
I always wanted to know, and I always used to daydream, about what it would be like to stand on a really big stage and sing songs for a lot of people, songs that I had written... Daydreaming was kind of my No. 1 thing when I was little, because I didn't have much of a social life going on.
The great creators - the thinkers, the artists, the scientists, the inventors - stood alone against the men of their time. Every great new thought was opposed. Every great new invention was denounced. The first motor was considered foolish. The airplane was considered impossible... But the men of unborrowed vision went ahead. They fought, they suffered and they paid. But they won.
When I was growing up, there were very few women athletes. I remember watching Olga Corbett, but Peggy Fleming and Janet Lynn were my role models. I never dreamt that I could be at that level. I remember thinking they seemed so elegant and regal and powerful and feminine.
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