When silence is a choice, it is an unnerving presence. When silence is imposed, it is censorship.
Terry Tempest WilliamsRead
I will never be able to say what is in my heart because words fail us, because it is in our nature to protect, because there are times when what is public and what is private must be discerned.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Words often fall short in expressing true emotions, especially when it concerns private feelings.
This quote reflects the struggle of articulating deep emotions that are often intrinsic to our personal experiences. It highlights the inherent difficulty of using language to convey heartfelt sentiments due to our instinct to protect ourselves and the boundaries between our public and private lives, suggesting that some feelings may remain unexpressed or too complex for words.
Themes
EmotionsCommunicationSilencePrivacyExpressions
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the complexities of love and unspoken feelings.
More from Terry Tempest Williams
All quotes →The human heart is the first home of democracy. It is where we embrace our questions: Can we be equitable? Can we be generous? Can we listen with our whole beings, not just our minds, and offer our attention rather than our opinion? And do we have enough resolve in our hearts to act courageously, relentlessly, without giving up, trusting our fellow citizens to join us in our determined pursuit-a living democracy?
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Once upon a time, when women were birds, there was the simple understanding that to sing at dawn, and to sing at dusk, was to heal the world through joy. The birds still remember what we have forgotten, that the world is meant to be celebrated.
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I am slowly, painfully discovering that my refuge is not found in my mother, my grandmother, of even the birds of Bear River. My refuge exists in my capacity to love. If I can learn to love death then I can begin to find refuge in change.
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How do we remain faithful to our own spiritual imagination and not betray what we know in our own bodies? The world is holy. We are holy. All life is holy.
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The Eyes of the Future are looking back at us and they are praying for us to see beyond our own time.
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