To shift the structure of a sentence alters the meaning of that sentence, as definitely and inflexibly as the position of a camera alters the meaning of the object photographed.
Joan DidionRead
I never had much interest in being a child. As a way of being it seemed flat, failed to engage.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects a lack of enthusiasm for childhood and its perceived limitations.
Joan Didion expresses a sentiment that childhood, as she experienced it, felt uninteresting and unsatisfying. She suggests that the typical experiences of being a child were not engaging or fulfilling for her, indicating a preference for deeper, more meaningful experiences that often come with adulthood.
Themes
ChildhoodEngagementExperiencePhilosophyReflection
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the responsibilities and joys of adulthood, this quote could illustrate the contrast with childhood.
More from Joan Didion
All quotes βThe truth is, it's easier for me to write than talk... to express the state I'm in at any time.
Joan DidionRead
Memories are what you no longer want to remember.
Joan DidionRead
It was clear, for example, in 1988 that the political process had already become perilously remote from the electorate it was meant to represent.
Joan DidionRead
I mean maybe I was holding all the aces, but what was the game?
Joan DidionRead
Do not whine... Do not complain. Work harder. Spend more time alone.
Joan DidionRead
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We raise our voices in holy gladness to celebrate the victory of the risen Christ over the terrible forces of death.
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And then I felt sad because I realized that once people are broken in certain ways, they can't ever be fixed, and this is something nobody ever tells you when you are young and it never fails to surprise you as you grow older as you see the people in your life break one by one. You wonder when your turn is going to be, or if it's already happened.
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I want to feel my own nothingness, I want to give myself up in absolute resignation to God, to lie prostrate and passive at His feet, with no other disposition in my heart than that of merging my will into His will, and no other language in my mouth than that of prayer for the perfecting of His strength in my weakness.
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