Never did he once consider directing his hatred toward the hunters. Such an emotion would have destroyed him ... His subconscious knew what his min did not guess-that hating them would have consumed him, burned him up like a piece of soft coal, leaving only flakes of ash and a question mark of smoke.
Interpretation
Hate can be self-destructive and lead to one's own downfall.
In this quote, Toni Morrison emphasizes the destructive nature of hatred, suggesting that instead of directing negative emotions towards others, one should recognize how such feelings can ultimately harm oneself. The imagery of burning like coal illustrates how consuming hatred can leave a person as mere remnants of their former self, ultimately unfulfilled and questioning.
In practice
This quote can be used in a discussion about emotional health and the importance of letting go of anger.
There is a certain kind of peace that is not merely the absence of war. It is larger than that. The peace I am thinking of is not at the mercy of history's rule, nor is it a passive surrender to the status quo. The peace I am thinking of is the dance of an open mind when it engages another equally open one -- an activity that occurs most naturally, most often in the reading/writing world we live in. Accessible as it is, this particular kind of peace warrants vigilance.
You looking good." "Devil's confusion. He lets me look good long as I feel bad.
What do you say? There really are no words for that. There really aren't. Somebody tries to say, 'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.' People say that to me. There's no language for it. Sorry doesn't do it. I think you should just hug people and mop their floor or something.
An innocent man is a sin before God. Inhuman and therefore untrustworthy. No man should live without absorbing the sins of his kind, the foul air of his innocence, even if it did wilt rows of angel trumpets and cause them to fall from their vines.
Like friendship, hatred needed more than physical intimacy; it wanted creativity and hard work to sustain itself
One of my kids was born in 1968. There were going to be political difficulties, but they were never going to have that level of hatred and contempt that my brothers and my sister and myself were exposed to.
Vanity is something that will only get in the way of doing your best work, and ultimately if you're truly vain you care more about your work than how you look in your work. I actually consider myself a pretty vain guy when it comes to that.
I am patient and loving with my fearful thoughts. Be patient and loving with every fearful thought. Practice observing your fears as a witness, and you'll see them dissolve.
Without frustration you will not discover that you might be able to do something on your own. We grow through conflict.
I have no advice for anybody; except to, you know, be awake enough to see where you are at any given time, and how that is beautiful, and has poetry inside. Even places you hate.
Entrepreneurs spend an inordinate amount of time inside of our own heads - thinking, analyzing, agonizing and obsessing over every little detail of our business. Sometimes, we need a break from ourselves. Meditation is a chance to let the thinking mind rest.
Some of us are returning to sanity, because we're tired of the pain. We're in a hurry. No time to mess around.
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