Was it always my nature to take a bad time and block out the good times, until any success became an accident and failure seemed the only truth?
Lillian HellmanRead
Nobody knows what you want except you. And nobody will be as sorry as you if you don't get it. Wanting some other way to live is proof enough of deserving it. Having it is hard work, but not having it is sheer hell.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and the effort needed to achieve one's desires.
Lillian Hellman's quote reflects on the significance of understanding one's own wants and the personal responsibility that comes with pursuing those desires. It suggests that while achieving what we seek may require hard work, not striving for it results in a deeper sense of regret and unfulfillment, highlighting the contrast between the challenge of effort and the pain of inaction.
Themes
DesireSelf-AwarenessEffortRegretFulfillment
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about following your dreams.
More from Lillian Hellman
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It is best to act with confidence, no matter how little right you have to it.
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If you believe, as the Greeks did, that man is at the mercy of the gods, then you write tragedy. The end is inevitable from the beginning. But if you believe that man can solve his own problems and is at nobody's mercy, then you will probably write melodrama.
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Failure in the theater is more dramatic and uglier than any other form of writing. It costs so much, you feel so guilty.
Lillian HellmanRead
It is not good to see people who have been pretending strength all their lives lose it even for a minute.
Lillian HellmanRead
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