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
It is often said that New York is a city for only the very rich and the very poor. It is less often said that New York is also, at least for those of us who came there from somewhere else, a city for only the very young.
Interpretation
New York City attracts both the wealthy and the impoverished, but it's particularly appealing to the young and those seeking new beginnings.
In this quote, Joan Didion reflects on the unique social dynamics of New York City, highlighting that it often appears as an exclusive space for the affluent and the underprivileged. However, she emphasizes that for many newcomers, especially the youth, New York represents a vibrant landscape of opportunities and possibilities, suggesting that youth is a critical factor in navigating the city's challenges and rewards.
In practice
During a motivational speech about chasing dreams in urban environments.
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.
The truth is, it's easier for me to write than talk... to express the state I'm in at any time.
Memories are what you no longer want to remember.
It was clear, for example, in 1988 that the political process had already become perilously remote from the electorate it was meant to represent.
I mean maybe I was holding all the aces, but what was the game?
Do not whine... Do not complain. Work harder. Spend more time alone.
It's so curious: one can resist tears and 'behave' very well in the hardest hours of grief. But then someone makes you a friendly sign behind a window, or one notices that a flower that was in bud only yesterday has suddenly blossomed, or a letter slips from a drawer... and everything collapses.
After months of want and hunger, we suddenly found ourselves able to have meals fit for the gods, and with appetites the gods might have envied.
Everything was good. But it was awful, too.
I grew up playing in the streets. We played two-hand touch from street pole to street pole. That's how I learned the game.
But I don't think it's as dangerous, scary, or terrifying as getting to the end of our lives and wondering, what if I would have shown up?
Yes, I am sad, sad as a circus-lioness, sad as an eagle without wings, sad as a violin with only one string and that one broken, sad as a woman who is growing old. Sad, sad, sad.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.