Sadness is more or less like a head cold - with patience, it passes. Depression is like cancer.
Barbara KingsolverRead
So one time when I was working in this motel one of the toilets leaked and I had to replace the flapper ball. Here's what it said on the package; I kept it till I knew it by heart: 'Please Note. Parts are included for all installations, but no installation requires all of the parts.' That's kind of my philosophy about men. I don't think there's an installation out there that could use all my parts.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on individuality and the uniqueness of people, suggesting that not everyone needs all traits to be complete.
In this quote, Barbara Kingsolver uses a metaphor from her experience at a motel to convey a deeper message about human relationships and the concept of wholeness. She likens the components of a toilet installation to the various traits of a person, implying that just as not every installation requires every part, individuals also do not need to possess every possible characteristic to be considered complete or valuable. This philosophy encourages acceptance of individuality and the idea that everyone brings their unique set of attributes to relationships.
Themes
IndividualityUniquenessRelationshipsPhilosophyTraits
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about accepting ourselves and others.
More from Barbara Kingsolver
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I'm of a fearsome mind to throw my arms around every living librarian who crosses my path, on behalf of the souls they never knew they saved.
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I did it to win love, and to prove myself capable. Not to move mountains. In my opinions, mountains don't move. They only look changed when you look down on them from great height.
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Memory is a complicated thing, a relative to truth, but not its twin.
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Empathy is really the opposite of spiritual meanness. It's the capacity to understand that every war is both won and lost. And that someone else's pain is as meaningful as your own.
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