The writer is the person who stands outside society, independent of affiliation and independent of influence.
Don DelilloRead
Past, present and future are not amenities of language. Time unfolds into the seamsof being. It passes through you, making and shaping.
Interpretation
This quote reflects on the nature of time and its impact on existence.
Don DeLillo's quote emphasizes that time is not merely a construct of language but a profound force that shapes our reality. It suggests that our experiences and identities are continuously molded by the flow of time, which connects our past, present, and future in a seamless tapestry of existence.
In practice
In a discussion about the philosophical implications of time, this quote can illustrate how our lives are influenced by the temporal flow.
The writer is the person who stands outside society, independent of affiliation and independent of influence.
War is the form nostalgia takes when men are hard-pressed to say something good about their country.
American writers ought to stand and live in the margins, and be more dangerous.
For me, writing is a concentrated form of thinking.
I used to think it was possible for an artist to alter the inner life of the culture. Now bomb-makers and gunmen have taken that territory.
[I]n the American soul there is a lonely individual standing in a vast landscape. β¨He is either on a horse or driving a car, depending, and either way heβs carrying a gun. β¨This is one of the essential images in American mythology.
There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love.
Enlightenment means taking full responsibility for your life.
If you take 10,000 chimpanzees and cram them together into Wembley Stadium or the Houses of Parliament, you will get chaos. But if you take 10,000 people who have never met before, they can co-operate and create amazing things.
A free society is a society where it is safe to be unpopular.
Every breath is a sacrament, an affirmation of our connection with all other living things, a renewal of our link with our ancestors and a contribution to generations yet to come. Our breath is a part of life's breath, the ocean of air that envelopes the earth.
God is the original, master forgiver. Each time we grope our reluctant way through the minor miracle of forgiving, we are imitating his style. I am not at all sure that any of us would have had imagination enough to see the possibilities in this way to heal the wrongs of this life had he not done it first.
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