These things, she felt, were not to be passed around like disingenuous party favors. She kept an honor code with her journals and her poems. 'Inside, inside,' she would whisper quietly to herself when she felt the urge to tell.
Alice SeboldRead
But she was waiting patiently. She no longer believed in talk. It never rescued anything. At seventy she had come to believe in time alone. ~pg 254
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of patience and the belief that time is the ultimate agent of change.
In this quote, Alice Sebold reflects on the wisdom that comes with age, recognizing that waiting and the passage of time can oftentimes lead to resolution and understanding, rather than mere words or promises. The character's disillusionment with talk signifies a deeper understanding that actions over time are what truly matter in life.
Themes
PatienceTimeWisdomChangeBelief
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about aging and wisdom, you can reference this quote to illustrate the value of patience.
More from Alice Sebold
All quotes βAfter telling the hard facts to anyone from lover to friend, I have changed in their eyes. Often it is awe or admiration, sometimes it is repulsion, once or twice it has been fury hurled directly at me for reasons I remain unsure of.
Alice SeboldRead
The stains could be seen only in the sunlight, so Ruth was never really aware of them until later, when she would stop at an outdoor cafe for a cup of coffee, and look down at her skirt and see the dark traces of spilled vodka or whiskey. The alcohol had the effect of making the black cloth blacker. This amused her; she had noted in her journal: 'booze affects material as it does people'.
Alice SeboldRead
Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.
Alice SeboldRead
As she stood in the darkened room and watched my sister and father, I knew one of things that heaven meant. I had a choice, and it was not to divide my family in my heart.
Alice SeboldRead
She liked to imagine that when she passed the world looked after her, but she also knew how anonymous she was.
Alice SeboldRead
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