We in the media have been guilty about not doing a better job of making people understand how really simple cooking is. We've made everyone feel like they have to be a chef.
When a person has lived generously and fought fiercely, she deserves more than sadness at the end.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes that a life well-lived, filled with generosity and courage, merits a meaningful conclusion rather than mere sorrow.
Ruth Reichl's quote speaks to the idea that individuals who dedicate themselves to living generously and battling challenges deserve a fulfilling and joyful life, especially in their final moments. Instead of being remembered only for their struggles or a melancholic end, they should be celebrated for their contributions, resilience, and the positive impact they have made on others. The essence of life lies not just in its challenges but also in the legacy of love and strength that persists beyond one’s lifetime.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a eulogy, one might reflect on the life of a loved one using this quote to highlight their virtues.
More from Ruth Reichl
All quotes →Really, the only way to face the biggest problems we have is for the government to change the way they subsidize food. The way we subsidize food makes it cheaper to go to McDonald's and get a hamburger than a salad, and that's insane.
Don't make a big to-do about the turkey; brine it, put it in the oven, and don't think about it again.
Sharing food has always had a central place in civilized societies; it's no accident that so many of our cultural, religious and patriotic rituals are involved with eating.
Growing up, I was utterly oblivious to the fact that Mom was teaching me all that. But I was instantly aware of her final lesson, which was hidden in her notes and leters. As I read them I began to understand that in the end you are the only one who can make yourself happy. More important, Mom showed me that it is never too late to find out how to do it.
Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.
Similar quotes
Wouldn't take nothing for my journey now.
Loving life is easy when you are abroad. Where no one knows you and you hold your life in your hands all alone, you are more master of yourself than at any other time
‘How do you juggle it all?’ people constantly ask me, with an accusatory look in their eyes. ‘You’re screwing it all up, aren’t you?’ their eyes say. My standard answer is that I have the same struggle as any working parent but with the good fortune to be working at my dream job. Or sometimes I just hand them a juicy red apple I’ve poisoned in my working-mother witch cauldron and fly away.
To get the best out of life here ...Good grief. There's plenty of it about, so indulge. Give yourself some thing to remember. Fall in love. Fall out of love. Gamble. Get drunk. See how long you can stay awake. Go for long walks at night. Discover what you're afraid of doing, and then do it.
My life has been the polar opposite of safe, but I am proud of it and so is my son, and that is good enough for me. I would do it all over again without changing the beat, although I have never recommended it to others. That would be cruel and irresponsible and wrong, I think, and I am none of those things.
Nothing in my life ever seemed to fade away or take its rightful place among the pantheon of experiences that constituted my eighteen years. It was all still with me, the storage space in my brain crammed with vivid memories, packed and piled like photographs and old dresses in my grandmother’s bureau. I wasn’t just the madwoman in the attic — I was the attic itself. The past was all over me, all under me, all inside me.