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...which causes me to wonder, my own purpose on so many days as humble as the spider's, what is beautiful that I make? What is elegant? What feeds the world?
Louise Erdrich
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote reflects on the search for personal purpose and the beauty that one can create in the world.

In this quote, Louise Erdrich expresses a deep contemplation about the nature of purpose and beauty in life, comparing her own humble existence to that of a spider. She questions what meaningful and elegant contributions she can make to the world, prompting readers to reflect on their own lives and the beauty they can create, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant.

Themes

PurposeBeautyCreationEleganceLife

In practice

Example use cases

In a personal development workshop, this quote can inspire attendees to reflect on their contributions to the world.

More from Louise Erdrich

It's impossible to write about Native life without humor-that's how people maintain sanity.
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It was just enough to sit there without words.
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Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won't either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart.
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The world tips away when we look into our children's faces.
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Her mind was present because she was always gone. Her hands were filled because they grasped the meaning of empty. Life was simple. Her husband returned and she served him with indifferent patience this time. When he asked what had happened to her heat for him, she gestured to the west. The sun was setting. The sky was a body of fire.
Louise ErdrichRead
All of our actions have in their doing the seed of their undoing. ... That in her creation of her children there should be the unspeakable promise of their death, for by their birth she had created mortal beings.
Louise ErdrichRead

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A little wisdom, now and then

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