Sadness is more or less like a head cold - with patience, it passes. Depression is like cancer.
Barbara KingsolverRead
Readers of fiction read, I think, for a deeper embrace of the world, of reality. And that's brave. I never get over being thankful for that - for the courage of my readers.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Readers of fiction engage bravely with complex realities through stories, and the author appreciates their courage.
In this quote, Barbara Kingsolver expresses her gratitude towards fiction readers who seek a deeper understanding of the world through literature. She highlights the courage required to embrace the complexities of reality as portrayed in fiction, suggesting that reading is not merely an escape but a profound engagement with life’s challenges and truths.
Themes
ReadingFictionCourageGratitudeWorld
In practice
Example use cases
Use this quote in a speech about the importance of literature in understanding our society.
More from Barbara Kingsolver
All quotes →Children can be your heartache. But that doesn't matter, you have to go on and have them . . . it works out.
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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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