Sadness is more or less like a head cold - with patience, it passes. Depression is like cancer.
Barbara KingsolverRead
you can't really know the person standing before you, because always there is some missing piece
Interpretation
What this quote means
Understanding others is complex, as everyone carries hidden aspects of themselves.
This quote emphasizes the idea that no matter how well we think we know someone, there are always facets of their personality or experiences that remain hidden to us. It suggests that each person has their own story, thoughts, and feelings that may not be visible or accessible, leading to an incomplete understanding of who they truly are.
Themes
UnderstandingRelationshipsPeopleHiddenComplexity
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion about interpersonal relationships, one might say, 'As Barbara Kingsolver wisely noted, you can't really know the person standing before you, because always there is some missing piece.'
More from Barbara Kingsolver
All quotes βChildren can be your heartache. But that doesn't matter, you have to go on and have them . . . it works out.
Barbara KingsolverRead
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.
Barbara KingsolverRead
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.
Barbara KingsolverRead
Memory is a complicated thing, a relative to truth, but not its twin.
Barbara KingsolverRead
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.
Barbara KingsolverRead
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I took the vow of celibacy in 1906. I had not shared my thoughts with my wife until then, but only consulted her at the time of making the vow. She had no objection.
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We know that all interracial groups in South Africa are relationships in which whites are superior, blacks inferior. So as a prelude, whites must be made to realize that they are only human, not superior. Same with blacks. They must be made to realize that they are also human, not inferior.
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In traveling, a companion, in life, compassion.
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The intimacy that arises in listening and speaking truth is only possible if we can open to the vulnerability of our own hearts. Breathing in, contacting the life that is right here, is our first step. Once we have held ourselves with kindness, we can touch others in a vital and healing way.
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People are not as nice as they used to be. There used to be a time when we conversed. You don't get a lot of real responses now. They used to be more polite and well-mannered people, generally. It's minimal now.
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