We couldn't imagine the emptiness of a creature who put a razor to her wrists and opened her veins, the emptiness and the calm.
Jeffrey EugenidesRead
Regret, already sogging me down, burst its dam. It seeped into my legs, it pooled in my heart.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Regret can deeply affect our emotions and well-being, overwhelming us in unexpected ways.
In this quote, Jeffrey Eugenides illustrates how regret can weigh heavily on a person, forming an emotional burden that is not easily shaken off. The metaphor of regret bursting a dam suggests an uncontrollable flood of emotions that infiltrates the mind and body, highlighting the profound impact regret can have on one's life and emotional health.
Themes
RegretEmotionsBurdenLifeMental Health
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about overcoming past mistakes.
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Depression is like a bruise that never goes away. A bruise in your mind. You just got to be careful not to touch it where it hurts. It's always there, though.
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She lost much of her appetite. At night, an invisible hand kept shaking her awake every few hours. Grief was physiological, a disturbance of the blood. Sometimes a whole minute would pass in nameless dread - the bedside clock ticking, the blue moonlight coating the window like glue - before she`d remember the brutal fact that had caused it.
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It was one of those humid days when the atmosphere gets confused. Sitting on the porch, you could feel it: the air wishing it was water.
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Jerome was sliding and climbing on top of me and it felt like it had the night before, like a crushing weight. So do boys and men announce their intentions. They cover you like a sarcophagus lid. And call it love.
Jeffrey EugenidesRead
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