It really felt like my generation was deprived of a future that we believed was ours. I don't mean some hugely privileged future where we all have gigantic houses. I mean having a job.
Sally RooneyRead
I gave myself the small task of writing honestly about the kind of life I knew. I believe there is some value in carrying out that task, however limited.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of honesty in personal expression and the intrinsic value of sharing one's experiences.
In this quote, Sally Rooney reflects on her commitment to truthfully document her experiences as a form of self-exploration and expression. She suggests that even small, honest tasks can carry significant value, indicating that sharing oneβs unique perspective contributes to a broader understanding of life, regardless of its perceived limitations.
In practice
A writer might use this quote to inspire fellow authors at a literary workshop.
It really felt like my generation was deprived of a future that we believed was ours. I don't mean some hugely privileged future where we all have gigantic houses. I mean having a job.
I find myself consistently drawn to writing about intimacy and the way we construct one another.
When I read interviews with people like Kevin Barry or Colin Barrett, who I hugely admire, they don't really seem to come up against the question of likeability even though their characters, in some instances, are really horrible.
Class is something that I think seriously about and try to organise my politics around. I think there are lots of novels that don't really engage with questions of class at all, and they get less conversation about issues of social privilege than I do. But it's better to try and talk about it and maybe fail.
Live life fully while you're here. Experience everything. Take care of yourself and your friends. Have fun, be crazy, be weird.
The men have piled up in my past, have fallen trenchantly through my life, like an avalanche that doesn't mean to kill but is going to bury me alive just the same.
I think sometimes what happens is that all of this feeling out of control manifests itself in trying to control your body; whether it's an eating disorder or talking about getting your nose fixed, as if that's going to be the solution to all the pressure.
On my tombstone they will carve, "IT NEVER GOT FAST ENOUGH FOR ME.
Most of what we take as being important is not material, whether it's music or feelings or love. They're things we can't really see or touch. They're not material, but they're vitally important to us.
Indeed it is possible to stand with one foot on the inevitable 'banana peel' of life with both eyes peering into the Great Beyond, and still be happy, comfortable, and serene - if we will even so much as smile.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.