We wait till now? Now, when we're old men, we get to be brave?
Interpretation
The quote reflects on the hesitation to act bravely until it's too late in life.
Ernest Gaines highlights the regret of waiting until old age to embrace bravery. It serves as a poignant reminder that opportunities for courage and action should not be postponed, as life is fleeting, and waiting for the 'right' moment can lead to missed chances and unfulfilled potential.
In practice
In a motivational speech encouraging young people to take risks.
I was raised by a lady that was crippled all her life but she did everything for me and she raised me. She washed our clothes, cooked our food, she did everything for us. I don't think I ever heard her complain a day in her life. She taught me responsibility towards my brother and sisters and the community.
...my heart may have been in it but my soul was not.
Everything's been said, but it needs saying again.
Question everything. Every stripe, every star, every word spoken. Everything.
The Six Golden Rules of Writing: Read, read, read, and write, write, write.
Why is it that, as a culture, we are more comfortable seeing two men holding guns than holding hands?
The governments of Europe are afraid to trust the people with arms. If they did, the people would certainly shake off the yoke of tyranny, as America did.
I challenged God. I said, 'God, I know that I'm a sinner. I know that I won't probably have peace until You're in my heart. But I will not let You in my heart until You answer me, why? Why did you take my arms and legs? Why didn't You give me what everybody else has? God, until You answer me that question, I will not serve You.'
I'm not ashamed to dress "like a woman" because I don't think it's shameful to be a woman.
I developed a problem with authority. Any time that authority was what I interpreted as being unjust, I stood up to it, and that became my personality.
We are at war with the most dangerous enemy that has ever faced mankind in his long climb from the swamp to the stars, and it has been said if we lose that war, and in so doing lose this way of freedom of ours, history will record with the greatest astonishment that those who had the most to lose did the least to prevent its happening.
Bathrooms have always been a big issue in my life. My parents fought for me to be able to enroll in elementary school as a girl, which I did. But I still would not be allowed to use the girls' room under any condition.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.