To me, there is nothing higher than fiction. Nothing. It is fundamentally who I am. I am a teller of stories. For me, that's the only way I can make sense of the world, with all the dance that it involves.
Arundhati RoyRead
It is true that success is the most boring thing, it is tinny and brittle, failure runs deeper. Success is dangerous. I have a very complicated relationship with that word.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Success can be superficial and fragile, while failure has more depth and can be more instructive.
In this quote, Arundhati Roy reflects on the complexities of success compared to failure. She suggests that while success might appear enticing and impressive, it is often fragile and can lack substance. In contrast, failure is portrayed as a more profound experience that can offer valuable lessons and personal growth, highlighting the dangers associated with solely pursuing success without recognizing the importance of failure in the journey of life.
Themes
SuccessFailureDepthDangerousRelationship
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about resilience and learning from mistakes.
More from Arundhati Roy
All quotes βWhen she listened to songs that she loved on the radio, something stirred inside her. A liquid ache spread under her skin, and she walked out of the world like a witch.
Arundhati RoyRead
Caste is about dividing people up in ways that preclude every form of solidarity, because even in the lowest castes, there are divisions and sub-castes, and everyone's co-opted into the business of this hierarchical, silo-ised society.
Arundhati RoyRead
When I decided to write 'The God of Small Things', I had been working in cinema. It was almost a decision to downshift from there. I thought that 300 people would read it. But it created a platform of trust.
Arundhati RoyRead
In California, there are huge problems because of dams. I'm against big dams, per se, because I think that they are economically unfeasible. They're ecologically unsustainable. And they're hugely undemocratic.
Arundhati RoyRead
To call someone 'anti-American', indeed, to be anti-American, is not just racist, it's a failure of the imagination.
Arundhati RoyRead
Similar quotes
Don't be too ambitious. Do the most important thing you can think of doing every year and then your career will take care of itself.
Henry A. KissingerRead
The secret to successful hiring is this: look for the people who want to change the world.
Marc BenioffRead
The kind of commitment I find among the best performers across virtually every field is a single-minded passion for what they do, an unwavering desire for excellence in the way they think and the way they work. Genuine confidence is what launches you out of bed in the morning, and through your day with a spring in your step.
James C. CollinsRead
Paying attention to simple little things that most men neglect makes a few men rich.
Henry FordRead
Being successful and fulfilling your lifes purpose are not at all the same thing; You can reach all your personal goals, become a raving success by the worlds standard and still miss your purpose in this life.
Rick WarrenRead
No one came to our neighborhoods with stand-up jobs and showed us there's a different way. Maybe, had I seen different role models, maybe I'd've turned on to that.
Jay-ZRead