All of us--all who knew her--felt so wholesome after we cleaned ourselves on her. We were so beautiful when we stood astride her ugliness. Her simplicity decorated us, her guilt sanctified us, her pain made us glow with health, her awkwardness made us think we had a sense of humor. Her inarticulateness made us believe we were eloquent. Her poverty kept us generous. Even her waking dreams we used--to silence our own nightmares.
Interpretation
The quote reflects how the imperfections and struggles of one person can enhance the beauty and growth of others around them.
Toni Morrison's quote offers a profound exploration of human relationships, emphasizing how one person's struggles and flaws can uplift and enrich the lives of those around them. It illustrates the interconnectedness of people, where the pain, simplicity, and dreams of another can serve as a mirror, allowing others to reflect on their own growth and development. The acknowledgment of the woman's perceived ugliness serves as a stark contrast to the beauty and health it brings out in those who know her, highlighting the idea that our weaknesses can foster strength and generosity in others.
In practice
This quote can be shared in a discussion about the impact of family members on personal growth.
There is a certain kind of peace that is not merely the absence of war. It is larger than that. The peace I am thinking of is not at the mercy of history's rule, nor is it a passive surrender to the status quo. The peace I am thinking of is the dance of an open mind when it engages another equally open one -- an activity that occurs most naturally, most often in the reading/writing world we live in. Accessible as it is, this particular kind of peace warrants vigilance.
You looking good." "Devil's confusion. He lets me look good long as I feel bad.
What do you say? There really are no words for that. There really aren't. Somebody tries to say, 'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.' People say that to me. There's no language for it. Sorry doesn't do it. I think you should just hug people and mop their floor or something.
An innocent man is a sin before God. Inhuman and therefore untrustworthy. No man should live without absorbing the sins of his kind, the foul air of his innocence, even if it did wilt rows of angel trumpets and cause them to fall from their vines.
Like friendship, hatred needed more than physical intimacy; it wanted creativity and hard work to sustain itself
One of my kids was born in 1968. There were going to be political difficulties, but they were never going to have that level of hatred and contempt that my brothers and my sister and myself were exposed to.
Never Hesitate to hold out your hand; never hesitate to accept the outstretched hand of another.
Stab the body and it heals, but injure the heart and the wound lasts a lifetime.
When people are financially invested, they want a return. When people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute.
He was slumped in the back, gazing out of the window, as though his parents were two people who had picked him up hitchhiking, connected to him merely by chance and proximity.
I was in control of what people thought of me, but I had no control over what they thought of my mother. When I asked my mother, 'How do I tell people about you?' her answer was, 'Tell the truth'. But of course, the truth is never simple.
My parents had a great marriage. Interestingly, it made it harder for me in relationships because I knew what a good relationship looked like.
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