When I meet a woman who attracts me, I prefer women,' she said. 'And when I meet a man who attracts me, I prefer men.' 'You mean you haven't made up your mind yet.' 'I mean exactly what I said. I told you you wouldn't like it. Most people who ask want me definitely on one side or the other.
Interpretation
The quote expresses a fluid perspective on attraction, rejecting binary classifications of sexuality.
In this quote, Octavia Butler shares her character's viewpoint on attraction, emphasizing a nuanced understanding of sexuality. The character's reluctance to conform to societal expectations reflects the complexities inherent in human relationships and identities, challenging the rigid binaries that define sexual orientation. This perspective encourages openness and authenticity, suggesting that attraction isn't always as defined as people might expect.
In practice
This quote can be shared in a discussion about the complexity of sexual orientation at a pride event.
What I'm working on now - I'm back to fantasy, although considering that it's me, I'm turning it into a kind of science fantasy. It's a vampire story - but my vampires are biological vampires. They didn't become vampires because someone bit them; they were born that way.
Slavery was a long slow process of dulling.
Here I was into astronomy, and here into anthropology, and there I go into geology. It was much more fun to be able to research and write about whatever I wanted to.
There is no end To what a living world Will demand of you.
You don't start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it's good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That's why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.
Better to stay alive," I said. "At least while there's a chance to get free." I thought of the sleeping pills in my bag and wondered just how great a hypocrite I was. It was so easy to advise other people to live with their pain.
Marriage is a career which brings about more benefits than many others.
There is only one thing that can form a bond between men, and that is gratitude... we cannot give someone else greater power over us than we have ourselves.
If there is no order in your relationship with your wife, with your husband, with your children, with your neighbour - whether that neighbour is near or very far away - forget about meditation.
Who you spend your life with-much more so than how you choose to spend it-is the most important decision you can make. Do it right. That's the best advice I can give you.
You have now reached infatuation’s final destination—the complete and merciless devaluation of self.
The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention…. A loving silence often has far more power to heal and to connect than the most well-intentioned words.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.