I can't go back. The past won't go away in this family.
Frank MccourtRead
You're beginning to hear the tale of the common man and woman rather than the traditional memoir about the generals who just finished the war or the politicians who just rendered glorious service to the country.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of sharing the stories of ordinary people rather than glorifying only prominent figures.
Frank McCourt's quote highlights a shift in narrative focus from the grandiose accounts of military leaders and politicians to the everyday experiences of common individuals. It suggests that history should be inclusive of the voices of regular men and women, acknowledging their struggles and stories, as these contribute significantly to our understanding of society and culture.
Themes
Common ManNarrativeStorytellingHistoryVoicesOrdinary
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about community history, you could use this quote to emphasize the importance of local stories.
More from Frank Mccourt
All quotes →Sit and quiet yourself. Luxuriate in a certain memory and the details will come. Let the images flow. You'll be amazed at what will come out on paper. I'm still learning what it is about the past that I want to write. I don't worry about it. It will emerge. It will insist on being told.
Frank MccourtRead
Kids all want to look cool, as if knowledge is a great burden, but they're always looking around. They remember.
Frank MccourtRead
That's what kept us going - a sense of absurdity, rather than humor.
Frank MccourtRead
A mother's love is a blessing No matter where you roam. Keep her while you have her, You'll miss her when she's gone -- Angela's Ashes.
Frank MccourtRead
You might be poor, your shoes might be broken, but your mind is a palace.
Frank MccourtRead
Similar quotes
One sticks to an opinion because he prides himself on having come to it on his own, and another because he has taken great pains to learn it and is proud to have grasped it: and so both do so out of vanity.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
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.
Toni MorrisonRead
Gamergate is ostensibly about journalistic ethics. Supporters say they want to address conflicts of interest between the people that make games and the people that support them. In reality, Gamergate is a group of gamers that are willing to destroy the women who have invaded their clubhouse.
Brianna WuRead
Where a man can live, he can also live well.
Marcus AureliusRead
I was pretending that I did not speak their language; on the moon we spoke a soft, liquid tongue, and sang in the starlight, looking down on the dead dried world.
Shirley JacksonRead
The indefatigable pursuit of an unattainable perfection -even though nothing more than the pounding of an old piano -is what alone gives a meaning to our life on this unavailing star.
Logan Pearsall SmithRead