Sadness is more or less like a head cold - with patience, it passes. Depression is like cancer.
Barbara KingsolverRead
But we've all ended up giving body and soul to Africa, one way or another. Even Adah, who's becoming an expert in tropical epidemiology and strange new viruses. Each of us got our heart buried in six feet of African dirt; we are all co-conspirators here. I mean, all of us, not just my family. So what do you do now? You get to find your own way to dig out a heart and shake it off and hold it up to the light again.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on how deeply connected individuals can become to a place or cause, in this case, Africa, and the personal transformations that arise from that connection.
In this reflection by Barbara Kingsolver, she speaks to the profound impact that a place, such as Africa, can have on individuals. This quote encapsulates the idea that people invest deeply—emotionally and physically—into their experiences and surroundings, leading to a collective bond with the land and its challenges. The metaphor of having one's heart 'buried in six feet of African dirt' signifies the emotional sacrifice and commitment given to understanding and supporting a place that demands attention. It encourages individuals to embrace their connections and, despite hardships, continue to rediscover their passions and truths.
Themes
AfricaConnectionTransformationSacrificeHeart
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be referenced in a discussion about volunteering abroad and the emotional investments we make.
More from Barbara Kingsolver
All quotes →Children can be your heartache. But that doesn't matter, you have to go on and have them . . . it works out.
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I'm of a fearsome mind to throw my arms around every living librarian who crosses my path, on behalf of the souls they never knew they saved.
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I did it to win love, and to prove myself capable. Not to move mountains. In my opinions, mountains don't move. They only look changed when you look down on them from great height.
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Memory is a complicated thing, a relative to truth, but not its twin.
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Empathy is really the opposite of spiritual meanness. It's the capacity to understand that every war is both won and lost. And that someone else's pain is as meaningful as your own.
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