Sadness is more or less like a head cold - with patience, it passes. Depression is like cancer.
Barbara KingsolverRead
When we traded homemaking for careers, we were implicitly promised economic independence and worldly influence. But a devil of a bargain it has turned out to be in terms of daily life. We gave up the aroma of warm bread rising, the measured pace of nurturing routines, the creative task of molding our families' tastes and zest for life; we received in exchange the minivan and the Lunchable.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the trade-off between traditional homemaking and modern careers, highlighting the unexpected sacrifices made in daily life.
In this quote, Barbara Kingsolver critiques the societal shift from homemaking to pursuing careers, suggesting that while economic independence and influence were promised, the reality has often resulted in the loss of nurturing family routines and the simple pleasures of home life. She mourns the trade of meaningful domestic experiences for modern conveniences that often lack warmth and personal touch.
Themes
HomemakingCareerEconomic IndependenceFamilySacrifice
In practice
Example use cases
During a family gathering, one might reflect on the changes in roles by sharing this quote to spark discussion.
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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