Of the widow's countless death-duties there is really just one that matters: on the first anniversary of her husband's death the widow should think I kept myself alive.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
I am not conscious of working especially hard, or of 'working' at all. Writing and teaching have always been, for me, so richly rewarding that I don't think of them as work in the usual sense of the word.
Interpretation
Joyce Carol Oates finds immense joy in writing and teaching, viewing them not as labor but as fulfilling activities.
In this quote, Joyce Carol Oates expresses that she does not perceive her writing and teaching endeavors as conventional work because they bring her great joy and fulfillment. This perspective suggests that when one is deeply passionate about their pursuits, the effort they put in does not feel burdensome, but rather enriching and rewarding.
In practice
During a workshop on finding your passion, a speaker might use this quote to illustrate the idea that love for one's work can lead to a fulfilling life.
Of the widow's countless death-duties there is really just one that matters: on the first anniversary of her husband's death the widow should think I kept myself alive.
I never really knew I wanted to 'be' a writer, but I was always writing from a very young age. It became more conscious as an ideal when I was in my twenties.
I'm drawn to write about upstate New York in the way in which a dreamer might have recurring dreams. My childhood and girlhood were spent in upstate New York, in the country north of Buffalo and West of Rochester. So this part of New York state is very familiar to me and, with its economic difficulties, has become emblematic of much of American life.
My writing is often a way of 'bearing witness' for others who lack the education and the opportunity to tell their own stories, so I hope that my writing won't be affected too much by my personal life.
The worst cynicism: a belief in luck.
. . . there is a wish in the heart of mankind to be distracted and confused. Truth is but one attraction, and not always the most powerful.
A fool's brain digests philosophy into folly, science into superstition, and art into pedantry. Hence University education.
Universities are the cathedrals of the modern age. They shouldn't have to justify their existence by utilitarian criteria.
From kindergarten to college, certain teachers engaged my curiosity and motivated me to learn. While I was not the best student, their efforts left a lasting impact.
In order to learn, one must change one's mind.
Educate a woman and you educate her family. Educate a girl and you change the future.
The only things worth learning are the things you learn after you know it all.
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