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
It is only through disruptions and confusion that we grow, jarred out of ourselves by the collision of someone else's private world with our own.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Growth often stems from experiencing disruptions and challenges that clash with our own perspectives.
This quote by Joyce Carol Oates suggests that personal growth occurs when we are faced with interruptions and challenges, particularly those that arise from interactions with others. The friction created by differing viewpoints forces us to reassess our beliefs and expand our understanding, leading to transformation and development.
Themes
GrowthChangeDisruptionConfusionCollaboration
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a motivational speech about overcoming challenges.
More from Joyce Carol Oates
All quotes βI 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.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
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.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
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.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
The worst cynicism: a belief in luck.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
. . . 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.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
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