Know what we did, Lucy? You and me? We spent our whole lives yearning. Isn't that the God damndest thing?
Richard YatesRead
He couldn't even tell whether he was angry or contrite, whether it was forgiveness he wanted or the power to forgive.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote captures the complexity of emotions when seeking forgiveness or grappling with anger and regret.
In this quote, Richard Yates explores the internal conflict of a person who is unable to discern their true feelings amidst a situation involving forgiveness. It highlights the ambiguity of emotions where one might feel both anger and remorse, creating a struggle to determine whether they seek forgiveness for themselves or the strength to forgive another. This duality illustrates the intricate nature of human relationships and the emotional turmoil that can accompany them.
Themes
ForgivenessAngerContritionRelationshipsEmotions
In practice
Example use cases
During a restorative justice meeting, this quote could be used to express the mixed feelings of a victim.
More from Richard Yates
All quotes →She was calm and quiet now with knowing what she had always known, what neither her parents nor Aunt Claire nor Frank nor anyone else had ever had to teach her: that if you wanted something to do something absolutely honest, something true, it always turned out to be a thing that had to be done alone.
Richard YatesRead
He found it so easy and so pleasant to cry that he didn’t try to stop for a while, until he realized he was forcing his sobs a little, exaggerating their depth with unnecessary shudders. … The whole point of crying is to quit before you coined it up. The whole point of grief itself was to cut it out while it was still honest, while it still meant something. Because the thing was so easily corrupted
Richard YatesRead
Do you know what the definition of insane is? Yes. It’s the inability to relate to another human being. It’s the inability to love.
Richard YatesRead
It's a disease. Nobody thinks or feels or cares any more; nobody gets excited or believes in anything except their own comfortable little God damn mediocrity.
Richard YatesRead
She just happened to feel like it. Wasn’t that after all, the only reason there was? Had she ever had a less selfish, more complicated reason for doing anything in her life?
Richard YatesRead
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