When people ask what I write about, that's what I tell them: 'The drama of human relationships.' I'm not even close to running out of material.
Joyce MaynardRead
I believe every one of us possesses a fundamental right to tell our own story.
Interpretation
Everyone has the inherent right to share their personal experiences and narratives.
This quote by Joyce Maynard emphasizes the importance of individual stories and the power of personal narrative. It implies that each person has the right to express their experiences, perspectives, and journeys, which not only validates their existence but also enriches collective understanding and empathy among people.
In practice
During a writing workshop, to inspire participants to share their truths.
When people ask what I write about, that's what I tell them: 'The drama of human relationships.' I'm not even close to running out of material.
I wonder what it is that the people who criticize me for telling this story truly object to: is it that I have dared to tell the story? Or that the story turns out not to be the one they wanted to hear?
Those who rhapsodize about the ease and joy of childhood have perhaps forgotten what it's like to be 12 years old.
As for me, I've chosen to follow a simple course: Come clean. And wherever possible, live your life in a way that won't leave you tempted to lie. Failing that, I'd rather be disliked for who I truly am than loved for who I am not. So, I tell my story. I write it down. I even publish it. Sometimes this is a humbling experience. Sometimes it's embarrassing. But I haul around no terrible secrets.
True genius resides in the capacity for evaluation of uncertain, hazardous, and conflicting information.
Perhaps the biggest tragedy of our lives is that freedom is possible, yet we can pass our years trapped in the same old patterns...We may want to love other people without holding back, to feel authentic, to breathe in the beauty around us, to dance and sing. Yet each day we listen to inner voices that keep our life small.
What you think about yourself is much more important than what others think of you.
To reclaim the prodigal is well, but to save him from ever being a prodigal is better.
You can either practice being right or practice being kind.
There are not many persons who know what wonders are opened to them in the stories and visions of their youth; for when as children we listen and dream, we think but half-formed thoughts, and when as men we try to remember, we are dulled and prosaic with the poison of life.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.