By all means continue destroying my possessions. I daresay I have too many.
My favorite literary heroine is Jo March. It is hard to overstate what she meant to a small, plain girl called Jo, who had a hot temper and a burning ambition to be a writer.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Jo March represents the struggle and ambition of aspiring writers, serving as a powerful inspiration for many.
In this quote, J.K. Rowling reflects on the profound impact Jo March, the protagonist of Louisa May Alcott's 'Little Women', had on her own life as a young girl. Jo's character, marked by her fierce independence, fiery spirit, and unwavering determination to pursue her passion for writing, resonates deeply with those who aspire to express themselves creatively, demonstrating the importance of literary role models in shaping one's identity and ambitions.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of female role models, I might quote Rowling's admiration for Jo March.
More from J. K. Rowling
All quotes →Where are you heading, if you’ve got the choice?” James lifted an invisible sword. “‘Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!’ Like my dad.” Snape made a small, disparaging noise. James turned on him. “Got a problem with that?” “No,” said Snape, though his slight sneer said otherwise. “If you’d rather be brawny than brainy —” “Where’re you hoping to go, seeing as you’re neither?” interjected Sirius.
Depression isn't just being a bit sad. It's feeling nothing. It's not wanting to be alive anymore.
I tell you, that dragon's the most horrible animal I've ever met, but the way Hagrid goes on about it, you'd think it was a fluffy little bunny rabbit.
Imagine losing fingernails, Harry! That really puts our sufferings into perspective, doesn't it?
The consequences of our actions are always so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed.
Similar quotes
To say that such-and-such a circumstance is 'Kafkaesque' is to admit to the denigration of an imagination that has burned a hole in what we take to be modernism - even in what we take to be the ordinary fabric and intent of language. Nothing is like 'The Hunger Artist.' Nothing is like 'The Metamorphosis.'
And okay, fair enough, but there is this unwritten contract between author and reader and I think not ending your book kind of violates that contract.
I defy anyone to finish Halldor Laxness's 'Independent People' without wetting the pages with tears.
Listen closely. There’s a remote possibility that you might learn something: First, I don’t give a damn if my work is commercial or not…I’m the writer. If what I write is good, then people will read it. That’s why literature exists. An author puts his heart and guts on the page. For your information, a good novel can change the world. Keep that in mind before you attempt to sit down at a typewriter. Never waste time on something you don’t believe in yourself.
There might be a different model for a literary community that's quicker, more real-time, and involves more spontaneity.
One does not argue about The Wind in the Willows.