You fall out of your mother's womb, you crawl across open country under fire, and drop into your grave.
Quentin CrispRead
The flagrantly gay Quentin Crisp dealt with homophobic bullying by refusing to bow to its onslaught. His number listed in the phone directory, he responded to derogatory remarks accompanied with a stated intent to kill him by asking, "Would you like to make an appointment?"
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote illustrates how Quentin Crisp confronted homophobic bullying with bravery and wit.
Quentin Crisp's approach to dealing with homophobic bullying exemplifies immense courage and resilience. Rather than succumbing to fear or aggression, he maintained his dignity and responded with a sardonic challenge, showing that he would not allow intimidation to dictate his life. His boldness in directly addressing threats with humor highlights the power of confronting hate with strength and wit, offering a unique perspective on resilience in the face of adversity.
Themes
Quainton CrispBullyingHomophobiaCourageResilienceHumor
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about overcoming adversity, one might cite this quote to emphasize the importance of strength in the face of bullying.
More from Quentin Crisp
All quotes →The consuming desire of most human beings is deliberately to plant their whole life in the hands of some other person. I would describe this method of searching for happiness as immature. Development of character consists solely in moving toward self-sufficiency.
Quentin CrispRead
What would you be like if you were the only person in the world? If you want to be truly happy you must be that person.
Quentin CrispRead
The search for a life-style involves a journey to the interior. This is not altogether a pleasant experience, because you not only have to take stock of what you consider your assets but you also have to take a long look at what your friends call “the trouble with you.” Nevertheless, the journey is worth making.
Quentin CrispRead
If you describe things as better than they are, you are considered to be a romantic; if you describe things as worse than they are, you will be called a realist; and if you describe things exactly as they are, you will be thought of as a satirist.
Quentin CrispRead
It is explained that all relationships require a little give and take. This is untrue. Any partnership demands that we give and give and give and at the last, as we flop into our graves exhausted, we are told that we didn't give enough.
Quentin CrispRead
Similar quotes
My parents witnessed firsthand in Haiti that if you stop speaking up, one day you'll wake up afraid to speak. They came to America so they'd never be afraid of speaking up again.
Karine Jean-PierreRead
The courage to imagine the otherwise is our greatest resource, adding color and suspense to all our life.
Daniel J. BoorstinRead
The way I was taught, being black was a plus, always. Being a human being, being in America, and being black, all three were the greatest things that could happen to you. The combination was unbeatable.
Leontyne PriceRead
Now, I've always known that there were bullies in the world. We've seen a lot of it in politics lately as well as in daily life. You see it where people who may be stronger, or bigger, or better with verbiage than other folks... show off. To me, that's what bullying is, showing off. It's saying, I'm better than you, I can take you down. Not just physically, but emotionally.
Whoopi GoldbergRead
Could it be ... that the hero is one who is willing to set out, take the first step, shoulder something? Perhaps the hero is one who puts his foot upon a path not knowing what he may expect from life but in some way feeling in his bones that life expects something of him.
P. L. TraversRead
The question is no longer between violence and non-violence it is between non-violence and non-existence.
Martin Luther King, Jr.Read