Was it always my nature to take a bad time and block out the good times, until any success became an accident and failure seemed the only truth?
Lillian HellmanRead
It is not good to see people who have been pretending strength all their lives lose it even for a minute.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the sadness in witnessing those who feign strength show vulnerability.
Lillian Hellman's quote reflects on the emotional impact of seeing individuals who have spent their lives projecting strength and resilience suddenly reveal their weaknesses. It emphasizes that such moments of vulnerability can be painful not only for the individual but also for those who have known them, as it contradicts the facade they have meticulously maintained.
Themes
StrengthVulnerabilityRelationshipsEmotionsHuman Experience
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about mental health awareness, you could use this quote to highlight the invisible struggles many face.
More from Lillian Hellman
All quotes →If I had to give young writers advice, I would say don't listen to writers talking about writing or themselves.
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It is best to act with confidence, no matter how little right you have to it.
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If you believe, as the Greeks did, that man is at the mercy of the gods, then you write tragedy. The end is inevitable from the beginning. But if you believe that man can solve his own problems and is at nobody's mercy, then you will probably write melodrama.
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Nobody knows what you want except you. And nobody will be as sorry as you if you don't get it. Wanting some other way to live is proof enough of deserving it. Having it is hard work, but not having it is sheer hell.
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Failure in the theater is more dramatic and uglier than any other form of writing. It costs so much, you feel so guilty.
Lillian HellmanRead
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