He will wipe the tears from all faces.' It takes nothing from the loveliness of the verse to say that is exactly what will be required
Marilynne RobinsonRead
I am grateful for all those dark years, even though in retrospect they seem like a long, bitter prayer that was answered finally.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The speaker values past struggles as they have led to eventual clarity and gratitude.
This quote reflects a deep appreciation for difficult times in life, suggesting that even the most challenging experiences can ultimately yield positive outcomes. The metaphor of these years as a 'long, bitter prayer' highlights the intensity of suffering, while the acknowledgment of gratitude indicates a transformative journey where hardship is recognized as a catalyst for growth and resolution.
Themes
GratefulDark YearsStrugglesTransformationGrowth
In practice
Example use cases
To inspire others who are facing tough times to find meaning in their experiences.
More from Marilynne Robinson
All quotes βIt seems to me there is less meanness in atheism, by a good measure. It seems that the spirit of religious self-righteousness this article deplores is precisely the spirit in which it is written. Of course he's right about many things, one of them being the destructive potency of religious self-righteousness. (p. 146)
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A narrow pond would form in the orchard, water clear as air covering grass and black leaves and fallen branches, all around it black leaves and drenched grass and fallen branches, and on it, slight as an image in an eye, sky, clouds, trees, our hovering faces and our cold hands.
Marilynne RobinsonRead
The moon looks wonderful in this warm evening light, just as a candle flame looks beautiful in the light of morning. Light within light...It seems to me to be a metaphor for the human soul, the singular light within that great general light of existence.
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There are worries that seem to me sustained by the love of worry. For example, that people are reading from screens, or listening to recorded books. Why scold the impulse to enjoy language and narrative in whatever form it takes?
Marilynne RobinsonRead
Teaching is a distraction and a burden, but it's also an incredible stimulus. And a reprieve, in a way. When you're trying to work on something and it's not going anywhere, you can go to school and there's a two-and-a-half-hour block of time in which you can accomplish something.
Marilynne RobinsonRead
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