Know what we did, Lucy? You and me? We spent our whole lives yearning. Isn't that the God damndest thing?
Richard YatesRead
...his job was the very least important part of his life, never to be mentioned except in irony.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that one's job should not define their life or identity.
Richard Yates emphasizes the idea that a person's occupation should be a minor aspect of their existence, highlighting that true fulfillment comes from sources beyond work. He hints at the absurdity of allowing one's job to overshadow personal values, passions, and relationships, encouraging a more ironic and critical perspective on societal expectations regarding work.
Themes
WorkLifeIdentityIronyPriorities
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about work-life balance, one might use this quote to emphasize personal priorities.
More from Richard Yates
All quotes →She was calm and quiet now with knowing what she had always known, what neither her parents nor Aunt Claire nor Frank nor anyone else had ever had to teach her: that if you wanted something to do something absolutely honest, something true, it always turned out to be a thing that had to be done alone.
Richard YatesRead
He found it so easy and so pleasant to cry that he didn’t try to stop for a while, until he realized he was forcing his sobs a little, exaggerating their depth with unnecessary shudders. … The whole point of crying is to quit before you coined it up. The whole point of grief itself was to cut it out while it was still honest, while it still meant something. Because the thing was so easily corrupted
Richard YatesRead
Do you know what the definition of insane is? Yes. It’s the inability to relate to another human being. It’s the inability to love.
Richard YatesRead
It's a disease. Nobody thinks or feels or cares any more; nobody gets excited or believes in anything except their own comfortable little God damn mediocrity.
Richard YatesRead
She just happened to feel like it. Wasn’t that after all, the only reason there was? Had she ever had a less selfish, more complicated reason for doing anything in her life?
Richard YatesRead
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