When I look at my life I realise that the mistakes I have made, the things I really regret, were not errors of judgement but failures of feeling.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes that true regrets stem from emotional failures rather than poor decisions.
Jeanette Winterson reflects on her life, suggesting that the deepest regrets arise not from bad judgment or decisions, but rather from moments where she failed to connect with her feelings. This implies that emotional intelligence and awareness are crucial for leading a fulfilling life, highlighting the importance of understanding our emotions in making choices.
In practice
During a motivational speech about resilience and emotional awareness.
What is remembered is not a deed in stone but a metaphor. Meta = above. Pheren = to carry. That which is carried above the literalness of life. A way of thinking that avoids the problems of gravity. The word won't let me down. The single word that can release me from all that unuttered weight.
Reading things that are relevant to the facts of your life is of limited value. The facts are, after all, only the facts, and the yearning passionate part of you will not be met there. That is why reading ourselves as a fiction as well as fact is so liberating. The wider we read the freer we become.
I have a list of titles that I leave at the [library] desk, because they are bound to be written some day, and it's best to be ahead of the queue.
Woolf wanted to say dangerous things in Orlando but she did not want to say them in the missionary position.
In that house, you will find my heart. You must break in, Henri, and get it back for me.' Was she mad? We had been talking figuratively. Her heart was in her body like mine. I tried to explain this to her, but she took my hand and put it against her chest. Feel for yourself.
History is a string full of knots, the best you can do is admire it, and maybe tie it up a bit more. History is a hammock for swinging and a game for playing.
Our brains are very, very good at self-delusion. What happens is, it releases the stress hormone cortisol in the brain, which leads to foggy thinking, so you're not even able to judge well whether you're working well or not.
The jealous man is so preoccupied with what he hasn't got that he fails to appreciate the value of what he has got. He loses the ability to feel glad because the sun is shining. He doesn't see the wonder and the newness of the beginning of spring.
The truth for sure, _x000D_ when it arrives, _x000D_ will make you smile. _x000D_ If it doesn't, _x000D_ you should seek _x000D_ a deeper truth.
Every man I meet is in some way my superior...
I find that by putting things in writing I can understand them and see them a little more objectively. ... For words are merely tools and if you use the right ones you can actually put even your life in order, if you don't lie to yourself and use the wrong words.
Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.
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