There's life for you. Spend the best years of your life studying penmanship and rhetoric and syntax and Beowulf and George Eliot, and then somebody steals your pencil.
Dorothy ParkerRead
Her mind lives tidily, apart from cold and noise and pain. And bolts the door against her heart, out wailing in the rain.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the struggle between protecting oneself from emotional pain and the inevitability of feeling. It suggests a desire for a peaceful mind while acknowledging the heart's turmoil.
In this quote, Dorothy Parker illustrates the concept of emotional separation, where one's mind seeks shelter from the discomforts and harsh realities of life, such as cold, noise, and pain. The 'mind lives tidily' indicates an attempt to maintain order and tranquility, yet it simultaneously acknowledges the heart's raw emotions, which are encapsulated in the imagery of it 'wailing in the rain'. This juxtaposition highlights the internal conflict between emotional vulnerability and the desire for self-preservation.
Themes
EmotionMindHeartPainPeace
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about mental health to emphasize the importance of protecting one's emotional well-being.
More from Dorothy Parker
All quotes →My land is bare of chattering folk; / the clouds are low along the ridges, / and sweet's the air with curly smoke / from all my burning bridges.
Dorothy ParkerRead
Prince or commoner, tenor or bass, Painter or plumber or never-do-well, Do me a favor and shut your face - Poets alone should kiss and tell.
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They say of me, and so they should, It's doubtful if I come to good. I see acquaintances and friends Accumulating dividends And making enviable names In science, art and parlor games. But I, despite expert advice, Keep doing things I think are nice, And though to good I never come Inseparable my nose and thumb.
Dorothy ParkerRead
It is that word 'hunny,' my darlings, that marks the first place in The House at Pooh Corner at which Tonstant Weader fwowed up.
Dorothy ParkerRead
I can’t write five words but that I change seven.
Dorothy ParkerRead
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