Of the widow's countless death-duties there is really just one that matters: on the first anniversary of her husband's death the widow should think I kept myself alive.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
From Mother you will inherit the belief that you can journey to your fate, there's a place to be located on a map that's destiny. If only you can get there. If it isn't too late. If no one stops you.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the journey towards one's destiny and the challenges one might face in reaching it.
Joyce Carol Oates reflects on the journey of life and the inherited beliefs from a mother that empower an individual to pursue their destiny. It acknowledges that while there is a destination or purpose to reach, various obstacles, both internal and external, can hinder one's progress. The essence of the quote lies in the belief that achieving one's fate is possible, provided one is determined and perseveres despite the potential challenges.
Themes
DestinyJourneyChallengesBeliefPerseverance
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a graduation speech to inspire students about their future journeys.
More from Joyce Carol Oates
All quotes →I never really knew I wanted to 'be' a writer, but I was always writing from a very young age. It became more conscious as an ideal when I was in my twenties.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
I'm drawn to write about upstate New York in the way in which a dreamer might have recurring dreams. My childhood and girlhood were spent in upstate New York, in the country north of Buffalo and West of Rochester. So this part of New York state is very familiar to me and, with its economic difficulties, has become emblematic of much of American life.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
My writing is often a way of 'bearing witness' for others who lack the education and the opportunity to tell their own stories, so I hope that my writing won't be affected too much by my personal life.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
The worst cynicism: a belief in luck.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
. . . there is a wish in the heart of mankind to be distracted and confused. Truth is but one attraction, and not always the most powerful.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
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