I don't think the world will destroy itself in a nuclear cataclysm. On the contrary, we have the capacity to save ourselves and save the planet, and we will use it.
Isabel AllendeRead
My mother is a great artist, but she always treated her paintings like minor postcards. Had she pursued it, she would have been a great artist. Instead, she looked down on her art.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on how underestimating one's talent can prevent true greatness from being achieved.
Isabel Allende highlights the tragedy of an artist who possesses immense talent yet chooses to downplay her work, comparing it to mere postcards. The quote emphasizes the importance of recognizing one's own abilities and the consequences of a lack of self-worth regarding one's art, suggesting that had the artist embraced her talent, she could have reached significant heights in her artistic career.
Themes
ArtTalentCreativitySelf-WorthGreatness
In practice
Example use cases
In a seminar about self-esteem in creative fields, this quote could illustrate the theme of recognizing one’s potential.
More from Isabel Allende
All quotes →I never try to convey a message, I just want to tell a story. Why that story in particular? I have no idea, but I have learned to surrender to the muse. I become obsessed with a theme or with certain stories; they haunt me for years, and finally, I write them.
Isabel AllendeRead
My life is about ups and downs, great joys and great losses.
Isabel AllendeRead
I'm interested in people who have to overcome obstacles, people who are not sheltered by the umbrella of the establishment, marginals.
Isabel AllendeRead
I'm a writer. In Latin America, they say I'm a Latin-American writer because I also write in Spanish and my books are translated, but I am an American citizen and my books are published here, so I'm also an American writer.
Isabel AllendeRead
All summer, I read fiction because you must read for the pleasure and beauty of it, and not only for research. I don't read thrillers, romance or mystery, and I don't read self-help books because I don't believe in shortcuts and loopholes.
Isabel AllendeRead
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