The mouth was wide open and ripped at the corners, as though she had choked a little in giving up the tremendous vitality she had stored so long.
Interpretation
This quote reflects the struggle of letting go of one's energy or essence, often indicating a significant loss or sacrifice.
F. Scott Fitzgerald's quote poignantly illustrates a moment of profound transition, where a person, in relinquishing their energy or vitality, experiences a struggle signified by a wide-open mouth and torn corners. This imagery evokes the intensity of release, suggesting that such a surrender may come with difficulty and pain, symbolizing the sacrifices made throughout life.
In practice
In a motivational speech about overcoming obstacles, this quote can emphasize the cost of personal growth.
Don't be so anxious about it,' she laughed. 'I'm not used to being loved. I wouldn't know what to do; I never got the trick of it.' She looked down at him, shy and fatigued. 'So here we are. I told you years ago that I had the makings of Cinderella.' He took her hand; she drew it back instinctively and then replaced it in his. 'Beg your pardon. Not even used to being touched. But I'm not afraid of you, if you stay quiet and don't move suddenly.
The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.
It was about then [1920] that I wrote a line which certain people will not let me forget: "She was a faded but still lovely woman of twenty-seven."
The words seemed to bite physically into Gatsby.
But you can love more than just one person, can't you?
A sudden gust of rain blew over them and then another - as if small liquid clouds were bouncing along the land. Lightning entered the sea far off and the air blew full of crackling thunder. The table cloths blew around the pillars. They blew and blew and blew. The flags twisted around the red chairs like live things, the banners were ragged, the corners of the table tore off through the burbling billowing ends of the cloths.
Gilbert darling, don't let's ever be afraid of things. It's such dreadful slavery. Let's be daring and adventurous and expectant. Let's dance to meet life and all it can bring to us, even if it brings scads of trouble and typhoid and twins!" (Anne to Gilbert)
It is not doing the thing we like to do, but liking the thing we have to do, that makes life blessed.
I think it is unnatural to think that there is such a thing as a blue-sky, white-clouded happy childhood for anybody. Childhood is a very, very tricky business of surviving it. Because if one thing goes wrong or anything goes wrong, and usually something goes wrong, then you are compromised as a human being. You're going to trip over that for a good part of your life.
There are so many things and so many aspects to gay life that I've discovered and so many things to write about. I have a new life, and I have a new take on dance music because of that life.
there is no ascent to the heights without prior descent into darkness, no new life without some form of death.
I looked up at the dark sky and prayed to God for a better break in life and a better chance to do something for the little people I loved.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.