The one ironclad rule is that I have to try. I have to walk into my writing room and pick up my pen every weekday morning
Anne TylerRead
She saw herself riding in the passenger seat, Sam behind the wheel. Like two of those little peg people in a toy car. Husband peg, wife peg, side by side. Facing the road and not looking at each other; for why would they need to, really, having gone beyond the visible surface long ago. No hope of admiring gazes anymore, no chance of unremitting adoration. Nothing left to show but their plain, true, homely, interior selves, which were actually much richer anyhow.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the deep connection between a couple that transcends superficial admiration.
In this quote, Anne Tyler explores the idea of long-term relationships where the initial excitement and admiration have faded, leaving a profound understanding and appreciation of each other's true selves. It emphasizes that the richness of a relationship lies in the familiarity and acceptance of one another's inner lives, rather than in outward displays of affection or romantic gestures.
Themes
RelationshipsLoveUnderstandingIntimacyPartnership
In practice
Example use cases
This quote is perfect for discussing the depth of companionship during a relationship seminar.
More from Anne Tyler
All quotes βI don't know what takes more courage: surviving a lifelong endurance test because you once made a promise or breaking free, disrupting all your world.
Anne TylerRead
I just want to be told a story, and I want to believe I'm living that story, and I don't give a thought to influences or method or any other writerly concerns
Anne TylerRead
I do write long, long character notes - family background, history, details of appearance - much more than will ever appear in the novel. I think this is what lifts a book from that early calculated, artificial stage.
Anne TylerRead
It seems to me that since I've had children, I've grown richer and deeper. They may have slowed down my writing for a while, but when I did write, I had more of a self to speak from.
Anne TylerRead
And she thought what a clean, simple life she would have led if it weren't for love.
Anne TylerRead
Similar quotes
Where there must be a choice, a girl will choose Daddy. Even if you are Mommy, you concede that this must be so: you remember when you were a girl, too.
Joyce Carol OatesRead
I cannot assume you will understand me. It is just as likely that as I invent what I want to say, you will invent what you want to hear. Some story we must have. Stray words on crumpled paper. A weak signal into the outer space of each other. The probability of seperate worlds meeting is very small. The lure is immense. We send starships. We fall in love
Jeanette WintersonRead
Help one another is part of the religion of our sisterhood.
Louisa May AlcottRead
Empathy isnβt just listening, itβs asking the questions whose answers need to be listened to. Empathy requires inquiry as much as imagination. Empathy requires knowing you know nothing. Empathy means acknowledging a horizon of context that extends perpetually beyond what you can see.
Leslie JamisonRead
If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is tied up with mine, then let us work together.
Lilla WatsonRead
People tend to have one of three 'styles' of interaction. There are takers, who are always trying to serve themselves; matchers, who are always trying to get equal benefit for themselves and others; and givers, who are always trying to help people.
Adam GrantRead