To me, there is nothing higher than fiction. Nothing. It is fundamentally who I am. I am a teller of stories. For me, that's the only way I can make sense of the world, with all the dance that it involves.
Arundhati RoyRead
As she watched him she understood the quality of his beauty. How his labor had shaped him. How the wood he fashioned had fashioned him. Each plank he planed, each nail he drove, each thing he made molded him. Had left its stamp on him. Had given him his strength, his supple grace.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on how a person's work and creativity shape their identity and character.
In this quote, Arundhati Roy emphasizes the deep connection between an artist and their craft. It illustrates how the labor put into creating something beautiful also transforms the creator, enriching their life experience and honing their skills. Each action taken in the creative process leaves a lasting impact, forging a unique identity and contributing to personal strength and grace.
Themes
ArtBeautyLaborIdentityCreationStrength
In practice
Example use cases
In a workshop, you might say, 'As Arundhati Roy noted, our work shapes us, reflecting our dedication and skill.'
More from Arundhati Roy
All quotes →When she listened to songs that she loved on the radio, something stirred inside her. A liquid ache spread under her skin, and she walked out of the world like a witch.
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Caste is about dividing people up in ways that preclude every form of solidarity, because even in the lowest castes, there are divisions and sub-castes, and everyone's co-opted into the business of this hierarchical, silo-ised society.
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When I decided to write 'The God of Small Things', I had been working in cinema. It was almost a decision to downshift from there. I thought that 300 people would read it. But it created a platform of trust.
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In California, there are huge problems because of dams. I'm against big dams, per se, because I think that they are economically unfeasible. They're ecologically unsustainable. And they're hugely undemocratic.
Arundhati RoyRead
To call someone 'anti-American', indeed, to be anti-American, is not just racist, it's a failure of the imagination.
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You are just as qualified as any expert to make a judgment and have a feeling or a response to any work of art.
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