I had relationships with men as well as women. I wasn't choosing; I didn't think I had to.
Interpretation
The quote expresses openness in romantic relationships, highlighting a lack of confinement to traditional norms regarding gender.
Jeanette Winterson reflects on her experiences with relationships, suggesting that her attraction to both men and women was natural and unforced. She emphasizes the idea that love and connection should not be restricted by societal labels or expectations, advocating for the acceptance of diverse sexual orientations and the fluidity of attraction.
In practice
This quote could be shared in a discussion about LGBTQ+ rights and the importance of recognizing all kinds of love.
What is remembered is not a deed in stone but a metaphor. Meta = above. Pheren = to carry. That which is carried above the literalness of life. A way of thinking that avoids the problems of gravity. The word won't let me down. The single word that can release me from all that unuttered weight.
Reading things that are relevant to the facts of your life is of limited value. The facts are, after all, only the facts, and the yearning passionate part of you will not be met there. That is why reading ourselves as a fiction as well as fact is so liberating. The wider we read the freer we become.
I have a list of titles that I leave at the [library] desk, because they are bound to be written some day, and it's best to be ahead of the queue.
Woolf wanted to say dangerous things in Orlando but she did not want to say them in the missionary position.
In that house, you will find my heart. You must break in, Henri, and get it back for me.' Was she mad? We had been talking figuratively. Her heart was in her body like mine. I tried to explain this to her, but she took my hand and put it against her chest. Feel for yourself.
History is a string full of knots, the best you can do is admire it, and maybe tie it up a bit more. History is a hammock for swinging and a game for playing.
Whatever he might have denied me was unimportant; it was the fact that he could deny me anything at all, even what I didn't want
Are you the new person drawn toward me? To begin with, take warning, I am surely far different from what you suppose.
Everywhere, we learn only from those whom we love.
If public figures came out of the closet, then the LGBT kids who saw them on TV would feel safe, before they even knew why they felt dangerous. Maybe if enough people came out of the closet, gay kids would never feel dangerous. Maybe we could have a world where we could all just live. We may not all agree, but why can't we just all live?
I love being single. It's great. I get to be who I am and do what I want and be with the people I love. I feel like I have everything and I'm very fortunate, and it's very rich fulfilling time in my life.
Be kind. Always if you have a choice, be kind.
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