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
… he remained restrained and strangely composed. It was a composure born of extreme provocation. It stemmed from a lucidity that lies beyond rage.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the power of maintaining composure in the face of provocation, suggesting that true strength comes from clarity and control rather than emotional outbursts.
Arundhati Roy’s quote reflects on the idea that even in moments of intense provocation, one can choose to remain composed and restrained. This composure comes not from a lack of emotion but rather from a deep understanding and lucidity that transcends anger. It emphasizes the strength found in restraint and the ability to navigate challenging situations with clarity, suggesting that true courage is not just in reacting, but in maintaining one’s poise despite external pressures.
Themes
ComposureClarityRestraintProvocationStrength
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about emotional intelligence, one might quote this to illustrate the importance of staying calm under pressure.
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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