We wait till now? Now, when we're old men, we get to be brave?
Ernest GainesRead
I still don't even know if the sheriff will let me see him. And suppose he did; what then? What do I say to him? Do I know what a man is? Do I know how a man is supposed to die? I'm still trying to find out how a man should live. Am I supposed to tell someone how to die who has never lived?
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the speaker's struggle with the complexities of life and death, highlighting the challenge of offering advice on dying without fully understanding living.
Ernest Gaines expresses a profound introspection about the nature of existence and mortality. The speaker grapples with uncertainty about how to communicate with someone facing death when they themselves are still searching for the essence of life. This existential dilemma emphasizes the importance of understanding life before one can offer insights about death, illustrating the intricate relationship between living and dying.
Themes
LifeDeathExistenceUnderstandingPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech addressing young adults about the importance of life experiences.
More from Ernest Gaines
All quotes βI was raised by a lady that was crippled all her life but she did everything for me and she raised me. She washed our clothes, cooked our food, she did everything for us. I don't think I ever heard her complain a day in her life. She taught me responsibility towards my brother and sisters and the community.
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...my heart may have been in it but my soul was not.
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Everything's been said, but it needs saying again.
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Question everything. Every stripe, every star, every word spoken. Everything.
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