It's only a story, you say. So it is, and the rest of life with it - creation story, love story, horror, crime, the strange story of you and I. The alphabet of my DNA shapes certain words, but the story is not told. I have to tell it myself. What is it that I have to tell myself again and again? That there is always a new beginning, a different end. I can change the story. I am the story. Begin.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of self-creation and the ability to redefine one’s own narrative.
Jeanette Winterson's quote reflects the idea that life is fundamentally a narrative that we have the power to shape and alter. It suggests that while our experiences may be viewed as part of a larger story, it is up to each individual to own and articulate their own story, recognizing that every moment offers an opportunity for a new beginning and a change in direction. This perspective encourages personal growth and the belief that we are not merely products of our circumstances, but active participants in our own life stories.
In practice
During a motivational speech about embracing new opportunities.
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.
Make sure you live,' she said. 'As decent as you can. I know you'll make mistakes, but sometimes you're meant to, okay?
From a boy_x000D_ _x000D_ I gloated on existence. Earth to me_x000D_ _x000D_ Seemed all-sufficient and my sojourn there_x000D_ _x000D_ One trembling opportunity for joy.
Sport is a wonderful metaphor for life. Of all the sports that I played - skiing, baseball, fishing - there is no greater example than golf, because you're playing against yourself and nature.
What a lovely surprise to finally discover how unlonely being alone can be.
You never know the biggest day of your life is your biggest day, not until it’s happening. You don’t recognize the biggest day of your life, not until you’re right in the middle of it. The day you commit to something or someone. The day you get your heart broken. The day you meet your soul mate. The day you realize there’s not enough time because you wanna live forever. Those are the biggest days. The perfect days.
I'm the one that's got to die when it's time for me to die, so let me live my life the way I want to.
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