The more research you do, the more at ease you are in the world you're writing about. It doesn't encumber you, it makes you free.
A. S. ByattRead
The true exercise of freedom is - cannily and wisely and with grace - to move inside what space confines - and not seek to know what lies beyond and cannot be touched or tasted.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True freedom is about wisely navigating our limitations rather than striving for the unattainable.
In this quote, A. S. Byatt suggests that genuine freedom does not stem from an incessant desire to understand or reach beyond our physical and experiential limitations. Instead, it is found in the ability to maneuver gracefully within these confines, accepting rather than resisting what we cannot touch or taste. This perspective encourages us to appreciate the richness of our current experiences rather than seeking unattainable knowledge or realities.
Themes
FreedomLimitationsWisdomExperiencePhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can inspire a discussion on the nature of freedom at a philosophy club meeting.
More from A. S. Byatt
All quotes →It's because I'm a feminist that I can't stand women limiting other women's imaginations. It really makes me angry.
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Why do we take pleasure in gruesome death, neatly packaged as a puzzle to which we may find a satisfactory solution through clues - or if we are not clever enough, have it revealed by the all-powerful tale-teller at the end of the book? It is something to do with being reduced to, and comforted by, playing by the rules.
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Never stop paying attention to things. Never make your mind up finally. Do not hold beliefs.
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Only write to me, write to me, I love to see the hop and skip and sudden starts of your ink.
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I am a creature of my pen. My pen is the best of me.
A. S. ByattRead
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