To shift the structure of a sentence alters the meaning of that sentence, as definitely and inflexibly as the position of a camera alters the meaning of the object photographed.
Joan DidionRead
The wind shows us how close to the edge we are.
Interpretation
This quote suggests that external forces can reveal our vulnerabilities and limits.
Joan Didion's quote reflects on the idea that the wind, a powerful and uncontrollable natural force, can serve as a metaphor for life's challenges and uncertainties. It implies that moments of upheaval and struggle can clarify how close we are to our limits, both emotionally and physically, reminding us to stay aware of our boundaries and resilience in the face of external pressures.
In practice
This quote could be shared during a motivational speech about facing fears and uncertainties.
To shift the structure of a sentence alters the meaning of that sentence, as definitely and inflexibly as the position of a camera alters the meaning of the object photographed.
The truth is, it's easier for me to write than talk... to express the state I'm in at any time.
Memories are what you no longer want to remember.
It was clear, for example, in 1988 that the political process had already become perilously remote from the electorate it was meant to represent.
I mean maybe I was holding all the aces, but what was the game?
Do not whine... Do not complain. Work harder. Spend more time alone.
Meaning is a shaky edifice we build out of scraps, dogmas, childhood injuries, newspaper articles, chance remarks, old fillms, small victories, people hated, people loved; perhaps it is because our sense of what is the case is constructed from such inadequate materials that we defend it so fiercely, even to death.
The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.
Men of energy of character must have enemies; because there are two sides to every question, and taking one with decision, and acting on it with effect, those who take the other will of course be hostile in proportion as they feel that effect.
Americans think they're the leader of the world and yet can say that they're putting their economic interests ahead of the lives of - quite possibly - tens of millions of people who over the next 50 years will die because of floods or storms or tropical diseases or whatever. I guess that sort of thing makes me angry.
Should you ask me what is the first thing in religion, I should reply that the first, second, and third thing therein is humility.
What is a monster? A being whose survival is incompatible with the existing order.
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