“To do science today is to experience a dimension unique in contemporary working lives; the work promises something incomparable: the sense of living both personally and historically. That is why science now draws to itself all kinds of people - charlatans, mediocrities, geniuses - everyone who wants to touch the flame, feel alive to the time.” PeopleWantFeelsKindTodayScienceAliveGeniusPromiseUniqueDrawsContemporaryAll KindsFlamesDimensionsMediocrityIncomparableCharlatansWorking Life Book:Women in Science: Then and Now Source: Women in Science: Then and Now
“Widowhood provided Mama with a higher form of being. In refusing to recover from my father's death she had discovered that her life was endowed with a seriousness her years in the kitchen had denied her. She remained devoted to this seriousness for thirty years. She never tired of it, never grew bored or restless in its company, found new ways to keep alive the interest it deserved and had so undeniably earned.” WayYearsFormFoundFatherInterestCompanyAliveGrewHigherTiredBoredThirtyKitchenDeniedDevotedNew WaysRestlessSeriousnessMamaThirty YearsWidowhood Author:Vivian Gornick
“When I work I feel more alive than under any other circumstances. There's not an 'I love you' in the world that can match it. I feel safe, excited, at peace, erotic, centered. Nothing can touch me.” WorldFeelsWorkAliveLove YouCircumstancesSafeExcitedEroticTouch Me Author:Vivian Gornick
“When the whole world is writing letters, it's easy to lap into the quiet within, tell the story of an hour, keep alive the narrating inner life. To be alone in the presence of one's thought is not a value, only a common practice.” ThinkingWorldWritingWholeStoriesValuesEasyHoursCommonPracticeAliveSolitudeQuietLettersWhole WorldThoughtfulLapInner Life Author:Vivian Gornick