Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Tim O'Brien

Quote by Tim O'Brien

“It’s a hard thing to explain to somebody who hasn’t felt it, but the presence of death and danger has a way of bringing you fully awake. It makes things vivid. When you’re afraid, really afraid, you see things you never saw before, you pay attention to the world. You make close friends. You become part of a tribe and you share the same blood- you give it together, you take it together.”

Quote by Tim O'Brien

Work

The Things They Carried

This poignant collection of short stories explores the lives of soldiers during the Vietnam War, highlighting the physical and emotional toll of their experiences. The characters grapple with the weight of memories, fear, and the enduring impact of their time in combat. more

Author

Tim O'Brien
Tim O'Brien

Tim O'Brien is an American novelist born on October 1, 1946. His works, set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, explore themes of war and memory through personal experiences and fictional narratives. O'Brien's writing style is unique, utilizing nonlinear storytelling and metafictional techniques. more

You May Also Like

“My mind has touched the farthest horizons of mortal imagination and reaches ever outward to embrace infinity. There is no knowledge beyond my comprehension, no art or skill upon this entire planet that lies beyond the mastery of my hand. And yet, like Faust, I look in vain, I learn in vain... For as long as I live, no woman will ever look on me in love.”

“Since the notion that we should all forsake attachment to race and/or cultural identity and be “just humans” within the framework of white supremacy has usually meant that subordinate groups must surrender their identities, beliefs, values, and assimilate by adopting the values and beliefs of privileged-class whites, rather than promoting racial harmony this thinking has created a fierce cultural protectionism.”

“There is no evidence that we've been placed on this planet to be especially happy or especially normal. And in fact our unhappiness and our strangeness, our anxieties and compulsions, those least fashionable aspects of our personalities, are quite often what lead us to do rather interesting things.”

“Every man knows that his highest purpose in life cannot be reduced to any particular relationship. If a man prioritizes his relationship over his highest purpose, he weakens himself, disserves the universe, and cheats his woman of an authentic man who can offer his full, undivided presence.”