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Quote by Ursula K. Le Guin

Work

The Left Hand of Darkness

Ursula K. Le Guin's novel is set in a distant future where human-like beings called the Ekumen live on various planets. The story follows a male human envoy, Genly Ai, who travels to the planet Gethen to win its inclusion in the Ekumen. The inhabitants of Gethen are ambisexual, capable of changing their gender, which adds a unique perspective to the narrative and raises questions about gender identity and human nature. more

Author

Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula K. Le Guin

Ursula K. Le Guin, born on October 21, 1929, is an esteemed American author of science fiction and fantasy. Known for her profound philosophical insights, rich imagination, and unique narrative style, Le Guin's works have won numerous literary awards and have had a significant impact on science fiction and fantasy literature. Her most famous works include the 'Earthsea' series and 'The Left Hand of Darkness', which have won her awards such as the Nebula and Hugo Awards, and she has also received the National Book Award for lifetime achievement for her contributions to literature. more

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“I sometimes feel like a slap when I hear the word functional. How much does a counselor know about your own life? Do not feel too much, do this, do that, these are the tools to process emotions, these are the tools to do this, do that, what the fucking tragedy. Isn’t the whole purpose of existence is to feel and feel more and a bit more? There is no logical rationale on why one should wait for years for a person. Maybe I did not feel the need to find a reason. In a life where I try to find the reason before opening a 30 second video, wasn’t that something that’s enough. Love is not supposed to be rational. When I feel, I feel. I feel a lot. And to doubt the love I had makes me doubt everything I had. Was anything real then, if not this? I do not know what I am feeling, but whatever it is, it is heavy. I did not know I had the capacity to feel this much and I did. I read once there are more atoms of hydrogen in a spoon than there are spoons on the earth. At that time it seemed very vague and funny, trivial but funny. But now that you are gone this is making me feel the heaviness of one spoon because a mare spoon is holding too many incomparable things. I hold too much of you inside of me, I hold too many memories inside of me that I am somehow on the verge of blasting but yet somehow I am not full. The waves of your memories come again and again. These tears are a witness that I loved you and I loved you well.”

“I sometimes feel like a slap when I hear the word functional. How much does a counselor know about your own life? Do not feel too much, do this, do that, these are the tools to process emotions, these are the tools to do this, do that, what the fucking tragedy. Isn’t the whole purpose of existence is to feel and feel more and a bit more?”

“Death has many pieces. At the very end, our lives fractured, and the shards swam away to where they belonged. The still-living carry those parts around with them: kind words and gentle skin-touches and sweet, sweet tears. The best parts of us are elsewhere, spread out across the land in a fine mist of memory. Our voices are the last thrumming of an insect's wing on a web. All that lodges here is the shape of our ending.”