Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Toni Morrison

Quote by Toni Morrison

“Denver kept her eyes on the road in case they were whitemen; in case she was walking where they wanted to; in case they said something and she would have to answer them. Suppose they flung out at her, grabbed her, tied her. They were getting closer. Maybe she should cross the road-now. Was the woman who half waved at her still there in the open door? Would she come to her rescue, or, angry at Denver for not waving back, would she withhold her help? Maybe she should turn around, get closer to the waving woman's house.”

Quote by Toni Morrison

Book:Beloved
Create image

Work

Beloved

This novel delves into the profound and haunting aftermath of slavery in the United States, focusing on the life of a woman named Sethe who has escaped from a plantation but is haunted by her past. The narrative intertwines the lives of former slaves and their descendants, examining the lasting impact of historical trauma on individuals and communities. more

Author

Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison is an American novelist known for her profound portrayal of the history and culture of African Americans. Her works often explore issues of race, gender, and identity, with her most famous novels being 'The Bluest Eye' and 'Sula'. more

You May Also Like

“In my genitor’s home, too, there were meetings of people who, like him, hoped that the tribunes would hold out and who more or less had reasons for their hopes. They tried to raise each other’s spirits; they heard more or less sensible things. I could judge them from my perspective as an anarch, who, although personally indifferent to the whole business, found it fascinating as a historic issue. Moreover, I may have been the only person who was not afraid. I relished what I was listening to, like Stendhal on such an occasion. I appreciate him also as a historian. Now I am not putting down fear. It is a foundation of physicality, indeed of physics. If the ground wobbles or if the house so much as threatens to collapse, one looks for the door. This, too, creates a selection – say, of those people who did not fall into the trap.”

FearPolitical ChangeAnarch
Book:Eumeswil
Create image

“Aragorn looked at them, and there was pity in his eyes rather than wrath; for these were young men from Rohan, from Westfold far away, or husbandmen from Lossarnach, and to them Mordor had been from childhood a name of evil, and yet unreal, a legend that had no part in their simple life; and now they walked like men in a hideous dream made true, and they understood not this war nor why fate should lead them to such a pass.”

WarFearPityNightmareChildhood Story
Book:The Return of the King
Create image

“And your doubt can become a good quality if you train it. It must become knowing, it must become criticism. Ask it, whenever it wants to spoil something for you, why something is ugly, demand proofs from it, test it, and you will find it perhaps bewildered and embarrassed, perhaps also protesting. But don’t give in, insist on arguments, and act in this way, attentive and persistent, every single time, and the day will come when, instead of being a destroyer, it will become one of your best workers- perhaps the most intelligent of all the one that are building your life.”

ArtFearDoubtCreation
Book:Letters to a Young Poet
Create image

“There is nothing more delicate than love in existence. Love is the most precious thing. Love is the opening of the heart. Love is the flowering of the heart. And the moment that the heart opens like a flower the whole existence becomes available to it. Then it can sway and dance with the wind, with the rain and with the sun. Suddenly all barriers disappear, and as you open up barriers evaporate. Opening up to existence like a flower means coming out of imprisonment. Otherwise we are living in a way closed to everything. The whole life of a closed person is fear-oriented. He is afraid to open to life. He is afraid to be open and vulnerable, because you may be hurt, cheated and deceived. It may be better to keep the windows and doors of the heart closed. But a closed life is bound to be miserable. Just as the closed life is fear-oriented, the open life is love-oriented. It means to trust existence. And through trusting existence, you can allow yourself to live and dance.”

LoveLifeFearExistenceTrusting Life
Book:The Way of the Heart
Create image