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Quote by Delia Ephron

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Sister Mother Husband Dog: Etc.

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Author

Delia Ephron
Delia Ephron

Delia Ephron is an American author known for her humorous and emotionally rich novels and screenplays. Her works often explore love, family, and human relationships. Born on July 12, 1944, Ephron is the daughter of the renowned playwright Neil Simon. more

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“And I think now, as my fiftieth birthday draws near, about the American novelist Thomas Wolfe, who was only thirty-eight years old when he died. He got a lot of help in organizing his novels from Maxwell Perkins, his editor at Charles Scribner’s Sons. I have heard that Perkins told him to keep in mind as he wrote, as a unifying idea, a hero’s search for a father. It seems to me that really truthful American novels would have the heroes and heroines alike looking for mothers instead. This needn’t be embarrassing. It’s simply true. A mother is much more useful. I wouldn’t feel particularly good if I found another father.”

“I realize now, the life 
of an étranger is much like being the only child of older parents who hold tons of cocktail parties. You’re embarrassed for being there and it’s obvious you stand out. You’re treated (often) like a child. You don’t know the formal codes and you’re learning on the fly. Since you assume people are feigning interest in you, you pick up tics and quick-witted dodges to make yourself more endearing or to better hide your deficiencies. And in the end, you go to your room exhausted, not really sure if you had a good time, not really sure why you were there in the first place, but content nonetheless.”

“And soon a cold realization hit me: The time for giving up hope and 
letting go was now. It would be my parting gift to her. And as I cried 
into Mom’s ear and held her hand, and told her it was okay to let go, that I’d be fine, I felt her chest rise one last time. There was no long 
continuous beep like you see in the movies. Just a deafening silence 
and my echo of good-bye skipping down the side of her ear like a coin 
down a deep well.”

“Eu teimava com meus pais, adorava ganhar uma discussão deles, me vangloriava de ser moderno, transgressor e rebelde, plantava sempre assuntos polêmicos como pena de morte e aborto nas rodas de almoço e jantar, táticas para denunciar o conservadorismo dos dois. Batia a porta, fechava a cara, gritava como um sindicalista lutando por melhores condições dentro de casa. E eles pediam que eu tivesse calma, que não faltasse com a educação, que não levantasse da mesa sem terminar a refeição, pois não adiantava reclamar da injustiça do mundo se não limpava o meu prato.”

“Fundamos a cumplicidade com os pais por um equívoco: a necessidade. Não deveríamos procurá-los só quando precisamos. É transformar o amor em interesse, é converter a ternura em assistencialismo. São os nossos infinitos provedores financeiros e emocionais, nosso SOS, nossa ligação direta com o céu. Jamais invertemos a perspectiva e trocamos de lugar: o que eles desejam?”