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Quote by Katherine Mansfield

“Tell me, what is the difference between my life and that of an ordinary prisoner. The only difference I can see is that I put myself in jail and nobody’s ever going to let me out. [...] I’m like an insect that’s flown into a room of its own accord. I dash against the walls, dash against the windows, flop against the ceiling, do everything on God’s earth, in fact, except fly out again. And all the while I’m thinking, like that moth, or that butterfly, or whatever it is, ‘The shortness of life! The shortness of life!’ [...] Why don’t I fly out again? There’s the window or the door or whatever it was I came in by. It’s not hopelessly shut—is it? Why don’t I find it and be off? Answer me that, little sister.” But he gave her no time to answer. “I’m exactly like that insect again. For some reason”—Jonathan paused between the words—“it’s not allowed, it’s forbidden, it’s against the insect law, to stop banging and flopping and crawling up the pane even for an instant.”

Quote by Katherine Mansfield

Work

At the Bay

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Author

Katherine Mansfield
Katherine Mansfield

Katherine Mansfield was a New Zealand-born British writer renowned for her short stories. Her work is celebrated for its concise, direct style and profound insight into the details of everyday life. Although her writing career was brief, her influence on literature has been profound. more

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