Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Suzanne Palmieri

Quote by Suzanne Palmieri

“Father and Ivy used to go off on their excursions, never knowing that I was relieved when they were gone. That I'd wear my nightgowns all day and read from dawn till dusk.”

Quote by Suzanne Palmieri

Book:Empire Girls
Create image

Work

Empire Girls

Browse quotes and source details for this work. more

Author

Suzanne Palmieri

Browse famous quotes and profile details for Suzanne Palmieri. more

You May Also Like

“She has always said that talking makes everyone feel better. He says talking is the equivalent of grooming. The tongue and fingers are governed by the same parts of the brain. He marvels at how close they can be some nights on the phone and how words really are the equal of touch. Bakelite pressed hard against his ear. She says it's not just the freedom from him and from their daughter. I feel some sort of opening. I saw things so clearly today. He thinks about the solitary figure in every religion, the monks, saints and shamans in every tradition who walk out into wilderness on their own and find revelation. It's what solitude does to a social animal he says. People talk of recognizing something greater than themselves when they're alone because we finally have to realize how helpless we are as individuals. There's a freedom, a sense of wonder in feeling for a moment that we don't have to please anyone or adjust to the needs of others. And there's a fear in realizing how small we are, how much those distant others normally insulate us from seeing the limits of our mostly incompetent bodies. When we're on our own we seek solutions and speculate and fictionalize because that's what we do when we're confronted with survival. That's revelation. Maybe she says, I'm just saying I'd like to eat less meat. We could have fish.”

SolitudeRevelationSense Of Wonder
Book:A Beautiful Truth
Create image

“All these years, her sole objective had been to keep still and hope no one would ever know. She had been a mistress of stillness. She had mastered the simulation of peace without a wisp of real peace, like a nun from a silent order who was screaming inside her head, or a yogi racked with pain. How she had managed to fool anyone, let alone everyone, mystified her (how obtuse people were!) and, oddly, made her extraordinarily bitter. Because the price of her gift for evasion was to have no one, not one person, who understood how horrible she felt. All the time. Absolutely all the time.”

SolitudeDepressionFaking Happiness
Book:Admission
Create image

“Saya kesepian, Tuhan. Tidakkah Engkau kasihan pada saya? Saya hanya ingin mempunyai teman. Cukup satu saja. Yang bisa saya ajak bicara, bercanda, dan bercengkrama. Yang selalu ada di kala sedih dan bahagia. Sekali lagi, kabulkan doa saya, Tuhan. Saya rela menjadi idiot asalkan Engkau selamatkan saya dari kesepian panjang ini.”

WishFriendshipSolitude
Book:Menunggu Pagi: Antologi Cerpen Keluarga Mahasiswa Sastra Indonesia
Create image