“As I twisted the steering wheel and forced the accelerator to the floor I was controlling Mexico, and might and aloneness and inexperienced youth and Bailey Johnson, Sr., and death and insecurity, and even gravity.”
Source: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
“When the golden rabbit had safely emerged out of the forbidden passage, he pondered the direction back to his lair. “How can it be I don’t live where I used to live anymore? How can that be? Alright then….alright. What a strange dream…I feel as though I’ve been eaves dropping in tempo…but not in time!” The hare hopped off, humming passages from Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue”.”
Source: The Beagle and the Hare
“Do not be defined by a lover, or by anyone else for that matter. You are not an appendage, an add-on to the masculine world. And so, you must have your independence – not only of thought and spirit, but physical and financial. Independence will be your strength. Find it. Hold on to it. It is freedom, Mouse, and it will serve you well.”
Source: A Girl Made of Air
“He's as independent as a hog on ice.”
Source: A Thief of Time
“Ever since she left Bearwoode Manor there'd been people dictating what she should do, think, feel-- how she should behave. Why, even her grandmother had, but to good purpose. Now for the first time in her life it was as if, like a reptile, she'd shed her skin, abandoned an old version of herself and was ready to strike out anew, every day becoming more resistant to the expectations of others-- of men.
Part of her longed to fly free, not to escape the chocolate house or Blithe Manor, but to relish what these places gave her-- freedom and safety, and within those bounds, the liberties they bestowed.”
Source: The Chocolate Maker's Wife
“Jij hebt lef. Ik ben mijn eigen vrouw.
En op dat moment viel Michaels stoere muzikantenhart helemaal in katzwijm voor zoveel lef. Deze vrouw had niemand nodig. Hij moest haar hebben.”
Source: Eeuwige roem
“I found myself thinking more deeply about my own motivations and intentions. I had now been working on the Dawn Wall for parts of three years. It had become my touchstone, my opportunity for self-expression. The way it started—alone—empowered me in my quest for independence.”
Source: The Push: A Climber's Journey of Endurance, Risk, and Going Beyond Limits
“Sometimes she chose to stay home while Coach traveled, prioritizing her own schedule and needs. Her independence reassured me. Caroline’s ability to balance independence and devotion, though, showed me it could be achieved.”
Source: Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory
“Don't ask God to guide your footsteps if you're not willing to move your feet.”
Source: YUSHIN KIM: The UNIFIER of the KOREAN PENINSULA
“This was my life now. I was twenty-one years old, doing the first year of a literature course, I had a stranger living next door to me, I had a friend I still didn't really know on the floor beneath and a girlfriend. I knew nothing, but I was still getting better and better at pretending I did.”
Source: Min kamp 5