“It is because I dove into the abyss that I am beginning to love the abyss I am made of.”
In this quote, Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector reflects on her experience of facing the unknown and embracing the darkness within herself. By diving into the abyss, which symbolizes the depths of her own thoughts and emotions, she discovers a newfound appreciation for the complexity of her being. This quote highlights the idea that true self-discovery often involves confronting our fears and uncertainties, ultimately leading to a deeper understanding and acceptance of ourselves. Lispector's words encourage us to embrace all aspects of ourselves, even the darkest parts, as they are integral to our identity and growth.
“For one has the right to shout.So, I am shouting.”
“Something broke in me and left me with a nerve split in two. In the beginning the extremities linked to the cut hurt me so badly that I paled in pain and perplexity. However the split places gradually scarred over. Until coldly, I no longer hurt. I changed, without planning to. I used to look at you from my inside outward and from the inside of you, which because of love, I could guess. After the scarring I started to look at you from the outside in. And also to see myself from the outside in: I had transformed myself into a heap of facts and actions whose only root was in the domain of logic. At first I couldn't associate me with myself. Where am I? I wondered. And the one who answered was a stranger who told me coldly and categorically: you are yourself.”
“Who has not asked himself at some time or other: am I a monster or is this what it means to be a person?”
“Everything is heavy with dreams when I paint a cave or write to you about one - out of it comes the clatter of dozens of unfettered horses to trample the shadows with dry hooves, and from the friction of the hooves the rejoicing liberates itself in sparks: here I am, the cave and I, in the time that will rot us.”
“And now -- now it only remains for me to light a cigarette and go home. Dear God, only now am I remembering that people die. Does that include me?Don't forget, in the meantime, that this is the season for strawberries. Yes.”
“I just know that I don't want cheating. I refuse. I deepened myself but I don't believe in myself because my thought is invented.”