“Where you come from is gone, where you thought you were going to was never there, and where you are is no good unless you can get away from it. Where is there a place for you to be? No place... Nothing outside you can give you any place... In yourself right now is all the place you've got.”
Flannery O'Connor's quote emphasizes the idea of self-reliance and the importance of finding one's place within oneself. The author suggests that external circumstances and locations are not where one can truly find belonging or purpose. Instead, true fulfillment comes from within, and it is up to individuals to create their own sense of place and belonging. This quote encourages readers to look within themselves for a sense of home and identity.
In her quote, Flannery O'Connor highlights the idea that true fulfillment and belonging come from within oneself. In today's fast-paced and ever-changing world, it can be easy to feel lost or disconnected. However, by looking inward and focusing on our own values, beliefs, and goals, we can find our true place and purpose. This quote serves as a reminder that only by understanding and embracing ourselves can we truly feel at home in the world.
"“Where you come from is gone, where you thought you were going to was never there, and where you are is no good unless you can get away from it. Where is there a place for you to be? No place... Nothing outside you can give you any place... In yourself right now is all the place you've got.” - Flannery O'Connor"
In this powerful quote by Flannery O'Connor, she challenges us to reflect on our sense of place and belonging. Consider the following questions to delve deeper into the meaning behind this quote:
“I preach there are all kinds of truth, your truth and somebody else's, but behind all of them, there's only one truth and that is that there is no truth... No truth behind all truths is what I and this church preach! Where you come from is gone, where you thought you were going to never was there, and where you are is no good unless you can get away from it. Where is there a place for you to be? No place... In yourself right now is all the place you've got.”
“Where you come from is gone, where you thought you were going to never was there, and where you are is no good unless you can get away from it”
“In yourself right now is all the place you've got.”
“You might as well go one place as another," he said. "That's all I know.”
“Behind the newspaper Julian was withdrawing into the inner compartment of his mind where he spent most of his time. This was a kind of mental bubble in which he established himself when he could not bear to be a part of what was going on around him. From it he could see out and judge but in it he was safe from any kind of penetration from without. It was the only place where he felt free of the general idiocy of his fellows. His mother had never entered it but from it he could see her with absolute clarity.”
“The writer operates at a peculiar crossroads where time and place and eternity somehow meet. His problem is to find that location.”