“The time has to be right and the heart willing.”
"The time has to be right and the heart willing.” - Jeffrey Eugenides
In this quote by Jeffrey Eugenides, he highlights the importance of timing and willingness when it comes to making decisions or taking actions. This implies that for something to be successful or meaningful, both external circumstances and internal conviction have to align. This can be applicable to various aspects of life such as relationships, career choices, or personal goals, emphasizing the significance of being in the right place emotionally and mentally before embarking on a new journey. Overall, the quote serves as a reminder that both timing and readiness are crucial factors in achieving success and fulfillment in life.
In his quote, Jeffrey Eugenides highlights the significance of timing and willingness in making decisions or taking actions. This idea remains relevant in modern times as it underscores the importance of being emotionally ready and receptive to change or new opportunities. In a fast-paced world where instant gratification is often expected, this reminder serves as a valuable insight into approaching decisions with care and consideration.
When considering the quote by Jeffrey Eugenides, "The time has to be right and the heart willing," it prompts us to reflect on our own readiness and willingness in different aspects of our lives. Below are some questions to help guide your reflections:
Take some time to ponder these questions and explore how the concepts of timing and willingness play a role in your own life experiences.
“Words, words, word. Once, I had the gift. I could make love out of words as a potter makes cups of clay. Love that overthrows empire. Love that binds two hearts together, come hellfire & brimstone. For sixpence a line, I could cause a riot in a nunnery. But now -- I have lost my gift. It's as if my quill is broken, as if the organ of my imagination has dried up, as if the proud -illegible word- of my genius has collapsed.”
“But this was the thought of a depressive. An aspiring depressive, at the time. That was the odd thing about Leonard’s disease, the almost pleasurable way it began. At first his dark moods were closer to melancholy than to despair. There was something enjoyable about wandering around the city alone, feeling forlorn. There was even a sense of superiority, of being right, in not liking the things other kids liked.”
“Her father was about to have a heart attack, and my memories of her are now tinged with a blue wash of misfortune that hadn't quite befallen her at the time. She was standing bare-legged in the jungly weeds that grew up between our houses. Her skin was already beginning to react to the grass cuttings stuck to the ball, whose sogginess was suddenly explained by the overweight Labrador who now limped into view.”
“There's a time to talk and a time for silence.”
“Historical fact: People stopped being people in 1913. That was the year Henry Ford put his cars on rollers and made his workers adopt the speed of the assembly line. At first, workers rebelled. They quit in droves, unable to accustom their bodies to the new pace of the age. Since then, however, the adaptation has been passed down: we've all inherited it to some degree, so that we plug right into joy-sticks and remotes, to repetitive motions of a hundred kinds.”
“My grandfather's short employ at the Ford Motor Company marked the only time any Stephanides has ever worked in the automotive industry. Instead of cars, we could become manufacturers of hamburger platters and Greek salads, industrialists of spanakopita and grilled cheese sandwiches, technocrats of rice pudding and banana cream pie. Our assembly line was the grill; our heavy machinery, the soda fountain.”