“He tapped my chest. 'Happy is here.' He tapped his own chest. 'Here.'I looked down past my chin. 'Inside?''Inside.'It was getting crowded in there. First angel. Now happy. It seemed there was more to me than cabbage and turnips.”
Explore This Quote Further
Analysis of Quote from Jerry Spinelli
In this quote from Jerry Spinelli's novel, the protagonist reflects on the idea of happiness residing within oneself. The simple gesture of tapping one's chest is used to convey a deeper message about the complexities of human emotions and the multifaceted nature of one's being. The protagonist's realization that there is more to them than just physical attributes like "cabbage and turnips" suggests a newfound understanding of their own inner world and the presence of intangible qualities like happiness. This quote highlights the theme of self-discovery and the importance of recognizing and nurturing one's inner happiness.
Finding Happiness Within
In this quote from Jerry Spinelli's book, the character reflects on the idea of happiness residing within oneself. This concept of finding happiness internally is especially relevant in today's modern world, where external factors often dictate our mood and well-being. In a society that values material possessions and external validation, it is important to remember that true happiness comes from within ourselves. Like the character in the quote, we may find that there is more to us than meets the eye when we start looking within for happiness.
Jerry Spinelli, Stargirl
This quote from Jerry Spinelli's novel Stargirl illustrates the idea that happiness can come from within, rather than external sources. The protagonist realizes that there is more to him than just basic, mundane things like cabbage and turnips. This moment highlights the importance of finding joy and contentment within ourselves, rather than relying on external factors.
Reflection Questions
Jerry Spinelli's quote from his book highlights the idea of happiness residing within oneself. Reflect on the following questions to explore your own understanding of your inner happiness:
- How do you interpret the notion of happiness being inside yourself, rather than external?
- Have you ever experienced a moment where you felt truly happy within yourself? What brought about that feeling?
- In what ways can you nurture and cultivate your inner happiness on a daily basis?
- Do you tend to seek happiness from external sources or do you believe in finding it within yourself? Why?
- How does the concept of having more to you than meets the eye resonate with you personally?
Similar quotes
“Happy". I had not heard that word since Mr. Milgrom spoke it at the last Hanukkah. I asked him the question that had been on my mind since then. "Tata, what is happy?"He looked at me and at the ceiling and back to me."Did you ever taste an orange?" he said. ”
“So," he said, "we ourselves will be the candle flames." He put his hands on his chest. "Feel your hearts, how warm they are.”
“It's hard to do nothing totally. Even just sitting here, like this, our bodies are churning, our minds are chattering. There's a whole commotion going on inside us." "That's bad?" I said. "It's bad if we want to know what's going on outside ourselves." "Don't we have eyes and ears for that?"She nodded. "They're okay most of the time. But sometimes they just get in the way. The earth is speaking to us, but we can't hear because of all the racket our senses are shaking. Sometimes we need to erase them, erase our senses. Then-maybe- the earth will touch us. The universe will speak. The stars will whisper." The sun was glowing orange now, clipping the mountains' purple crests. "So how do I become this nothing?" "I'm not sure,"she said "There's no one answer to that. You have to find your own way. Sometimes I try to erase myself. I imagine a big pink soft soap eraser, and it's going back and forth, back and forth, and it starts down at my toes, back and forth, back and forth, and there they go-poof!-my toes are gone. And then my feet. And then my ankles. But that's the easy part. The hard part is erasing my senses-my eyes,my ears,my nose, my tongue. And last to go is my brain. My thoughts, memories, all the voices inside my head. That's the hardest, erasing my thoughts." She chuckled faintly. "My pumpkin. And then, if I've done a good job, I'm erased. I'm gone. I'm nothing. And then the world is free to flow into me like water into and empty bowl." "And?" I said. "And I see. I hear. But not with eyes and ears. I'm not outside my world anymore, and I'm not really inside it either. The thing is, there's no difference anymore between me and the universe. The boundary is gone. I am it and it is me. I am a stone, a cactus thorn. I am rain." She smiled dreamily. "I like that most of all, being rain.”
“If Heaven and angels exist in a timeless medium we call Forever ("Hey, nobody here but us angels!") ...Then ... ues what? ...There will be no end of me!”
“Everybody has an angel hiding inside. When you die, your angel comes out. You can die, but not your angel. Your angel never dies.”
“Maybe it was the angle, but her fawn's eyes, looking up at me, seemed larger than ever. I had to make an effort to keep my balance lest I fall into them.”