Saturday, June 18, 2016

Forgiveness

"Forgiveness. The ability to forgive oneself. Stop here for a few breaths and think about this because it is the key to making art, and very possibly the key to finding any semblance of happiness in life. Every time I have set out to translate the book … that exists in such brilliant detail on the big screen of my limbic system onto a piece of paper, … I grieve for my own lack of talent and intelligence. Every. Single. Time. Were I smarter, more gifted, I could pin down a closer facsimile of the wonders I see. I believe, more than anything, that this grief of constantly having to face down our own inadequacies is what keeps people from being writers. Forgiveness, therefore, is key. I can’t write the book I want to write, but I can and will write the book I am capable of writing. Again and again throughout the course of my life I will forgive myself."

-- Ann Patchett, “The Getaway Car: A Practical Memoir about Writing and Life” in This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage

"Everybody needs a little forgiveness." -- Patty Griffin, "Living with Ghosts"

No comments:

Post a Comment