Rani

“The more we want to exploit a body, the less humanity we allow it.”
― Melissa Febos, Girlhood

“The meaning of our whole life and existence is love. It is love to the family, to the children, to the motherland (the world). This phenomenon which appears complicated lies at heart of any of our behaviors. It is exactly the top priority which all of us should go after, and I am absolutely sure that we will succeed.”
― Vladimir Putin

“As a young woman I struck myself against everything - other bodies, cities, myself - but I could never make sense of the marks I made on them, or the marks they made on me. A thing of unknown value has no value, and I treated myself as such. I beat against my life as if it could tell me how to stop hurting, until I was black and blue on the inside. The small softnesses I found, however fleeting, were precious. They may have saved my life.
Now, I am so careful. The more I know my own worth, the less I have to fling myself against anything. When I go back, I can see all the marks that girl made so long ago. I reach my hand through the water and touch their familiar shapes.”
― Melissa Febos, Girlhood

“Real trauma is like a giant hunk of scar tissue that the rest of your life accommodates, grows around. 251”
― Melissa Febos, Whip Smart: A Memoir