Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber (1-Feb-2013) Paperback Quotes

“I'm like an addict when it comes to books. Compelled to read, understand, savor, wrangle with, be moved by, learn to live from these silent companions who speak so loudly.”
― Carolyn Weber, Surprised by Oxford: A Memoir by Carolyn Weber

“What is important is that my identity doesn't lie primarily in being a professor, or being a wife, or even in being a mother. Those things will always fall short. Entire careers get swept away at a moment's notice at the presentation of a pink slip, a vote of the elders, an accusation of a student, a cut in the budget. Marriages face infidelities, for instance, and end up like car wrecks from which people can recover but are never again the same. Children grow up and move far away and forget to write or call--as they should...The point is, if you have your identity in any of these things, it's surefire disappointment. Anything man-made--or woman-made, for that matter--will and does fail you. Having my identity in Christ first and foremost gives me the courage--yes, the courage--to live my life boldly, purposefully, in everything I do, no matter what that is.”
― Carolyn Weber, Surprised by Oxford: A Memoir by Carolyn Weber