Breath, Eyes, Memory Quotes

“Love is like the rain. It comes in a drizzle sometimes. Then it starts pouring and if you're not careful it will drown you.”
― Edwidge Danticat, Breath, Eyes, Memory

“She told me about a group of people in Guinea who carry the sky on their heads. They are the people of Creation. Strong, tall, and mighty people who can bear anything. Their Maker, she said, gives them the sky to carry because they are strong. These people do not know who they are, but if you see a lot of trouble in your life, it is because you were chosen to carry part of the sky on your head.”
― Edwidge Danticat, Breath, Eyes, Memory

“If a woman is worth remembering,' said my grandmother, 'there is no need to have her name carved in letters.”
― Edwidge Danticat, Breath, Eyes, Memory

“There is always a place where, if you listen closely in the night, you will hear a mother telling a story and at the end of the tale, she will ask you this question: 'Ou libéré?' Are you free, my daughter?"

My grandmother quickly pressed her fingers over my lips.

Now," she said, "you will know how to answer.”
― Edwidge Danticat, Breath, Eyes, Memory

“...women, brave as stars at dawn”
― Edwidge Danticat, Breath, Eyes, Memory

“The girl she said, I didn’t tell you this because it was a small thing, but little girls, they leave their hearts at home when they walk outside. Hearts are so precious. They don’t want to lose them.”
― Edwidge Danticat, Breath, Eyes, Memory

“It is the calm and silent waters that drown you.”
― Edwidge Danticat, Breath, Eyes, Memory

“They are the people of creation. Their maker…gives them the sky to carry because they are so strong. These people do not know who they are, but if you see a lot of trouble in your life, it is because you were chosen to carry part of the sky on your head.”
― Edwidge Danticat, Breath, Eyes, Memory

“Here, though, there is nothing. Nothing at all. The sky seems empty even when I am looking at the moon and stars.”
― Edwidge Danticat, Breath, Eyes, Memory

“Tante Atie once said that love is like rain. It comes in a drizzle sometimes. Then it starts pouring and if you’re not careful it will drown you.”
― Edwidge Danticat, Breath, Eyes, Memory

“I felt broken at the end of the meeting, but a little closer to being free.”
― Edwidge Danticat, Breath, Eyes, Memory

“God grant us the courage to change those things we can, the serenity to accept the things we can't, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
― Edwidge Danticat, Breath, Eyes, Memory

“That night, I slept hugging my secret.”
― Edwidge Danticat, Breath, Eyes, Memory

“She cannot stay out of duty. The things one does, one should do out of love.”
― Edwidge Danticat, Breath, Eyes, Memory

“First novels are a lot like first children. You lavish all your love and attention on them, but you also make all your rookie mistakes on them. First novels teach you how to write. They are your initial opportunity to put into practice everything you’ve heard about long-haul narrative. They’re your primary attempt at trying to walk in the footsteps of the giant (and not so giant) writers you revere and adore.”
― Edwidge Danticat, Breath, Eyes, Memory

“I didn’t feel guilty about burning my mother’s name anymore. I knew my hurt and hers were links in a long chain and if she hurt me, it was because she was hurt, too.”
― Edwidge Danticat, Breath, Eyes, Memory

“She said the lottery was like love. Providence was not with her, but she was patient.”
― Edwidge Danticat, Breath, Eyes, Memory

“Then what do you want with me?'...
'The pursuit of happiness.”
― Edwidge Danticat, Breath, Eyes, Memory

“I didn't feel guilty about burning my mother's name anymore. I knew my hurt and hers were links in a long chain and if she hurt me, it was because she was hurt, too. It was up to me to avoid my turn in the fire. It was up to me to make sure that my daughter never slept with ghosts, never lived with nightmares, and never had her name burnt in the flames.”
― Edwidge Danticat, Breath, Eyes, Memory