What We Carry Quotes

“Maybe at our most maternal, we aren’t mothers at all. We’re daughters, reaching back in time for the mothers we wish we’d had and then finding ourselves.”
― Maya Lang, What We Carry: A Memoir

“It’s never too late to become what you might have been.”
― Maya Shanbhag Lang, What We Carry: A Memoir

“Freedom, on some level, is the right to tell one’s story. We tell stories to assert ourselves, as a constantly morphing declaration of self.”
― Maya Shanbhag Lang, What We Carry: A Memoir

“Maybe we pay to be reminded of beauty, to see what was always already before our eyes. I see what I’ve been missing, which has nothing to do with lunch or flowers and everything to do with growing free.”
― Maya Lang, What We Carry: A Memoir

“Until we are in the river, up to our shoulders—until we are in that position ourselves, we cannot know the answer. We tell ourselves we will sacrifice ourselves for our children, but the will to live is very strong.”
― Maya Lang, What We Carry: A Memoir

“Stories collide at the table. In your own life, you can establish your own narrative. You don’t have to be the athletic one or the artsy one. You can exist on your own terms.”
― Maya Shanbhag Lang, What We Carry: A Memoir

“A family is a battleground of such stories.”
― Maya Shanbhag Lang, What We Carry: A Memoir

“All her life, she saved for a rainy day. She was so busy preparing for rain that she never stopped to feel the sun.”
― Maya Shanbhag Lang, What We Carry: A Memoir

“She didn’t see that a mother’s story affects a daughter’s choices.”
― Maya Shanbhag Lang, What We Carry: A Memoir

“How can I urge her to pursue hers if I don’t pursue mine?”
― Maya Shanbhag Lang, What We Carry: A Memoir

“Home is the place that's always open.”
― Maya Shanbhag Lang, What We Carry: A Memoir

“Maybe at our most maternal, we aren't mothers at all. We're daughters, reaching back in time for the mothers we wish we'd had and then finding ourselves.”
― Maya Shanbhag Lang, What We Carry: A Memoir

“A story can be a survival mechanism.”
― Maya Shanbhag Lang, What We Carry: A Memoir

“My mom recognizes me, I tell them. The problem is that I don’t recognize her.”
― Maya Lang, What We Carry: A Memoir

“It’s not who I wanted my mom to be, but it’s who she was: haughty, self-centered, prejudiced, and, in her own cheap way, a snob. Seeing her plainly means losing the idealized version of her that has existed in my head.”
― Maya Lang, What We Carry: A Memoir

“Kathy looks at me. “You’re a mom, correct?” “Yeah.” “Is your kid always cooperative?” “Well, no, but—” “Probably screams sometimes, right? Has tantrums?” “Well, yes, but—” “It’s the same. Don’t treat her like she’s your mom. Treat her like she’s your kid.”
― Maya Lang, What We Carry: A Memoir

“She is the most capable person I know. I may not always understand her, but I have complete faith in her.”
― Maya Lang, What We Carry: A Memoir