Deeper Understanding Quotes

“I knew Dad was concerned about my past associations. I was from the Trash Alley. It was my community. I hung out with thugs from the Frog Bottom, the Burns Bottoms, the Red Line, the S-Curve, the Sandfield, the Morning Side, and a bunch of other places that shall remain nameless. I knew all of the “Legends of the Hood”: Sin Man, Swap, Boo Boo, Emp-Man, Cookie Man, Shank, Polar Bear, Bae Willy, Bae Bruh, Skullhead Ned, Pimp, Crunch, and Goat Turd (just to name a few). I thought maybe Dad had summoned me as a “show and tell” for the kids in his neighborhood—the hardliner to scare those wayward suburban brats back into reality.”
― Harold Phifer, Surviving Chaos: How I Found Peace at A Beach Bar

“Out of nowhere, one of the twins grabbed my cap while the other delivered a blow to my head. She slapped the taste right out of my mouth. I couldn’t even feel my tongue. I spun around to face my bullies. The twins had become triplets. I couldn’t remember ever trying to drink three glasses of anything and this wouldn’t be the day to try.”
― Harold Phifer, Surviving Chaos: How I Found Peace at A Beach Bar

“The teacher pulled out a pile of papers. They were Bennie’s tests and homework assignments. Mrs. Lewis said, “Ma’am, here is the proof that Bennie isn’t up to a fourth grade level. He has an F on several of these assignments. In fact, a zero grade is too high for some of Bennie’s work this last year.”
― Harold Phifer, Surviving Chaos: How I Found Peace at A Beach Bar

“No event is depressing. I may feel depressed; if so, I take responsibility.”
― Larry Godwin, Transcending Depression: Quest Without a Compass

“Today I hit rock bottom but didn’t busy myself with activity to take my mind off it, like I usually do. I allowed myself to sink as deep as possible. It’s like an infection: let it run its course and be done with it. Rising, I felt cleansed.”
― Larry Godwin, Transcending Depression: Quest Without a Compass

“I have an obligation to help eliminate the stigma attached to mental illness. When I’m feeling despondent and someone asks in a sincere way how I am, I have a duty to tell the truth. It’s no different from saying I have a bad cold. By speaking candidly, I give others permission to acknowledge their own mental illness, talk about it, and seek help. I must break the silence instead of treating my depression like a shameful character flaw.”
― Larry Godwin, Transcending Depression: Quest Without a Compass

“I feel like a violet standing alone in a vast meadow. When a cool, gentle breeze blows, I feel peaceful. If the wind turns strong and hot from the south, I plot suicide.”
― Larry Godwin, Transcending Depression: Quest Without a Compass

“Every peak and valley of your life has led you to deeper understanding and, ultimately, growing compassion.”
― Amy Leigh Mercree, Joyful Living: 101 Ways to Transform Your Spirit and Revitalize Your Life

“I understood that I was understanding. I could have understood before, that when George is with Hasan and Hasan is talking, George is hearing things in what Hasan is saying that are quite beyond me. That I can’t hear at all. I could see from George’s face that in quite ordinary things that were said was much much more. I just couldn’t grasp it. It was going too fast for me. It was above my head. The conversation was apparently about not very much. I was thinking in an agonized sort of way, that they weren’t talking about anything important or special. Yet George’s face kept lighting up as he understood the things that were there.”
― Doris Lessing, Re: Colonised Planet 5, Shikasta