---
title: "2 Powerlessness Quotes By Louise Erdrich"
description: "2 Powerlessness quotes by Louise Erdrich. Plus more from Louise Erdrich and more Powerlessness sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccd/louise-erdrich-1271_disasters_delphine-witnessed-awful-things-occurrin_1109873.png"
---

> [“Delphine witnessed awful things occurring to other humans. Worse than that, she was powerless to alter their fate. It would be that way all her life--disasters, falling like chairs all around her, falling so close they disarranged her hair, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/delphine-witnessed-awful-things-occurring-to-other-humans-worse-than/)

[Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccd/louise-erdrich-1271_disasters_delphine-witnessed-awful-things-occurrin_1109873.png)

> [“When she shut her eyes, her mind grew alert. Her senses opened. All around her, she felt how quickly things formed and were consumed. How there was so much blind feeling. It was going on beyond the wall of her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/when-she-shut-her-eyes-her-mind-grew-alert-her-senses-opened-all/)

[Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbd/louise-erdrich-1271_hands-and-feet_when-she-shut-her-eyes-her-mind-grew-ale_1509870.png)

## Other authors on Powerlessness

- [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b024/author-warren-farrell-94555.jpg) Warren Farrell 6 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerlessness/warren-farrell/)

## More by Louise Erdrich

> [Can you stop your mother from singing to you? Who would do such a thing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/can-you-stop-your-mother-from-singing-to-you-who-would-do-such-a-thing/)

[Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/)

> [“Emotions unreel in her like spools of cotton.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/emotions-unreel-in-her-like-spools-of-cotton/)

[Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/)

> [“Other freshmen were already moving into their dormitory rooms when we arrived, with their parents helping haul. I saw boxes of paperbacks, stereo equipment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/other-freshmen-were-already-moving-into-their-dormitory-rooms-when-we/)

[Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/)

> [My father is my biggest literary influence. Recently, I've been looking through his letters. He was in the National Guard when I was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/my-father-is-my-biggest-literary-influence-recently-i-ve-been-looking/)

[Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/)

> [What is this life but the sound of an appalling love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/what-is-this-life-but-the-sound-of-an-appalling-love/)

[Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/)

> [Looking at the shape of the world, I see how we're in a time where women are the subject of hatred, fear, and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/looking-at-the-shape-of-the-world-i-see-how-we-re-in-a-time-where/)

[Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/)

> [She had always been a reader… but now she was obsessed. Since her discovery of the book hoard downstairs from her job, she’d been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/she-had-always-been-a-reader-but-now-she-was-obsessed-since-her/)

[Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/)

> [Time was rushing around me like water around a big wet rock. The only difference is, I was not so durable as stones. Very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/time-was-rushing-around-me-like-water-around-a-big-wet-rock-the-only/)

[Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/)

> [The greatest wisdom doesn't know itself. The richest plan is not to have one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/the-greatest-wisdom-doesn-t-know-itself-the-richest-plan-is-not-to/)

[Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/)

> [“Delphine began to read with a mad attention when she wanted to talk to Clarisse. She saw that in her life there was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/delphine-began-to-read-with-a-mad-attention-when-she-wanted-to-talk/)

[Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/)

> [But if there was embellishment, it only had to do with the facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/but-if-there-was-embellishment-it-only-had-to-do-with-the-facts/)

[Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/)

> [Things which do not grow and change are dead things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/things-which-do-not-grow-and-change-are-dead-things/)

[Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/)

> [I have to write. I have to be an artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/i-have-to-write-i-have-to-be-an-artist/)

[Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/)

> [“The Creator made us for each other. Me here. Zelia there. Space was put between us by human error. But our hearts listened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/the-creator-made-us-for-each-other-me-here-zelia-there-space-was-put/)

[Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/)

> [So many things in the world have happened before. But it's like they never did. Every new thing that happens to a person, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/so-many-things-in-the-world-have-happened-before-but-it-s-like-they/)

[Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/)

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