Belief Quote by Janet Frame
“Listening to her, one experienced a deep uneasiness as of having avoided an urgent responsibility, like someone who, walking at night along the banks of a stream, catches a glimpse in the water of a white face or a moving limb and turns quickly away, refusing to help or to search for help. We all see the faces in the water. We smother our memory of them, even our belief in their reality, and become calm people of the world; or we can neither forget or help them. Sometimes by a trick of circumstances or dream or a hostile neighborhood of light we see our own face.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: Owls, 1970
The quote describes the discomfort of ignoring urgent moral duties, likening it to seeing a distressed face in water and turning away, symbolizing societal denial of responsibility.
In simple terms: Ignoring urgent duties feels unsettling.
Key Takeaway
Confront ignored responsibilities.
Themes
responsibility
denial
compassion
societal neglect
self‑reflection
Mood
uneasy
reflective
Type
philosophical
ethical
When to use this quote
- personal crisis
- community activism
- mental health
- ethical decision‑making
Key Concepts
moral psychology
ethical duty
empathy
Questions to Reflect On
- What duties are you avoiding?
- How does confronting discomfort change your actions?
A Different Perspective
Denial can be reinforced by social pressures and fear of involvement.
