Civil rights Quote by Marisha Pessl
““Smoke was a person with a sense of history. Do you know what I mean?" ...in truth, I DID know what she meant. Da Vinci, Martin Luther King, Jr., Genghis Kahn, Abraham Lincoln, Bette Davis - if you read their definitive biographies, you learned even when they were a month old, cooing in some wobbly crib in the middle of nowhere, they already had something historic about them. The way other kids had baseball, long division, Hot Wheels, and hula hoops, these kids had History and thus tended to be prone to colds, unpopular, sometimes plagued with a physical deformity (Lord Byron's clubfoot, Maugham's severe stutter, for example), which pushed them into exile in their heads. It was there they began to dream of human anatomy, civil rights, conquering Asia, a lost speech and being (within a span of four years) a jezebel, a marked woman, a little fox and an old maid.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Lost Girls by Marisha Pessl, 2013
A child perceives history as an innate part of identity, feeling both burdened and empowered by historic figures.
In simple terms: History feels innate, shaping self‑image.
Key Takeaway
Recognize how narratives shape self‑concept.
Themes
identity
history
imagination
Mood
thoughtful
introspective
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- school projects
- family storytelling
- personal aspirations
- overcoming stigma
Key Concepts
self‑construction
cultural legacy
Questions to Reflect On
- What historical figure resonates with you?
- How does this influence your goals?
A Different Perspective
May romanticize historical weight.
