Black Quote by Nancy Mairs
“Out of the new arrivals in our lives--the odd word stumbled upon in a difficult text, the handsome black stranger who bursts in one night through the cat door, the telephone call out of a friend's silence of years, the sudden greeting from the girl-child---we constantly make of ourselves our selves.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Art of Being, Nancy Mairs, 1994
We constantly define ourselves through unexpected encounters and fleeting moments that shape identity.
In simple terms: We define ourselves through odd, brief experiences.
Key Takeaway
Notice and reflect on small moments that shape you.
Themes
identity
self‑discovery
chance encounters
Mood
reflective
introspective
Type
philosophical
literary
When to use this quote
- meeting strangers
- receiving unexpected calls
- reading challenging texts
- unexpected greetings
Key Concepts
existentialism
narrative identity
Questions to Reflect On
- How do random encounters influence your sense of self?
- What patterns emerge from these brief moments?
A Different Perspective
These moments may be fleeting and not always reliable for lasting self‑knowledge.
![“In the grammar of the phallus -- the I, I, I -- [woman] can't utter female experience.” quote by Nancy Mairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d05/nancy-mairs-20489_female_in-the-grammar-of-the-phallus-the-i-i-i_969766.jpg)
