Journalism Quote by Russell Banks
““Since my adolescence I have read two and sometimes three newspapers a day, frequently clipping an article that for obscure and soon forgotten reasons attracts me. I usually toss the clippings into a desk drawer, and later, often years later, I'll find myself reading through the clippings, throwing most of them out. It fills me with a strange sadness, a kind of grief for my lost self, as if I were reading and throwing out old diaries.””
About This Quote
Source Interview: Russell Banks on Writing, 2005
Collecting old newspaper clippings triggers nostalgia and grief for a past self, highlighting how we archive and later discard parts of our identity.
In simple terms: Clippings evoke loss of past self.
Key Takeaway
Preserve memories but allow growth beyond them.
Themes
nostalgia
identity
memory
loss
archiving
Mood
melancholic
introspective
Type
reflective
personal
When to use this quote
- journaling
- research
- personal archives
- creative writing
Key Concepts
self-reflection
temporal continuity
personal narrative
Questions to Reflect On
- What does each clipping represent about you?
- How can you honor past selves without grief?
A Different Perspective
Clinging to past fragments can hinder present self.
![“They [FBI] had a lot of clippings, a lot of articles I'd written. And to me the - the funniest one was - I had done a piece for Playboy about J. Edgar Hoover.” quote by Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fdc/nat-hentoff-1615_articles_they-fbi-had-a-lot-of-clippings-a-lot-of_1036896.jpg)
