Skip to content

Long time Quote by Toni Morrison

“Truly landlocked people know they are. Know the occasional Bitter Creek or Powder River that runs through Wyoming; that the large tidy Salt Lake of Utah is all they have of the sea and that they must content themselves with bank, shore, beach because they cannot claim a coast. And having none…” quote by Toni Morrison
Download Open image
““Truly landlocked people know they are. Know the occasional Bitter Creek or Powder River that runs through Wyoming; that the large tidy Salt Lake of Utah is all they have of the sea and that they must content themselves with bank, shore, beach because they cannot claim a coast. And having none, seldom dream of flight. But the people living in the Great Lakes region are confused by their place on the country’s edge - an edge that is border but not coast. They seem to be able to live a long time believing, as coastal people do, that they are at the frontier where final exit and total escape are the only journeys left. But those five Great Lakes which the St. Lawrence feeds with memories of the sea are themselves landlocked, in spite of the wandering river that connects them to the Atlantic. Once the people of the lake region discover this, the longing to leave becomes acute, and a break from the area, therefore, is necessarily dream-bitten, but necessary nonetheless.””

Toni Morrison

About This Quote

Source Essay: The Edge of the Great Lakes, 1990s

The quote reflects on how people in landlocked regions, especially the Great Lakes area, feel a paradoxical longing for escape despite being surrounded by water, highlighting a psychological tension between perceived frontier freedom and actual confinement.

In simple terms: Landlocked people feel trapped yet crave escape.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and address the yearning for change.

Themes

identity place longing escape psychology

Mood

reflective melancholy

Type

philosophical observational literary

When to use this quote

  • career decisions
  • relocation planning
  • personal growth
  • community development

Key Concepts

frontier myth regional identity psychological geography

Questions to Reflect On

  • How does geography shape your sense of possibility?
  • What can you create locally to satisfy the urge to flee?
A Different Perspective

The desire for escape may overlook the value of local opportunities.

4.7 out of 5 (6 ratings)

More by Toni Morrison

Explore all 774 Toni Morrison quotes

More Long time quotes

Browse all 9,064 Long time quotes