She probably knew this, intellectually. But like all other human beings, she did not always act accordingly to her understanding. She had lost too many of the people that she loved; when she felt one more of them slipping away, her response was emotional, not intellectual. [he] had come into her life as a healer, a protector. It was his job to keep her from being afraid, and now she was afraid, and she was angry at him for having failed her.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- People often act emotionally rather than intellectually when threatened with losing loved ones.
- In plain terms
- She knew the facts but acted out of fear and anger when he failed her.
- What can you take from it?
- Emotion often overrides understanding in times of loss.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When did emotion override your logic?
- Is irrationality a sign of caring?
Another view
Some people remain rational during crisis.
More from Orson Scott Card
No matter how well you know what a person has done and what he thought of what he was doing when he did it and what he now thinks of what he did, it is impossi…
Permalink to quote #160 She might be protective and possessive with her children whom she thought of as needing her, but with the people she needed, she was the opposite. If she feare…
Permalink to quote #162 Is it possible she had lost her soul inside his?
Permalink to quote #159
Related quotes
The light has gone out of my life.
Theodore RooseveltTheodore Roosevelt quote #1 Between grief and nothing I will take grief.
William FaulknerWilliam Faulkner quote #2 That night when he went back to his hotel, he wept for his dead children and all the other castrated boys, for his own lost youth, for those who were young no …
Roberto BolanoRoberto Bolano quote #5