Sometimes, one wants to have the illusion that one is making ones own life, out of ones own resources.
Zadie SmithI always remind myself that [ Jean-Paul] Sartre and [Simone] de Beauvoir didn't have children. And when you don't have children, it might be easier to believe that the child doesn't come with something.
Zadie SmithSometimes I think my whole professional life has been based on this hunch I had, early on, that many people feel just as muddled as I do, and might be happy to tag along with me on this search for clarity, for precision. I love that aspect of writing. Nothing makes me happier than to hear a reader say: thatโs just what Iโve always felt, but you said it clearly.
Zadie Smith(and Catholics give out forgiveness at about the same rate as politicians give out promises and whores give out)
Zadie SmithWe are so convinced of the goodness of ourselves, and the goodness of our love, we cannot bear to believe that there might be something more worthy of love than us, more worthy of worship. Greeting cards routinely tell us everybody deserves love. No. Everybody deserves clean water. Not everybody deserves love all the time.
Zadie Smith