We want to get there faster. Get where? Wherever we are not. But a human soul can only go as fast as a man can walk, they used to say. In that case, where are all the souls? Left behind. They wander here and there, slowly, dim lights flickering in the marshes at night, looking for us. But they're not nearly fast enough, not for us, we're way ahead of them, they'll never catch up. That's why we can go so fast: our souls don't weigh us down. . Margaret Atwood
About This Quote

In this quote, the speaker has done just as her mother wanted. She has walked as far as her feet would carry her. But she is not happy with how fast she is going, and she is frustrated that she is still not where she wants to be. She wants to fly, but her feet cannot carry her very far.

The speaker has a tendency to make a lot of negative statements about herself and the way that she sees things around her. In this case, she is comparing herself to the souls that are left behind in the marshes, which means that even though she has gone a long way, she still feels like there is more work to be done.

Source: The Tent

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