I fell on my feet and found my bearings because of these. I could talk to them. They listened and answered, for or against, but always weighing what they had heard, unlike my mother, who used language for manipulation, not to express an opinion or state a fact. What sounded like a fact might be a lie, and every opinion was tailored for the moment.Anonymous
About This Quote
In her book, "My Abandonment to the Sea," Maya Angelou writes about her early years. In this excerpt from the book, she describes her relationship with her mother. She says that she was not allowed to speak unless it was for a particular purpose. Her mother forced her to think so many times a day that she could not say a thing without a motive.
As a result, she fell on her feet and found her bearings because of these. She could talk to them. They listened and answered, for or against, but always weighing what they had heard, unlike my mother, who used language for manipulation, not to express an opinion or state a fact.
What sounded like a fact might be a lie, and every opinion was tailored for the moment.
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