Background Image
Once upon a time you were a fish. how do you know? because i was also a fish. you, too? sure. a long time ago. anyway, being a fish, you knew how to swim. you were a great swimmer. a champion swimmer, you were. you loved the water. why? what do you mean, why? why did i love the water? because it was your life! and as we talked, i would have let him go one finger at a time, until, without his realizing, he'd be floating without me. perhaps that is what it means to be a father-to teach your child to live without you.
-Nicole Krauss
Please Wait....
Translating....

Once Upon A Time You Were A

Nicole Krauss
Once upon a time you were a fish. how do you know? because i was also a fish. you, too? sure. a long time ago. anyway, being a fish, you knew how to swim. you were a great swimmer. a champion swimmer, you were. you loved the water. why? what do you mean, why? why did i love the water? because it was your life! and as we talked, i would have let him go one finger at a time, until, without his realizing, he'd be floating without me. perhaps that is what it means to be a father-to teach your child to live without you.
Views: 2
Cite this Page
Prevent plagiarism by providing proper attribution.
APA FORMAT
Embed this Quote
Copy this HTML code to embed the quote on your website or blog.
HTML CODE
Topic
Children Father Mean

More From Nicole Krauss

. . . i would have let him go one finger at a time, until, without his realizing, he'd be floating without me. and then i thought, perhaps that is what it means to be a [parent] - to teach your child to live without you.
Children Mean Parent
For my father the one calamity was that my brother and sister and i never learned to swim. my father, who was very macho, was a strong swimmer and was terribly disappointed to have children who didn't swim. once when my mother was sitting in a beach chair - i can still see the big umbrella - she called to my father, "throw them in! throw them in! they'll swim!" so he did. then he looked down, and there were the three sendak children lying perfectly still underwater, not fighting for life!
Mother Beach Brother
In the nineteenth year and the eleventh month speak your tattered kaddish for all suicides: praise to life though it crumbled in like a tunnel on ones we knew and loved praise to life though its windows blew shut on the breathing-room of ones we knew and loved praise to life though ones we knew and loved loved it badly, too well, and not enough praise to life though it tightened like a knot on the hearts of ones we thought we knew loved us praise to life giving room and reason to ones we knew and loved who felt unpraisable. praise to them, how they loved it, when they could.
Suicide Heart Years
Or perhaps a widow found him and took him in: brought him an easy chair, changed his sweater every morning, shaved his face until the hair stopped growing, took him faithfully to bed with her every night, whispered sweet nothings into what was left of his ear, laughed with him over black coffee, cried with him over yellowing pictures, talked greenly about having kids of her own, began to miss him before she became sick, left him everything in her will, thought of only him as she died, always knew he was fiction but believed in him anyway.
Sweet Morning Coffee
One fish. two fish. red fish. blue fish. black fish. blue fish. old fish. new fish. this one has a little star. this one has a little car. say! what a lot of fish there are.
Stars Blue Fishing
This may sound like heresy, but it is the greatest truth! it is more difficult to let god love us, than to love him! the best way to love him in return is to open our hearts and let him love us. let him draw close to us and feel him close to us. this is really very difficult: letting ourselves be loved by him. and that is perhaps what we need to ask today in the mass: 'lord, i want to love you, but teach me the difficult science, the difficult habit of letting myself be loved by you, to feel you close and feel your tenderness ! may the lord give us this grace.
Letting Go Love You Heart
Similar Quotes
It is important to remember that great things have no fear of time. we've got to let go of the idea that what we want to manifest has to be done on our time schedule.
Letting Go Ideas Important
If you feel "stuck" today, you may want to examine what you're holding on to. be willing let go of past disappointments by choosing forgiveness. who hurt you? who wronged you? release it to god. do you need to forgive yourself? do you need to receive god's forgiveness? let go of the past so you can overcome disappointments and experience the bright future god has in store for you! there is freedom in forgetting!
Forgiveness Letting Go Hurt
Rejoice for those around you who transform into the force. mourn them, do not. miss them, do not. attachment leads to jealousy. the shadow of greed, that is. train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose
Letting Go Attachment Greed
Midlife is the time to let go of an overdominant ego and to contemplate the deeper significance of human existence.
Letting Go Ego Midlife

Trending Author

Antoine Rivarol
Antoine Rivarol
William Penn
William Penn
George Harrison
George Harrison
Bobby Seale
Bobby Seale
Agnes Repplier
Agnes Repplier
Ray Nitschke
Ray Nitschke
Category
Information
Inspirational
Philosophy
Personal Growth
Happiness & Joy
Life Lessons
Success & Business
Motivation