Life is just this way, broken, and I am crazy to hope for something else. Miranda July More Quotes by Miranda July More Quotes From Miranda July There was nothing in this world that was not a con, suddenly I understood this. Nothing really mattered, and nothing could be lost. Miranda July this-worldlostworld Some people need a red carpet rolled out in front of them in order to walk forward into friendship. They can't see the tiny outstretched hands all around them, everywhere, like leaves on trees. Miranda July friendshiporderhands We come from long lines of people destined never to meet. Miranda July lineslongpeople I realize that we all think we might be terrible people. But we only reveal this before we ask someone to love us. It is a kind of undressing. Miranda July mightpeoplethinking I was a lot dumber when I was writing the novel. I felt like worse of a writer because I wrote many of the short stories in one sitting or over maybe three days, and they didn't change that much. There weren't many, many drafts. That made me feel semi-brilliant and part of a magical process. Writing the novel wasn't like that. I would come home every day from my office and say, "Well, I still really like the story, I just wish it was better written." At that point, I didn't realize I was writing a first draft. And the first draft was the hardest part. Miranda July officehomewriting I moved his hair out of his face. I put my hand under his nose and felt gentle, even breaths. I pressed my lips against his ear and whispered again, It’s not your fault. Perhaps this was really the only thing I had ever wanted to say to anyone, and be told. Miranda July noseshairhands The idea that you might end up in a job that doesn't allow you to be who you are, over the course of a lifetime, is still one of the most chilling nightmares to me. It's a good metaphor for fears I have about losing my soul in some accidental, mundane way. So, to me, these jobs that my characters have are very loaded. They immediately suggest a complex character to me, a woman who is, say, a secretary, but also a vigilante on behalf of her own soul. Miranda July writingjobscharacter If you want to have a character who falls into crisis, all you have to do is turn the Internet off, and then we all understand how that feels, when you suddenly just have time and yourself. Miranda July wantcharacterfall But, like ivy, we grow where there is room for us. Miranda July growsivyrooms We humans are here because nothing can be perfect. There always have to be some living things that are unsatisfied, itchy, trying too hard. If it was all just animals and rocks and lettuce, the gods wouldn't feel like they had enough to do. Miranda July rocksperfectanimal People tend to stick to their own size group because it's easier on the neck. Unless they are romantically involved, in which case the size difference is sexy. It means: I am willing to go the distance for you. Miranda July distancesexymean If there were a map of the solar system, but instead of stars it showed people and their degrees of separation, my star would be the one you had to travel the most light-years from to get to his. You would die getting to him. Miranda July starslightyears Inelegantly, and without my consent, time passed. Miranda July consent There's all different kinds of people, but I don't think it's that unusual that once you get like a little power, you get to do your weird thing even more. Miranda July littlespeoplethinking It is terrible to have to ask for anything ever. We wish we were something that needed nothing, like paint. But even paint needs repainting. Miranda July paintwishneeds I really did not feel okay about any of this, and there was really nothing I could do about any of it. Miranda July okayfeels My job is to have new ideas and take risks every day, so I'm always looking forward to the next thing being done or making the next thing that I haven't yet gotten to. That's sort of the constant in my life. Miranda July riskjobsideas Most of life is offline, and I think it always will be; eating and aching and sleeping and loving happen in the body. But it's not impossible to imagine losing my appetite for those things; they aren't always easy, and they take so much time. In twenty years I'd be interviewing air and water and heat just to remember they mattered. Miranda July airsleepthinking Sometimes I lie in bed trying to decide which of my friends I truly care about, and I always come to the same conclusion: none of them. I thought these were just my starter friends and the real ones would come along later. But no. These are my real friends. Miranda July realtryinglying That's the artist's job, really: continually setting yourself free, and giving yourself new options and new ways of thinking about things. Miranda July artistjobsthinking
