16 Quotes by Heather Christle

Tears are a sign of powerlessness, a "woman's weapon." It has been a long war.

Becoming a lake has put a lot of things in perspective for me.

Almost all my understanding is from books...Sometimes it seems there are more pages in me than breaths.

Some people think of reading poems and stories as a way to practice responding to imagined circumstances, without having to risk dangers of real life.

They say perhaps we cry when language fails, when words can no longer adequately convey our hurt. When my crying is not wordless enough I beat my head with my fists.

The car is a private crying area. If you see a person crying near a car, you may need to offer help. If you see a person crying inside a car, you know they are already held.

Crying is its own nakedness and to see both kinds at once elicits a panic of pity. This is why people offer handkerchiefs to each other; it is an act of care, a restoration of dignity, a small instruction to get dressed.

Most crying happens at night. People cry out of fatigue. But how horrible it is to hear someone say, “She’s just tired!” Tired, yes, certainly, but just? There is nothing just about it.

They say perhaps we cry when language fails, when words can no longer adequately convey our hurt.