To assign unanswered letters their proper weight, to free us from the expectations of others, to give us back to ourselves—there lies the great, the singular power of self-respect. Without it, one eventually discovers the final turn of the screw: one runs away to find oneself, and finds no one at home.


We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live: Collected Nonfiction (ed. Everyman's Library, 2006)

Joan Didion Quotes

To assign unanswered letters their proper weight, to free us from the expectations of others, to give us back to ourselves—there lies the great,...

To assign unanswered letters their proper weight, to free us from the expectations of others, to give us back to ourselves—there lies the great,...

To assign unanswered letters their proper weight, to free us from the expectations of others, to give us back to ourselves—there lies the great,...

To assign unanswered letters their proper weight, to free us from the expectations of others, to give us back to ourselves—there lies the great,...