The Measure of Our Lives: A Gathering of Wisdom

by Toni Morrison, Zadie Smith (Foreword)

At once the ideal introduction to Toni Morrison and a lovely and moving keepsake for her devoted readers: a treasury of quotations from her work. With a foreword by Zadie Smith.

"She was our conscience. Our seer. Our truthteller." --Oprah Winfrey

This inspirational book juxtaposes quotations, one to a page, drawn from Toni Morrison's entire body of work, both fiction and nonfiction--from The Bluest Eye to God Help the Child, from Playing in the Dark to The Source of Self-Regard--to tell a story of self-actualization. It aims to evoke the totality of Toni Morrison's literary vision.

Its compelling sequence of flashes of revelation--stunning for their linguistic originality, keenness of psychological observation, and philosophical profundity--addresses issues of abiding interest in Morrison's work: the reach of language for the ineffable; transcendence through imagination; the self and its discontents; the vicissitudes of love; the whirligig of memory; the singular power of women; the original American sin of slavery; the bankruptcy of racial oppression; the complex humanity and art of black people. The Measure of Our Lives brims with elegance of style and mind and moral authority.

Genres: Nonfiction, Poetry, Essays, Memoir, Womens, Inspirational

144 pages, Hardcover

First published December 3, 2019

About the author

Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison, known as Toni Morrison, was an American novelist and editor. Her first novel, The Bluest Eye, was published in 1970. The critically acclaimed Song of Solomon (1977) brought her national attention and won the National Book Critics Circle Award. In 1988, Morrison won the Pulitzer Prize for Beloved (1987); she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993.
Born and raised in Lorain, Ohio, Morrison graduated from Howard University in 1953 with a B.A. in English. Morrison earned a master's degree in American Literature from Cornell University in 1955. In 1957 she returned to Howard University, was married, and had two children before divorcing in 1964. Morrison became the first black female editor for fiction at Random House in New York City in the late 1960s. She developed her own reputation as an author in the 1970s and '80s. Her novel Beloved was made into a film in 1998. Morrison's works are praised for addressing the harsh consequences of racism in the United States and the Black American experience.
The National Endowment for the Humanities selected Morrison for the Jefferson Lecture, the U.S. federal government's highest honor for achievement in the humanities, in 1996. She was honored with the National Book Foundation's Medal of Distinguished Contribution to American Letters the same year. President Barack Obama presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on May 29, 2012. She received the PEN/Saul Bellow Award for Achievement in American Fiction in 2016. Morrison was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2020.

Reviews

[Dagio_maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

” Le definizioni appartenevano a chi definiva
– non a chi veniva definito.


Ammetto che mi aspettavo altro.
Il volume contiene citazioni dalle opere di Toni Morrison e quello che mi aspettavo era una suddivisione per temi e un qualche corollario che ne commentasse le tematiche.
Non è così ma la prefazione di Zadie Smith supplisce, in parte, questo aspetto.

Di Toni Morrison io ho letto tutto ciò che è stato pubblicato in Italia e sto pian piano facendo le riletture.

Le citazioni non sono riconducibili ai testi se non nella sezione finale in cui si elencano le fonti e, come dicevo, non sono suddivise per temi ciò non toglie la felicità con cui riconoscevo le voci (non tutte) e lo splendore di questa meravigliosa penna.

Lascio un granello…

” Moriamo.
Forse è questo il significato della vita.
Ma produciamo il linguaggio.
E forse è questa la misura delle nostre vite.”

[Joshunda Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

What idiot wants to be stricken by the Ghost of Toni Morrison by giving her quotes less than five stars? Not me. Seriously, this brief compendium of some of her most profound quotes is a quick but beautiful read. It feels a little...soon...after her death to have such a collection, especially one that is so sparse. At the same time, it's nice to read Zadie Smith musing on her thoughts and feelings about Morrison. It would be helpful if the quotes were accompanied by the context -- or just a note saying which books the quotes came from.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved these quotes. It would have been nice to end the book with "And she was loved." (From Song of Solomon) Because Toni and her words were indeed loved and will be forever cherished. I'm grateful to everyone who took part in piecing this brief collection together, and mostly grateful to the incomparable Miss Toni Morrison!

[David J · Rating 2 out of 5]

It feels kind of dumb to review this book, as it’s simply a compilation of quotes from across Toni Morrison’s work, but here we are. This was so obviously a cash grab by the publisher after her death, which leaves a very sour taste in my mouth. Also, you’ve no idea exactly where the quotes are from unless you’re 1) a super-mega fan and have read each of her works multiple times or 2) look in the index at the back of the book. Why the book titles couldn’t be directly underneath the quotes confounds me. That’s just extremely poor planning. I love Morrison. She's written some of my favorite books. But there’s really no point to this release at all. Just go and read her books instead.

[Come Musica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro bricolage, per raccogliere il pensiero di Toni Morrison in tutta la sua potenza.

Non solo citazioni, ma tante piccole folgorazioni per la mente e per il cuore che mettono in luce:
“il protendersi del linguaggio verso l’ineffabile; la trascendenza attraverso l’immaginazione; l’io e la sua insoddisfazione; le vicissitudini dell’amore; il vortice della memoria; la forza singolare delle donne; il peccato originale americano della schiavitù; il fallimento dell’oppressione razziale; l’umanità e l’arte dei neri.”

Le citazioni sono tratte da: L’occhio più azzurro, Prima i bambini, Amatissima e L’importanza di ogni parola.

Ne scelgo alcune

“C’è un momento nella vita
in cui la bellezza del mondo
diventa sufficiente.
Non c’è bisogno di fotografarla,
di dipingerla o nemmeno di ricordarla.
È sufficiente. Non c’è bisogno di registrarla
e non c’è bisogno di qualcuno
con cui condividerla o a cui raccontarla.”


“Il nostro passato è fosco.
Il futuro, tetro.
Ma io non sono ragionevole.
Una persona ragionevole
si adatta al proprio ambiente.
Una irragionevole no.
Qualsiasi progresso, perciò,
dipende da chi è irragionevole.
Io preferisco non adattarmi all’ambiente.
Rifiuto la prigione dell’«io»
e scelgo gli spazi aperti del «noi».”

“Più che degli orsi affettuosi
o degli uccelli più grossi delle vacche
ho paura della notte senza sentieri.
Come farò, mi domando,
a trovarti al buio?”

“Un’ortensia morta è altrettanto intricata
e amabile di una in fiore.
Un cielo cupo è altrettanto seducente della luce
del sole, ad alberi d’arance in miniatura
senza fiori non manca niente,
sono quel che sono.”

“Io e te messi assieme
abbiamo più passato di tutti quanti.
Ora abbiamo bisogno di un po’ di futuro.”

“Le definizioni appartenevano a chi definiva
– non a chi veniva definito.”

“Sogno un sogno che mi sogna.”

“È una fortuna enorme
sentire la mancanza di qualcuno
molto prima che ci lasci.”

[Chris L. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I adore Toni Morrison, but this book is simply a book of quotations from her novels and essays. There is no attribution for any of the quotes until the endnotes, but you'll recognise most of them if you've read her work. They still should have put the source of the quotes on the page rather than as endnote attributions. There is no explanation for why these quotes are chosen. It's a disappointing book.

[John Onwuchekwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unique!

[Venecia Proctor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was in tears by the end of this. Each excerpt felt like a memory. Or an emotion? Maybe a photo album using words? Something I’ll come back to when I’m missing Morrison.

[Natasha M. Nurse, Esq. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book will...
Make you think...
Make you feel...
Make you smile...
Make you tear up...
It will...
Make you feel alive 💖

[Andrea Arterbery · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all of Toni Morrison's novels, so OBVS I had to read this when I saw it at the library. I love the idea of putting all of her best quotes into one publication and, just keeping it real, that's why I gave this book five stars. Anything that Morrison wrote in her books is like pure literary gold to me. Some of my favorite quotes from the book include those that she said in regards to writing such as this one: "As writers, what we do is remember. And to remember this world is to create it." There were also the great life nuggets such as "What a man leaves behind is what a man is" and "Wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down." I also liked that the introduction of this book was written by Zadie Smith, another favorite female author of mine. However, I feel like the quotes should have included attribution from where they came from (i.e. a speech? which novel?) so that readers are able to go back and find if they'd like. Also, Morrison lived a long life and wrote lots, so perhaps the book should have been a bit thicker? Whatever the case, I really enjoyed reading it and afterwards I couldn't help but wonder if we would ever have another writer in our generation as talented as she.

[Zulfiya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I might be jumping the gun here, but I think it was a bad idea to publish a compendium of memorable quotes. It seemed like a money-grabbing gimmick, but it is what it is, and the format of the book could have skewered my perception.

The book per se is the first complete book by Toni Morrison that I read. Of course, she did not "write" it. It was just a compilation of her quotes that strongly resonated with Zadie Smith, so it is Smith's perception of Toni Morrison's work, and it only half worked for me.

I tried to read Beloved, and I could not finish it. It might have been my fault as the narrative was not straight forward or it might have been the dialogue that is vastly different from what I usually read or it might be just my way too early exposure to Southern black discourse, but it was hard to follow, and hard to absorb, so I gave up.

This one was easy - a quote per page, and some very extremely powerful and resonated strongly with me, especially about language and linguistic expression. Either the quotes are self-contained or they are emotionally and professionally close to me, but these were the most powerful punches.

Other quotes seemed out of place and out of contest, and they were hard to relate, and hard to follow. Some sentences seemed too convoluted or too torn out of their textual space to fully sound as manifestos or as statements. It might be the syntax inflection that is more of a jazz beat, more of a reflection of the culture the author absorbed, but to me, they were alien in syntactic expectations. I think it is just my preconception of European version of syntactic expectation, syntactic beat, so it slightly jarred on my ears.

I might try again to read some other novels to see if the flow will work for me as I have now a bit more experience with Morrison's style and will be more prepared to absorb the text in its complexity.

[Aki Dayag]

I’m honestly at a bit of a lost here, I’ve seen reviews saying this book was a money-grabbing gimmick with Zadie Smith and I’ve seen others who love this book as well. Despite the money-grabbing aspect with Zadie Smith, these quotes were absolutely beautiful and touching. I was in tears after reading this, Morrison writes human emotion and experience that seem unexplainable perfectly. I read Beloved for my 11th grade English class and I wish I was introduced to her sooner. Without context and a full understanding of her entire works, I feel as though I cannot fully appreciate these quotes.

[rachel weisz as evelyn o'connell in the mummy (1999) · Rating 4 out of 5]

i wish the attributions were on each page and the quotations could've flowed more smoothly at some points but overall love toni morrison and zadie smith. a lot of people are saying this was just a cash grab and while it could be that in part, i think it is more than just that

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jewels.

[Krishna Thiagarajan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should, like, read an actual novel/collection of hers rather than a book of quotes lol

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better than any poetry collection

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quotations from Toni Morrison’s entire work. Short. Profound. Worth taking down notes to save for later.

[Stephanie G. Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Parts Are No Less Than The Whole

Quotations are tricky things. A piece that belongs to a bigger picture. A great one defies "Context is king" Pace

[Janice H. Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quotations from the works of Toni Morrison, renown Black American author who was an acclaimed writer endowed with insightful observations of life and a wonderful command of the English language. I only wish that each quotation had a footnote at the bottom of each page to tell which of the author’s works that the quote came from.

[Andres Eguiguren · Rating 3 out of 5]

One hundred and twenty-three quotations (many of a single sentence, some a short paragraph) from Morrison's work. There is no mention of who chose these quotations, or why they are in the order they are, although the end notes tell you the sources though not the page numbers. I love Toni Morrison's novels, but this is a strange format that takes the chosen passages out of context.

[Cammie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an absolute treat to read in one book, what has to be some of the most beautiful writing. I will return to this time and time again.

[Roger DeBlanck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little gem of a book is, indeed, “a gathering” of Morrison’s genius through a collection of passages selected from each of her incomparable novels and sage works of nonfiction. I cherished immersing in the beauty, intelligence, and degree of humanity that Morrison captures with her breathtaking words. Each passage can lend itself to endless reflection, and so the measure of Morrison’s genius as a thinker and writer is how she has given us extraordinary access into the lives of ordinary people struggling and enduring through hardship and adversity with the hope of finding some type of solace and peace in this world. She has been a continual source of inspiration on my own work, and this gem of a book filled my heart and mind with joy to experience the greatness of some of Morrison’s greatest words in a single volume.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Fondling their weapons, feeling suddenly so young and good they are reminded that guns are more than decorations, intimidation or comfort. They are meant." - Paradise

"All progress, therefore, depends on the unreasonable man. I prefer not to adjust to my environment. I refuse the prison of 'I' and choose the open spaces of 'we.'" - The Source of Self-Regard, "Moral Inhabitants"

"Like friendship, hatred needed more than physical intimacy; it wanted creativity and hard work to sustain itself." - Love

"It takes a certain intelligence to love like that - softly, without props." - Love

"Me and you, we got more yesterday than anybody. We need some kind of tomorrow." - Beloved

"Don't ever think I feel for you, or fell over you. I didn't fall in love, I rose in it." - Jazz

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quotations. "What you do to children matters....and they might never forget." "Love is divine only and difficult always. If you think it is easy you are a fool. If you think it is natural you are blind. It is a learned application without reason or motive except that it is God. You do not deserve love regardless of the suffering you have endured. You do not deserve love just because you want it. You can only earn by practice and careful contemplation the right to express it and you have to learn how to accept it. Which is to say you have to earn God. You have to practice God. You have to think God carefully."

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compilation of Toni Morrison quotations drawn from her body of work. It references from which book a quotation comes. It has inspired me to want to go back and read some of her works although I read most of them many years ago. I think books have different meanings depending on where one is in one's life when they are read. Here are two that I highlighted: "Lonely, ain't it? "Yes, but my lonely is mine. Noe your lonely is somebody's else's. Made by somebody else and handed to you. Ain't that something? A secondhand lonely." from Sula; "When fear rules, obedience is the only survival choice." from God Help the Child. I will keep this available to read from time to time.

[Shayla]

I've only picked up reading again in the past few years so I've yet to read any of her stuff. Some of these quotes really resonated with me and made me want to go read the full works. I believe that is the point of a book like this but I do agree with some of the lower rated reviews, that the order of the quotes seemed a bit jumbled. Some of the quotes were fantastic and really had me sitting there thinking about it. But some I would glaze over or not connect with since I didn't feel like I had the entire context of the book. It would have been nice to know what book the quote was from down at the bottom instead of in the index cause I don't want to flip back and forth.

[Debra Hines · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book of Toni Morrison's words, one small quote per page, mostly taken from her novels- a few from her essays and Nobel prize acceptance speech. However without the context and background knowledge of the novels, the words aren't as meaningful, even though most are beautifully written. Annoyingly, the place of the quote is attributed in a list in the back of the book, instead of right on the page, so you have to page to the back after every quote to find out where and when she wrote or said it.

[Sara McAninch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't the type of book you get through quickly, at least not if you want to truly absorb the words. You have to read them slowly, savor their meanings, and take them into your heart to really appreciate the message Morrison is giving with each quote.

On the more practical side, I do like that on some of the last few pages there's a reference to which of Morrison's works the quote is pulled from.

[Noa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Turns out it is a small quote book of Morrison’s other publications. 125 pages with one quote on each page— usually one sentence each.
She’s incredible. That’s undeniable - nonnegotiable; undebatable.

This book was made after she passed away...and it felt a little...morbid. Like cut up pieces and parcels of a whole...but it’s not like jewels from jewelry pieces, more like an eyeball or a liver or a heart.

I wonder if she would have curated a book like this of her past publications.

[Cuauhtémoc Kish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toni Morrison's "The Measure of Our Lives" is a treasury of her quotes.
A few of my favorites:
"Me & you, we got more yesterday than anybody, we need some kind of tomorrow."
"I refuse the prison of 'I' and choose the open spaces of 'we'."
"Takes a certain intelligence to love like that, softly, without props."
Read it for INSPIRATION.