dori

“Even if I found (and still do find) sex thrilling, the act itself is always momentary. The books I wrote had the possibility to thrill others long after I had created them. I could make something that would last. To fuck was divine, but to write was eternal.”
― Attenberg, Jaimie

“Whenever my life turns into any kind of cliché, I am furious. Not me, I want to scream. Not me, I am special and unusual. But none of us are special and unusual. Our stories are all the same. It is just how you tell them that makes them worth hearing again.”
― Attenberg, Jaimie

“I am obligated by my beliefs and the lessons I have learned to wake up and consistently try to be a good person. Even if it is not inherent within me, it doesn’t matter. I can still try. And there is no guarantee of happiness to come from this. I don’t have any control over that. I only have control of what kind of person I can be in this world.”
― Attenberg, Jaimie

“Sometimes we make art in the moment in relation to a trauma, when we need to make art about it in retrospect instead. Certainly, there is something to be said for the purity of the instant response, that flash of hot fire and emotion. But what if we let time pass, looking at an incident in the rearview mirror rather than at the moment of impact? We can wave goodbye to it, but still see it so clearly, captured in a pristine reflection. And what do we gain? Perspective, wisdom, and perhaps not acceptance—some things do not deserve to be accepted, after all—but at least a sense of calm. And then, perhaps, we’ll be ready to tell a more fully realized version of the story.”
― Attenberg, Jaimie