“When a young tree is injured it grows around that injury. As the tree continues to develop, the wound becomes relatively small in proportion to the size of the tree. Gnarly burls and misshapen limbs speak of injuries and obstacles encountered through time and overcome. The way a tree grows around its past contributes to its exquisite individuality, character, and beauty. I certainly don't advocate for traumatization to build character, but since trauma is almost a given at some point in our lives, the image of the tree can be a valuable mirror.”
― Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma
― Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma
“We do not know our own souls, let alone the souls of others. Human beings do not go hand in hand the whole stretch of the way. There is a virgin forest in each; a snowfield where even the print of birds' feet is unknown. Here we go alone, and like it better so. Always to have sympathy, always to be accompanied, always to be understood would be intolerable.”
― On Being Ill
― On Being Ill
“Observation is a skill. Observation isn’t easy, and the right eyes can make me feel like a deer, while the wrong ones make me feel like a monster.”
― Heart Berries: A Memoir
― Heart Berries: A Memoir
“if you were born with the weakness to fall you were born with the strength to rise”
― Milk and Honey
― Milk and Honey
“Romanticism requires bravery and risk.”
― Heart Berries
― Heart Berries
Our Shared Shelf
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— last activity Nov 20, 2025 03:10AM
OUR SHARED SHELF IS CURRENTLY DORMANT AND NOT MANAGED BY EMMA AND HER TEAM. Dear Readers, As part of my work with UN Women, I have started reading ...more
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