Tara Westover’s memoir ,”Educated,” is a striking testament to the power of self-education and the quest for personal identity. In a previous exploration, I delved into the heart of this memoir, offering a comprehensive summary and stimulating book club questions to engage with its themes more deeply.
Today, however, I want to sharing a collection of some soul-stirring quotes scattered like gems throughout Westover’s narrative. These quotes not only encapsulate the essence of her journey from a mountain in Idaho to the halls of Cambridge but also resonate with anyone who has ever struggled to find their voice amidst the noise of others’ expectations.
Tara Westover’s story is a powerful reminder of the complexities of family, education, and the formation of self. Her words bring to light the nuanced dance between loving others and loving oneself, the courage it takes to say goodbye, and the relentless pursuit of a voice in a world that often seeks to silence it. From the painful realization of giving power to those we love, to the liberating discovery of one’s own strength and the role of education in shaping our identity, Westover’s reflections offer profound insights into the human condition.
Related: Educated A Memoir Summary and Book Club Questions
Educated a Memoir Quotes
Here are some interesting quotes from Educated: A Memoir:
“It’s strange how you give the people you love so much power over you.” ― Tara Westover, Educated
“You can love someone and still choose to say goodbye to them,” she says now. “You can miss a person every day, and still be glad that they are no longer in your life.” ― Tara Westover, Educated
“Whomever you become, whatever you make yourself into, that is who you always were.” ― Tara Westover, Educated
“My life was narrated for me by others. Their voices were forceful, emphatic, absolute. It had never occurred to me that my voice might be as strong as theirs.” ― Tara Westover, Educated
“An education is not so much about making a living as making a person.” ― Tara Westover, Educated
“The thing about having a mental breakdown is that no matter how obvious it is that you’re having one, it is somehow not obvious to you. I’m fine, you think. So what if I watched TV for twenty-four straight hours yesterday. I’m not falling apart. I’m just lazy. Why it’s better to think yourself lazy than think yourself in distress, I’m not sure. But it was better. More than better: it was vital.” ― Tara Westover, Educated
“The skill I was learning was a crucial one, the patience to read things I could not yet understand.” ― Tara Westover, Educated
“Despite the singularity of her childhood, the questions her book poses are universal: How much of ourselves should we give to those we love? And how much must we betray them to grow up?” ― Tara Westover, Educated
“I would never again be made a foot soldier in a conflict I did not understand.” ― Tara Westover, Educated
“To admit uncertainty is to admit to weakness, to powerlessness, and to believe in yourself despite both. It is a frailty, but in this frailty there is a strength: the conviction to live in your own mind, and not in someone else’s.” ― Tara Westover, Educated
“We are all of us more complicated than the roles we are assigned in the stories other people tell” ― Tara Westover, Educated
“What is a person to do, I asked, when their obligations to their family conflict with other obligations—to friends, to society, to themselves?” ― Tara Westover, Educated
“Curiosity is a luxury for the financially secure.” ― Tara Westover, Educated
“It happens sometimes in families: one child who doesn’t fit, whose rhythm is off, whose meter is set to the wrong tune.” ― Tara Westover, Educated
“Guilt is the fear of one’s own wretchedness. It has nothing to do with other people.” ― Tara Westover, Educated
“But sometimes I think we choose our illnesses, because they benefit us in some way.” ― Tara Westover, Educated
“When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies?” ― Tara Westover, Educated
“I began to experience the most powerful advantage of money: the ability to think of things besides money.” ― Tara Westover, Educated
“There’s a sense of sovereignty that comes from life on a mountain,” ― Tara Westover, Educated
“Of the nature of women, nothing final can be known.” ― Tara Westover, Educated
Concluding thoughts
In wrapping up our exploration of the best quotes from Tara Westover’s “Educated: A Memoir,” we find ourselves standing at the crossroads of introspection and enlightenment. This collection of quotes serves not just as a reflection of Westover’s extraordinary journey from a mountain in Idaho to the halls of Cambridge, but as a mirror for our own experiences and the universal quest for self-discovery, autonomy, and understanding.
Westover’s memoir does more than narrate her pursuit of education; it delves into the heart of what it means to educate oneself about the world and, more importantly, about one’s inner landscape. Each quote we’ve revisited is a beacon that lights up the intricate pathways of human relationships, the struggle for personal voice in the clamor of societal and familial expectations, and the courage required to forge one’s path despite the hurdles.
