Tuesdays With Morrie Chapter 14 Quotes
Tuesdays With Morrie Chapter 14 Quotes
How we cite the quotes:
(Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote 1
"Whenever people ask me about having children or not having children, I never tell them what to do," Morrie said now, looking at a photo of his oldest son. "I simply say, 'There is no experience like having children,' That's all. There's no substitute for it." (14.19)
Morrie says something important here: You can't make decisions for other people. He knows that the important things in life have to be decided on your own, so all that you can do is tell someone your own experience of having made a certain decision.
Quote 2
"Say I was divorced, or living alone, or had no children. This disease—what I'm going through—would be so much harder. I'm not sure I could do it. Sure, people would come visit, friends, associates, but it's not the same as having someone who will not leave." (14.11)
Morrie is talking about family. Even though he has lots of friends who come to visit him, he's saying that family is a type of friendship that can't be replaced. It's so important for people to have family because they're stuck to you no matter what.
Quote 3
"It's become quite clear to me as I've been sick. If you don't have the support and love and caring and concern that you get from a family, you don't have much at all. Love is so supremely important. As our great poet Auden said, 'Love each other or perish.'" (14.8)
Love is connected to compassion. As his favorite quote by Auden states, being compassionate makes us human. Loving isn't a choice—we need to practice love in our lives just like we need oxygen to breathe.