Alexandra Fuller Quotes

Powerful Alexandra Fuller for Daily Growth

About Alexandra Fuller

Alexandra Fuller is a renowned British-born Zimbabwean author, known for her poignant and evocative narratives about colonial Africa and its turbulent transformations. Born in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1962, Fuller spent her formative years on a remote farm in the Shangaan-speaking region of the country. This upbringing in an unforgiving landscape, marked by violence and instability, served as a significant influence on her writing. After leaving Zimbabwe due to political unrest, Fuller lived in England, Scotland, and Botswana before settling in Montana, USA, where she currently resides. Her experiences of displacement and cultural upheaval are recurring themes in her work, offering a unique perspective on identity and belonging. Fuller's literary career began with the publication of "Donkey Back Over Sahara" (1997), a collection of essays about her journey across Africa with her donkey. However, it was her memoirs that truly catapulted her to fame. "Scribbling the Cat" (2002) and "Leaving Before the Rains Come" (2005) detail her turbulent childhood and young adulthood in Zimbabwe, weaving together tales of resilience, love, and loss. Her subsequent works, including "The Legend of Colton H. Bryant" (2010), a novel, and "Cocktail Hour under the Tree of Forgetfulness" (2017), a reflection on her time in Montana, have solidified her status as a master storyteller, capable of capturing the essence of Africa and its people with both intimacy and insight. Alexandra Fuller's work is marked by its emotional honesty, raw beauty, and unflinching exploration of the human condition. Her writing offers a powerful testament to the transformative power of storytelling and the enduring bond between individuals and their homelands.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"I've never understood why a woman needs a husband. A good mule would serve the purpose just as well and be more reliable."

This quote suggests that the speaker, Alexandra Fuller, expresses a viewpoint questioning traditional gender roles, implying that a dependable partner in life is what matters most rather than the sex or species of the partner. She seems to argue that a mule (a strong, reliable animal) could fulfill the role typically associated with a husband as well as any human man. This quote challenges societal norms and emphasizes the importance of reliability, strength, and companionship in personal relationships.


"The worst thing about a good memory is how it can make you feel as if you're standing in the shadow of yourself, watching your past life go by like a slow train."

This quote highlights the bittersweet nature of having a strong memory. On one hand, a good memory allows us to recall past events, people, and experiences that have shaped our lives. On the other hand, it can create a sense of longing or regret as we watch our past unfold before us, often in contrast to our present circumstances. We may find ourselves standing 'in the shadow of ourselves' – comparing our past self to our current self and feeling a pang of nostalgia or dissatisfaction. This quote captures the feelings of introspection, melancholy, and the complex interplay between memory and identity that many individuals experience.


"It is not our job to fix anyone. Our job is simply to be kind, to open our hearts and hands and, when necessary, to close them so that we are neither depleted nor lost."

This quote by Alexandra Fuller emphasizes the importance of self-care and respect for others' autonomy. It suggests that while we can show kindness and empathy towards people, it is not our responsibility to "fix" them or assume control over their lives. Instead, our role is to extend understanding, compassion, and support without becoming emotionally drained or losing ourselves in the process. This perspective underscores the idea of maintaining healthy boundaries in relationships while fostering connections that promote growth and healing for all parties involved.


"It's an odd thing but I find that when you give something, you end up having more than you began with."

This quote suggests a paradoxical yet profound truth: giving often leads to receiving more in return, not just materially, but also emotionally and spiritually. The act of giving, whether it's time, resources, or kindness, creates a cycle of reciprocity. By freely offering something, we open ourselves up to receive not only the initial gift we gave but potentially even greater rewards. This quote encourages us to embrace generosity as a means to enrich our own lives and those around us.


"The past is prologue; the future, epilogue, and this is the story of now."

This quote by Alexandra Fuller highlights the significance of the present moment, suggesting that both the past and future are integral parts of our narrative, but only the present (the "story of now") has tangible impact on our lives. The past shapes our understanding, informs our decisions, and provides context for our experiences, while the future is uncertain and often unpredictable. However, it's only in the present that we have the power to act, to create, and to live consciously. Thus, this quote serves as a reminder to appreciate and fully engage with the current moment, knowing that its consequences will influence both our past and future.


There are real consequences when women speak out. It's really dangerous, and it takes real courage. We are still speaking out against a white male majority. Forget the glass ceiling. We haven't even broken the glass floor!

- Alexandra Fuller

Courage, Dangerous, Against, Ceiling

Retaining culture takes effort and persistence and discipline. It's a commitment, not a flag. You can't just pull it out and wave it about when it's convenient.

- Alexandra Fuller

Commitment, Flag, About, Convenient

Until I read Anne Frank's diary, I had found books a literal escape from what could be the harsh reality around me. After I read the diary, I had a fresh way of viewing the both literature and the world. From then on, I found I was impatient with books that were not honest or that were trivial and frivolous.

- Alexandra Fuller

Frank, Harsh, Anne, Frivolous

Yes, as an oppressed people, American Indians have this epic burden, but first and foremost, they're human: sometimes a mess, sometimes funny or sad, at times very wise, and other times not wise at all - a lot like me.

- Alexandra Fuller

Sometimes, Other, Very, American Indians

Oh, I don't keep a journal. How you remember an incident is dictated by your emotional state at the time. How you receive the information that is coming in is definitely based on your history and who you are.

- Alexandra Fuller

Emotional, Receive, Based, Journal

You can have an intense connection to someone without being a good, lifelong mate for him. Love is complicated and difficult that way.

- Alexandra Fuller

Love, Difficult, Lifelong, Love Is

It seems very clear to me that we, in the West, cannot afford to continue assuming propriety over the world's resources in a careless, greedy way without paying for it - not only with the lives of our loved ones, but also with our souls.

- Alexandra Fuller

Without, Very, Our, Propriety

In southern and central Africa, tragedy roared at us, and we roared back. We shared dramas publicly, bled them on the corridors of hospitals, laid our corpses on the beds of neighbors, held our sorrows up in full light. We were volume ten about our madness and disorder, even if we were also resilient and enduring and tough.

- Alexandra Fuller

Hospitals, Southern, Shared, Dramas

It's probably cliche to say this, but in my experience, people are far more alike than they are dissimilar.

- Alexandra Fuller

Experience, Say, More, Dissimilar

I think there's a big difference between loving someone out of duty and dependency and loving someone because you really are able to sort of grow and be whole in the context of that relationship.

- Alexandra Fuller

Think, Big, I Think, Context

I remember Karoi as a very hot, flat place, but in reality, it is all hills. We just lived next to an airstrip - the only flat piece of land around. That was my world as a three-year-old and sums up the indelible power of memory to a young child.

- Alexandra Fuller

I Remember, Next, Very, Hills

There's a point at which writing a book, or a long article, begins to feel like mental labor, and it's too painful to connect in the world in any real way mid-process. The only way to survive is to write until it is all said and done.

- Alexandra Fuller

Book, Mental, Feel, To Survive

For me, writing is really an agony. I feel as if I have a huge, luminous idea that has the potential to be really profound, and then when I set it down on paper, I find the power of the idea has been hugely weakened in the process of transmission.

- Alexandra Fuller

Feel, Idea, Been, Luminous

I have heard over and over again that the drilling business is a dangerous business, and death is an expected part of the game, but I've also heard of the way that safety violations, human and environmental laws, and a concern for the local culture are flaunted in pursuit of money.

- Alexandra Fuller

Death, Game, Part, Drilling

I did try to write fiction. I wrote 10 novels. And they were all just awful.

- Alexandra Fuller

Fiction, Were, Wrote, Novels

The only process that comes close to the process of writing a whole book, in my experience, is childbirth. There is this moment when you think you can't possibly labour for another moment, and that, paradoxically, is when you have to push hardest.

- Alexandra Fuller

Book, Process, Think, Possibly

The most basic human impulse is toward entropy and laziness. The less we have to do to grow spiritually, the more likely we are to do it.

- Alexandra Fuller

Grow, More, Likely, Impulse

I'm unconventional and eccentric and talk things out, and it seemed that the person I married - maybe in reaction - got quieter and more conventional over time. It felt as if we were putting each other in a straitjacket.

- Alexandra Fuller

Other, Maybe, Putting, Unconventional

I want to make words out of life. That's bigger than me. That's as big a creative force as - bigger than, for me, even having children. That felt more accidental - wonderful, but accidental.

- Alexandra Fuller

Big, Bigger, Having, Accidental

Being a white southern African who saw the transition from Rhodesia to Zimbabwe, the sense of being an outsider was absolutely instilled in my limbic system.

- Alexandra Fuller

Southern, Zimbabwe, Saw, Transition

I write and I read, and I write and read my way into and out of ideas and life. And that's what we do. That's what storytellers do.

- Alexandra Fuller

Ideas, I Write, Read, Storytellers

I listen mostly to classical music.

- Alexandra Fuller

Music, Mostly, Classical, Classical Music

I adore my family. I don't love their politics. I think they're wonderful parents. They were dreadful at parenting.

- Alexandra Fuller

Love, Politics, Think, Dreadful

Mostly, I would like people to ask other writers about the craft of their writing so we could learn from one another. We ask movie directors why they chose to use certain lights and angles and speeds of film, but most of the time, we ignore the craft of a writer.

- Alexandra Fuller

Movie, Other, Mostly, Lights

There is no way to order chaos. It's the fundamental theory at the beginning and end of everything; it's the ultimate law of nature. There's no way to win against unpredictability, to suit up completely against accidents.

- Alexandra Fuller

Beginning, Law, Chaos, Order

I'm a working writer; this is my job. So it matters to me that it's good. I sweat over every word. I don't just vomit this stuff up. It's agony. The only thing that comes close is childbirth, except it's like being in labor for eighteen months.

- Alexandra Fuller

Childbirth, The Only Thing, Vomit

I am becoming increasingly difficult to please as a reader, but I adore being surprised by a really wonderful book, written by someone I've never heard of before.

- Alexandra Fuller

Becoming, Increasingly, Surprised

I don't know if it's just my age or the climate or the high altitude or some of those old-cowboy values rubbing off on me, but I've grown slightly mellower living in Wyoming. I think if you ride into the West on a high horse, you pretty soon end up in a pile of manure.

- Alexandra Fuller

Some, Altitude, Slightly, Wyoming

It is the perpetual tragedy of all families: each of us believe our congenital pathologies and singular pains end with us.

- Alexandra Fuller

Believe, Pains, Perpetual, Singular

In ways I don't entirely have the words for, an experience, thought or a lesson isn't real for me until I've written down.

- Alexandra Fuller

Words, Thought, Written Down, Entirely

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