The willingness to accept responsibility for one’s own life is the source from which self-respect springs.On Self-Respect, Vogue, 1961
Author · 6 quotes
Joan Didion was an influential American writer known for her novels, essays, and screenplays. Her work often explored themes of social fragmentation, individual morality, and the cultural landscape of the United States during the second half of the 20th century. She is celebrated for her precise prose style and insightful observations on American society.
1934–2021·lived 87 years
The willingness to accept responsibility for one’s own life is the source from which self-respect springs.On Self-Respect, Vogue, 1961
New York was no mere city. It was instead an infinitely romantic notion, the mysterious nexus of all love and money and power, the shining and perishable dream itself.
I want to live my life, not record it.On Keeping a Notebook, Slouching Towards Bethlehem, 1968
We tell ourselves stories in order to live.The White Album, p. 11, 1979
To free us from the expectations of others, to give us back to ourselves—there lies the great, singular power of self-respect.On Self-Respect, Vogue, 1961
What an odd thing a diary is: the things you omit are more important than those you put in.Notes to John, 2025
That’s all 6 quotes by Joan Didion.