In This Post
Introduction
Ocean Vuong is a Vietnamese-American poet, novelist, and essayist born in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and raised in Hartford, Connecticut.
Vuong’s writing explores the themes of trauma, family, and intergenerational memory. His work also touches on love, desire, and vulnerability, as well as the intersections of race, class, and queerness.
His notable works include “Night Sky with Exit Wounds” (2016), a poetry collection and winner of the T.S. Eliot Prize, and “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” (2019), a debut novel and New York Times bestseller. More recently, Vuong released “Time Is a Mother” (2022), a poetry collection exploring grief, love, and resilience.
In this blog post, I’ve shared 29 Ocean Vuong quotes on love, life, mother & writing, and more along with their explanations and images. So, let’s read…
8 Ocean Vuong Quotes on Love
They say nothing lasts forever but they’re just scared it will last longer than they can love it.
Ocean Vuong
How you can love the world until there’s nothing left to love but yourself.
Ocean Vuong
Your father is only your father until one of you forgets like how the spine won’t remember its wings no matter how they mourn.
Ocean Vuong
It is in love in which we find our true faces.
Ocean Vuong
Brief Analysis
Ocean Vuong’s quote on love shows us that love helps us discover who we really are. When we’re loved, we drop our masks and let our true selves shine.
In those moments of being deeply loved, we feel truly understood. This understanding allows us to see ourselves more clearly, revealing our hidden strengths and qualities.
Besides this, love is a journey of self-discovery. Through our relationships, we learn about our desires and fears. Moreover, these experiences peel away our outer layers, helping us to see our core selves.
Ultimately, love gives us the courage to embrace our true selves. It creates a safe space to express our deepest truths. Thus, by embracing love, we live more honestly and authentically.
Also Read: 24 Sylvester Mcnutt Quotes on Healing, Self Love & Life
To despair is to wish our pain could be loved away.
Ocean Vuong
What a difference a day makes. Not even the sun is the same. The heart alters as easily as the sky.
Ocean Vuong
To be gorgeous, you must first be seen, but to be seen allows you to be hunted.
Ocean Vuong
Just as love stories do not always have happy endings, but that does not mean they are not worth telling.
Ocean Vuong
Brief Analysis
Love stories don’t always have happy endings, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth telling. Even when they end in heartbreak, these stories are still meaningful.
As we hear these tales, we connect with the raw emotions and experiences they convey. This connection helps us understand that love doesn’t just exist in the happy moments.
In addition, these stories can teach us valuable lessons about resilience and growth. They show us that even in difficult times, love has the power to shape us positively.
Certainly, the best Ocean Vuong quote reminds us that every love story, regardless of its ending, has its own worth. Sharing these stories enriches our understanding of what it means to love and be loved.
8 Ocean Vuong Quotes on Life
You once told me that the human eye is god’s loneliest creation. How so much of the world passes through the pupil and still it holds nothing. The eye, alone in its socket, doesn’t even know there’s another one, just like it, an inch away, just as hungry, as empty.
Ocean Vuong
Brief Analysis
The human eye, despite taking in so much of the world, often feels empty. It sees everything but holds onto nothing.
This sense of emptiness highlights our individual experiences. Each eye, unaware of the other, reflects how we can feel isolated even when we’re close to others.
Moreover, the eye’s hunger and emptiness symbolize our deep need for connection. We want to feel close to others, but our experiences often leave us feeling alone.
In essence, Ocean Vuong’s saying makes us think about our search for connection. It reminds us that real happiness comes from finding meaningful relationships and understanding within our lives.
Silence may be as close as we come to finding what we mean to say.
Ocean Vuong
Perhaps, too, beauty can be more than memory; sometimes, it can be the enfleshment of the present moment’s grace.
Ocean Vuong
What a terrible life, I think now, to have to move so fast just to stay in one place.
Ocean Vuong
Too much joy, I swear, is lost in our desperation to keep it.
Ocean Vuong
Brief Analysis
When we feel joy, we often try too hard to keep it. However, this desperate effort can make us anxious and actually lessen our happiness.
In trying to hold onto joy, we might avoid anything that could affect it. Consequently, this means we miss out on new experiences and growth opportunities.
Additionally, this desperation can lead us to place high expectations on ourselves and others. As a result, we may expect constant happiness, which is unrealistic and can cause frustration.
Instead, we should embrace joy in the moment and let it flow naturally as described in this Ocean Vuong quote on life. By doing this, we allow ourselves to fully experience life and find true happiness.
Also Read: 45 RM Drake Quotes on Love, Life, Letting Go, Friendship & Her
How sweet. That rain. How something that lives only to fall can be nothing but sweet.
Ocean Vuong
There is no end to desire, and so the chase will always continue.
Ocean Vuong
Memory has little to do with history.
Ocean Vuong
7 Ocean Vuong Quotes About Mother
Only a mother can walk with the weight of a second beating heart.
Ocean Vuong
Brief Analysis
A mother carries not just her own heart, but also the weight of her child’s heart. This deep bond, therefore, shapes every moment of her life.
During pregnancy, a mother feels every movement and heartbeat of her child. And that connection doesn’t end once the child is born; it grows even stronger.
Mothers often put their children’s needs before their own. They feel their child’s pain and joy as if it were their own, showing great empathy and selflessness.
In conclusion, this quote by Ocean Vuong highlights the unique strength of mothers. It reminds us to appreciate the silent, endless effort they make to support their children and unconditionally love them.
My mother said I could be anything I wanted – but I chose to live.
Ocean Vuong
Because that’s what mothers do. They wait. They stand still until their children belong to someone else.
Ocean Vuong
I am writing to you from inside a body that used to be yours. Which is to say, I am writing as a son.
Ocean Vuong
The most beautiful part of your body is wherever your mother’s shadow falls.
Ocean Vuong
Brief Analysis
This quote by Ocean Vuong shows how a mother’s love and presence shape our sense of beauty and worth. It’s not about physical appearance, but the emotional and spiritual impact she has on us.
A mother’s shadow represents her constant support and care. From birth, she influences us in countless ways, often without us even realizing it.
Moreover, this quote about a mother highlights how a mother’s love affects us in a very deep way. It makes us feel cherished and valued, indicating the power of her parenting.
Lastly, a mother’s shadow symbolizes the enduring effect she has on her children. It reminds us that our mothers shape our lives in quiet, and powerful ways and we should appreciate it.
All this time I told myself we were born from war—but I was wrong, Ma. We were born from beauty. Let no one mistake us for the fruit of violence—but that violence, having passed through the fruit, failed to spoil it.
Ocean Vuong
My mother was not always happy, nor did she always fail at happiness.
Ocean Vuong
6 Ocean Vuong Quotes About Writing
When I first started writing, I hated myself for being so uncertain, about images, clauses, ideas, even the pen or journal I used. Everything I wrote begins with maybe and perhaps and ends with I think or I believe. But my doubt is everywhere. Even when I know something to be true I fear the knowledge will dissolve, and will not, despite my writing it, stay real.
Ocean Vuong
Brief Analysis
Doubt is like a shadow that follows us everywhere, even when we try to escape it. It creeps into our thoughts and actions, making us uncertain and hesitant about everything. This struggle with self-doubt is something many writers can relate to.
In the world of writing, there is no certainty. Every word we put on paper is an act of vulnerability, exposing our inner thoughts and feelings to the world. As humans, it’s natural to doubt ourselves and our work, especially when it comes to something as personal as writing.
Despite all the uncertainties and insecurities, writers must continue to write. They must push through their doubts and fears, trusting in their own voice and ideas.
All in all, Ocean Vuong’s quote about writing serves as a reminder to all writers that doubt is not something to be feared, but rather embraced. It is what makes our writing unique and genuine.
I don’t believe a writer should just keep writing as long as they’re alive.
Ocean Vuong
This is the paradox: how do we write about life when we are still living?
Ocean Vuong
But wasn’t this the point of poetry? That we wanted to fail?
Ocean Vuong
Language is a gift and a kind of violence.
Ocean Vuong
Brief Analysis
Language is an incredibly powerful tool, one that can both connect us and divide us. At first glance, this Ocean Vuong quote may seem illogical, but upon closer examination, it holds a great deal of truth.
On one hand, language is a gift that allows us to communicate with others. It enables us to convey our thoughts, feelings, and experiences in ways that are unique to each individual.
However, on the other hand, language can also harm. Harsh words and lies can cause deep emotional pain and create conflicts. Thus, the same tool that builds bridges can also tear them down.
In the end, it is up to each of us to use language responsibly. Therefore, we must be mindful of the power of words and strive to use them for good rather than harm.
I write to you from the end of an empire.
Ocean Vuong
