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And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.

Elizabeth Appell, 1979; long credited to Anaïs Nin

Literature

The story behind the card

The line is often credited to the diarist Anaïs Nin, but it has never been found in her diaries or fiction. In 2013 Elizabeth Appell, formerly director of public relations at John F. Kennedy University in Orinda, California, said she had written it in 1979 as an inspirational heading for the university's class schedule. By then it had long been printed under Nin's name. Its image of risk and self-discovery suits Nin's own themes, which helped the mix-up spread.

Türkçe oku
Ve bir gün geldi; tomurcukta kapalı kalmanın riski, çiçek açmanın riskinden daha çok acıtır oldu.
Elizabeth Appell, 1979; uzun süre Anaïs Nin'e atfedildi

Söz çoğu zaman günlükleriyle tanınan Anaïs Nin'e atfedilir, ama ne günlüklerinde ne de romanlarında geçer. 2013'te, Kaliforniya'nın Orinda kentindeki John F. Kennedy Üniversitesi'nin eski halkla ilişkiler direktörü Elizabeth Appell, cümleyi 1979'da okurları yüreklendirsin diye üniversitenin ders programının başına yazdığını açıkladı. Söz o zamana kadar çoktan Nin'in adıyla basılmıştı. Riske girme ve kendini keşfetme imgesi Nin'in kendi temalarına uyduğu için bu karışıklık kolayca yayıldı.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Anaïs Nin
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