The Ninth Life of a Diamond Miner

I learned something about the commodification of trauma that day [Tame's appearance on the ABC's Q&A programme], which is that you have to take things into your own hands. If you don't speak, people will put words in your mouth. (p.178)

I frowned at Scott Morrison deliberately because, in my opinion, he has done and assisted in objectively terrible things. No matter what your politics are, the harm that was caused under his government was some of the worst in our nation's history, including but not limited to survivors of domestic and sexual violence. To have smiled at him, to have pretended that everything was all right, would have made me a fucking liar. That there was more outrage that day directed towards me over a momentary death stare that towards many of Scott's political acts, reflects how disturbingly skewed our national media's perspective and priorities have become. If people are more upset by the way you look than what you're exposing, it says more about them than it does about you. They're the emperors without any clothes on. (p.323-4)

I survived being Australian of the Year because I knew already that it wouldn't be a true reflection of my worth. I knew it would be ugly, at least in part. I came equipped with a glimpse of fame that made me realise two profound things. One is that people's ideas of it will always be warped from the outside and there's little that can be done to control that. The other being that you don't have to let it warp you if you hold on to what is most dear. (p.298)

Peace is not freedom from pain; it is the acceptance of it

Nothing is harmless in the hands of the harmful