black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

The trick is not how much pain you feel – but how much joy you feel

Erica Jong

Before things are written down they don’t exist in quite the same way. The act of fixing them in words gives them a kind of currency that can be traded.
ERICA JONG

Act Currency Exist Fix Given Kind Quite Same Thing Way Word Written
Compose with utter freedom and edit with utter discipline.
ERICA JONG

Compass Utter Discipline Edit Freedom
Unhappiness is our element. We come to believe we can’t function without it.
ERICA JONG

Believe Element Function Our Unhappiness
Do all women have to keep silent for men to speak? Do all women have to be legless for men to walk?
ERICA JONG

Keep Legless Men Silent Speak Walk Women
The future is merely a shadow which blocks out the joys of the present and emphasizes the miseries of the past.
ERICA JONG

Block Emphasis Future Joy Merely Miseries Past Present Shadow
Driving me away is easier than saying goodbye.
ERICA JONG

Away Drive Easier Goodbye Saying
As women got little crumbs of power, men began to act paranoid – as if we’d disabled them utterly.
ERICA JONG

Act Age Crumb Disable Little Paranoid Power Utterly Women
I have not ceased being fearful, but I have ceased to let fear control me.
ERICA JONG

Being Cease Control Fear Fearful Let Me
It is the nature of those books we call classics to wait patiently on the shelf for us to grow into them.
ERICA JONG

Book Call Classic Grow Nature Patiently Shell Them Wait
It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for. And the trouble is, if you don’t risk anything, you risk even more.
ERICA JONG

Brave Even Everything Fight More Really Risk Trouble Worth
The trick is not how much pain you feel–but how much joy you feel. Any idiot can feel pain.
ERICA JONG

Feel How Idiot Joy Much Pain Trick
As long as I’m facing the right direction, it doesn’t matter the size of my steps.
ERICA JONG

Direction Face Long Matter Right Size Step
I do believe that in every age there are people whose consciousness transcends their own time and that these people, whether fictional or historical, are those with whom we most closely identify and those about whom we most enjoy reading.
ERICA JONG

Age Believe Close Consciousness Enjoy Every Fictional Identity Own People Read Time Transcend Whether
In a world where women work three times as hard for half as much, our achievement has been denigrated, both marriage and divorce have turned against us, our motherhood has been used as an obstacle to our success, our passion as a trap.
ERICA JONG

Achievement Been Denigarte Divorce Hard Marriage Much Three Time Women Work World
No one ever found wisdom without also being a fool. Writers, alas, have to be fools in public, while the rest of the human race can cover its tracks.
ERICA JONG

Also Being Ever Fool Found No One Wisdom
There is a rhythm to the ending of a marriage just like the rhythm of a courtship, only backward.
ERICA JONG

Backward Courtship End Like Marriage Rhythm

The trick is not how much pain you feel – but how much joy you feel

Related Topics

Popular Authors

The trick is not how much pain you feel – but how much joy you feel

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Erica Jong Quotes