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Breast-feeding may succumb to the bottle; cuddling, fondling, and paediatric visits may also be done by fathers…but when a child needs a mother to talk to, nobody else but a mother will do.

Erica Jong

Loving someone is a loss of freedom – but one doesn’t think of it as loss because one gains so much else.
ERICA JONG

Freedom Gain Loss Loving Much Someone Think
Gossip is the opiate of the oppressed.
ERICA JONG

Gossip Opiate Oppress
Love is love, but marriage is an investment.
ERICA JONG

Investment Love Marriage
Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn’t.
ERICA JONG

Advice Already Answer Ask Know Wish
If you imagine the world listening, you’ll never write a line. That’s why privacy is so important. You should write first drafts as if they will never be shown to anyone.
ERICA JONG

Anyone Draft First Imagine Important Line Listen never Privacy Shown World Write
Women are their own worst enemies. And guilt is the main weapon of self-torture . . . Show me a woman who doesn’t feel guilty and I’ll show you a man.
ERICA JONG

Enemy Feel Guilt Guilty Man Sell Show Tortue Weapon Woman Women Worst
I hope we don’t have to keep going back over the same territory and winning the same rights over and over again. The battle for birth control. The battle for abortion.
ERICA JONG

Abortion Again Back Battle Birth Going Hope Keep Over Right Same Territory Win
Home is where your books are.
ERICA JONG

Book Home One Liner
Our empathy for others as an excuse to underpay us.
ERICA JONG

Empathy Excuse Other Our Trap Underpay
My reaction to porno films is as follows: After the first ten minutes, I want to go home and screw. After the first twenty minutes, I never want to screw again as long as I live.
ERICA JONG

Firm First Follow Go Home Live Long Minute Porno Reaction Screw Ten
The greatest feminists have also been the greatest lovers. I’m thinking not only of Mary Wollstonecraft and her daughter Mary Shelley, but of Anais Nin, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and of course Sappho.
ERICA JONG

Been Country Daughter Feminist Greatest Lover Mary People Person
Often I find that poems predict what I’m going to do later in my own writing, and often I find that poems predict my life. So I think poetry is the most intense expression of feeling that we have.
ERICA JONG

Find Going Later Life Often Own Poem Predict Write
Every time I catch myself saying, “Oh no, you shouldn’t try that,” I think, “Yes, I should.”
ERICA JONG

Catch Every Myself Say Time Try Yes
Divorce is my generation’s coming of age ceremony – a ritual scarring that makes anything that happens afterward seem bearable.
ERICA JONG

Age Ceremony Coming Divorce Generation
Many people today believe that cynicism requires courage. Actually, cynicism is the height of cowardice. It is innocence and open-heartednes s that requires the true courage — however often we are hurt as a result of it.
ERICA JONG

Actually Believe Courage Cowardice Cynicism Height Innocense Many People Require Result Today
The best slave does not need to be beaten. She beats herself.
ERICA JONG

Beat Beaten Best Herself Need Slave
And what if I don’t want forgiveness?
ERICA JONG

Forgiveness If Want What
Images are … a kind of emotional shorthand.
ERICA JONG

Emotional Image Kind Shorthand
If sex and creativity are often seen by dictators as subversive activities, it’s because they lead to the knowledge that you own your own body (and with it your own voice), and that’s the most revolutionary insight of all.
ERICA JONG

Activities Body Creativity Dictator Knowledge Lead Often Own Seen Sex
My mother wanted me to be her wings, to fly as she never quite had the courage to do. I love her for that. I love the fact that she wanted to give birth to her own wings.
ERICA JONG

Birth Courage Do Fact Love Mother never Quote She Want Wing Wings
Life has no plot. It is by far more interesting than anything you can say about it.
ERICA JONG

Anything Far Interesting Life More Plot Say
It’s horrible getting older. I mean, it’s wonderful because you see the circles of life get completed. But it’s horrible losing your looks.
ERICA JONG

Circle Get Horrible Incomplete Look Lose Older Wonderful
A poem (surely someone has said this before) is a one-night stand, a short story a love affair, and a novel a marriage.
ERICA JONG

Affair Before Marriage Night Novel One Poem Short Someone Stand Story
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
Courage is the only Magic worth having.
ERICA JONG

Courage Have Magic Only Worth
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
Always do the things you fear the most. Courage is an acquired taste, like caviar.
ERICA JONG

Acquire Always Courage Fear Most Taste Thing

Breast-feeding may succumb to the bottle; cuddling, fondling, and paediatric visits may also be done by fathers…but when a child needs a mother to talk to, nobody else but a mother will do.

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Breast-feeding may succumb to the bottle; cuddling, fondling, and paediatric visits may also be done by fathers…but when a child needs a mother to talk to, nobody else but a mother will do.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Erica Jong Quotes