I stand in the mist and cry, thinking of myself standing in the mist and crying, and wondering if I will ever be able to use this experience in a book.
ERICA JONGWomen 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.
More Erica Jong Quotes
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Images are … a kind of emotional shorthand.
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The future is merely a shadow which blocks out the joys of the present and emphasizes the miseries of the past.
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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.
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There’s always a backlash against progressive ideas.
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I am old enough to know that laughter, not anger, is the true revelation.
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To name oneself is the first act of both the poet and the revolutionary.
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I believe that women should live for love, for motherhood and for intellect, and I believe we shouldn’t have to choose. And I believe that’s always been difficult for women, to express themselves intellectually, maternally, and passionately.
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I don’t think you will ever fully understand how you’ve touched my life and made me who I am.
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Every country gets the circus it deserves. Spain gets bullfights. Italy the Church. America Hollywood.
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Our empathy for others as an excuse to underpay us.
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We were not human beings going through spiritual experiences; we were spiritual beings going through human experiences, in order to grow.
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It’s easier to write about pain than about joy. Joy is wordless.
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The dilemma is that if one does not risk anything one risks even more.
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Fame means millions of people have the wrong idea of who you are.
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Art is always an energy exchange.
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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.
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A poem (surely someone has said this before) is a one-night stand, a short story a love affair, and a novel a marriage.
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Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn’t.
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Jealousy is all the fun you think they had.
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The best slave does not need to be beaten. She beats herself.
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It takes courage to lead a life. Any life.
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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.
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The words carry their own momentum. A confession in motion tends to stay in motion. Newton’s first law of jealousy.
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And the trouble is, if you don’t risk anything, you risk even more.
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Do all women have to keep silent for men to speak? Do all women have to be legless for men to walk?
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Really true intimacy is rare and it depends on other things besides sex.
ERICA JONG