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Quote by May Sarton

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At Seventy: A Journal

This journal explores the thoughts and insights of an individual as they reach the age of seventy, offering a candid look at the journey of life and the wisdom gained over the years. more

Author

May Sarton
May Sarton

American poet, born on May 3, 1912, and died on July 16, 1995. Known for her profound psychological insights and delicate portrayals of natural landscapes, May Sarton's poetry has had a significant impact on contemporary poetry, earning her numerous literary awards. more

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“The woman who needs to create works of art is born with a kind of psychic tension in her which drives her unmercifully to find a way to balance, to make herself whole. Every human being has this need: in the artist it is mandatory. Unable to fulfill it, he goes mad. But when the artist is a woman she fulfills it at the expense of herself as a woman.”

WayNeedsHumansKindArtWholeArtistBornHuman BeingsBalanceArt IsMadTensionExpensesWorks Of ArtPsychics
Book:From May Sarton's well: writings of May Sarton
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“I have sometimes wondered also whether in people like me who come to the boil fast (soupe au lait, the French call this trait, like a milk soup that boils over) the tantrum is not a built-in safety valve against madness or illness. ... The fierce tension in me, when it is properly channeled, creates the good tension for work. But when it becomes unbalanced I am destructive. How to isolate that good tension is my problem these days. Or, put in another way, how to turn the heat down fast enough so the soup won't boil over!”

PeopleWaySometimesEnoughProblemTurnsBuiltMadnessAngerSafetyIllnessLike MeThese DaysHeatTensionDestructiveMilkTraitsFierceSoupAnother WayTantrumsUnbalancedValve
Author:May Sarton
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“I am furious at all the letters to answer, when all I want to do is think and write poems. ... I long for open time, with no obligations except toward the inner world and what is going on there.”

ThinkingWorldWantWritingLongAnswersLettersObligationFuriousInterruptionsInner World
Book:The Journals of May Sarton Volume One: Journal of a Solitude, Plant Dreaming Deep, and Recovering
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