The poet is one who is able to keep the fresh vision of the child alive.
Anais NinRead
There were always in me, two women at least, one woman desperate and bewildered, who felt she was drowning and another who would leap into a scene, as upon a stage, conceal her true emotions because they were weaknesses, helplessness, despair, and present to the world only a smile, an eagerness, curiosity, enthusiasm, interest.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote illustrates the inner conflict between vulnerability and the facade people often show to the world.
Anais Nin's quote reflects the duality of human emotions, particularly in women, where one part yearns for authenticity and understanding, while another part feels the pressure to mask true feelings with a facade of positivity and strength. This internal struggle highlights the complexities of identity and the societal expectations placed on women to appear strong and composed despite their true emotions.
Themes
IdentityEmotionAuthenticityVulnerabilityFacade
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about mental health, this quote highlights the importance of embracing vulnerability.
More from Anais Nin
All quotes →Anxiety is love's greatest killer, because it is like the stranglehold of the drowning.
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We celebrate peace. Yet we pay no attention to the ways of curing aggression in human beings. And when one sees in psychoanalysis hostility disappearing as people conquer their fears, one wonders if the cure is not there.
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The impetus to grow and live intensely is so powerful in me I cannot resist it. I will work, I will love my husband, but I will fulfill myself.
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We have been poisoned by fairy tales.
Anais NinRead
But I lie. I embellish. My words are not deep enough. They disguise, they conceal. I will not rest until I have told of my descent into a sensuality which was as dark, as magnificent, as wild, as my moments of mystic creation have been dazzling, ecstatic, exalted.
Anais NinRead
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