The biggest problem that women have is being ambivalent about their own power, ... We should be comfortable with the idea of wielding power. We shouldn't feel that it detracts from our femininity.
Elizabeth WurtzelRead
And she keeps saying, how can you do this to me? And i want to scream, what do you mean, how can I do this to you? Aren't we confusing our pronouns here? The question, really, is How could I do this to myself?
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote explores the complexity of self-identity and the emotional turmoil in relationships.
In this quote, Elizabeth Wurtzel captures a moment of introspection in a tumultuous relationship, highlighting the confusion and pain that often arises when emotions run high. The speaker grapples with the realization that the hurt caused in the relationship is not just about the other person but also about their own sense of self and well-being. This reflection prompts deeper questions about personal responsibility, self-identity, and the nature of emotional connections.
Themes
Self-ReflectionRelationshipsEmotionsIdentityIntrospection
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a counseling session to discuss personal accountability in relationships.
More from Elizabeth Wurtzel
All quotes →The men have piled up in my past, have fallen trenchantly through my life, like an avalanche that doesn't mean to kill but is going to bury me alive just the same.
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Whenever I talk to anyone I care about, I am always seeking approval. There is always a pleading lilt in my voice that demands love. Even the people I work with, the ones I am supposed to have a professional relationship with, all business, get pulled into my need. I can't help it. I want to be adored.
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Getting help for substance abuse can be reduced to the deceptively simple focus of ‘keeping away from the dope.’ But what does getting help with depression mean? Learning to keep away from your own mind?
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Taking a hypersensitive approach to life had come to seem so much more pure and honest then joining the ranks of the numb masses who could let it all slide by. What I stopped realizing was that if you feel everything intensely, ultimately you feel nothing at all. Everything registers at the same decibel.
Elizabeth WurtzelRead
It's being a grown up, which I never figured out how to do, scrubbing the tub, and remembering to eat and shampoo my hair. It's the basics: I can write a whole book, but I cannot handle the basics.
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