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 JongRead
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. You cannot divide creative juices from human juices. And as long as juicy women are equated with bad women, we will err on the side of being bad.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote connects feminism with passionate love and creativity, suggesting that the two are intertwined.
Erica Jong emphasizes the deep connection between feminism, love, and creativity. By referencing historical figures like Mary Wollstonecraft and Sappho, she argues that being a passionate and loving person does not detract from one's feminist ideals. Instead, she suggests that societal judgments around femininity and sexuality often limit women's expression and creativity. The notion that 'juicy women' are often labeled as 'bad' highlights the stigma women face for their passions and desires, proposing that liberation from these judgments can lead to a more authentic creative expression.
Themes
FeminismLoveCreativityWomenJudgment
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech celebrating women's achievements in literature, this quote can highlight the importance of love and desires in women's writing.
More from Erica Jong
All quotes →I have accepted fear as a part of life - specifically the fear of change... I have gone ahead despite the pounding in the heart that says: turn back.
Erica JongRead
No one ever found wisdom without also being a fool. Writers, alas, have to be fools in public, while the rest of the human race can cover its tracks.
Erica JongRead
My generation was not only maligned in book reviews and attacked in graduate school but we lived to see our adored and adorable daughters wonder why feminism had become a dirty word.
Erica JongRead
Do you want me to tell you something really subversive? Love is everything it's cracked up to be. That's why people are so cynical about it. It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for. And the trouble is, if you don't risk anything, you risk even more.
Erica JongRead
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.
Erica JongRead
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So even as we see the horror of death, may we be reminded that in the end, love wins. Mercy triumphs. Life is more powerful than death. And even those who have committed great violence can have the image of God come to life again within them as they hear the whisper of love. May the whisper of love grow louder than the thunder of violence. May we love loudly.
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