The poet is one who is able to keep the fresh vision of the child alive.
Anais NinRead
Why one writes is a question I can answer easily, having so often asked it of myself. I believe one writes because one has to create a world in which one can live. I could not live in any of the worlds offered to me - the world of my parents, the world of war, the world of politics. I had to create a world of my own, like a climate, a country, an atmosphere in which I could breathe, reign, and recreate myself when destroyed by living. That, I believe, is the reason for every work of art.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the deep necessity of self-creation and artistic expression as a means to find personal refuge and identity.
Anais Nin articulates the profound motivation behind the act of writing and creating art. She suggests that writers and artists do not merely create for the sake of art, but rather to forge their own personal realities that resonate with their inner truths. Given that external worlds—like those of parents, conflict, or societal politics—often feel stifling, Nin emphasizes the importance of crafting one's own space where they can thrive, explore, and ultimately redefine themselves. Thus, each piece of art becomes a reflection of this essential human need for self-discovery and personal solace.
Themes
CreationIdentityArtSelf-ExpressionWorldbuilding
In practice
Example use cases
A writer's retreat could use this quote to inspire participants to delve into their personal narratives.
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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