--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sylvia Plath was just a month and a half…" description: "\"Sylvia Plath was just a month and a half older than I, and when she committed suicide I was only 30 - and very shocked and sorry. I never knew her pers..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d90/anne-stevenson-19324_committed_sylvia-plath-was-just-a-month-and-a-half_424621.png" --- # Sylvia Plath was just a month and a half older than I, and… ![“Sylvia Plath was just a month and a half older than I, and when she committed suicide I was only 30 - and very shocked and sorry. I never knew her personally.” quote by Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d90/anne-stevenson-19324_committed_sylvia-plath-was-just-a-month-and-a-half_424621.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d90/anne-stevenson-19324_committed_sylvia-plath-was-just-a-month-and-a-half_424621.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d90/anne-stevenson-19324_committed_sylvia-plath-was-just-a-month-and-a-half_424621.png) > “Sylvia Plath was just a month and a half older than I, and when she committed suicide I was only 30 - and very shocked and sorry. I never knew her personally.” [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The writer felt shock and sorrow upon learning of Plath’s suicide, despite never having known her personally. **In simple terms:** Learning of a tragic death can evoke deep empathy even without personal connection. Key Takeaway Acknowledge shared humanity in tragedy. Themes grief empathy connection Mood somber empathetic Type reflective philosophical When to use this quote - literary circles - mental health discussions - personal reflection - education Key Concepts existential reflection mental health awareness Questions to Reflect On - How does hearing about someone’s tragedy affect you personally? - What responsibilities do we have when discussing sensitive topics? A Different Perspective Personal distance can limit full understanding of another’s pain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Committed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/committed/) [Committed Suicide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/committed-suicide/) [Half](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half/) [Months](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/months/) [Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plath/) [Plath Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plath-just-3756859/) [Shocked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shocked/) [Sorry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorry/) [Suicide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicide/) [Suicide 30](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicide-30-3756858/) [Sylvia plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sylvia-plath/) ## Related quotes > [“Sylvia Plath and I met a long time ago. A really long time ago. Was it a summer day? No! It was a wintry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avijeet-das/sylvia-plath-and-i-met-a-long-time-ago-a-really-long-time-ago-was-it/) [Avijeet Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avijeet-das/) > [ \[Short Talk on Sylvia Plath\] Did you see her mother on television? She said plain, burned things. She said I thought it an excellent… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/short-talk-on-sylvia-plath-did-you-see-her-mother-on-television-she/) [Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/) > [“We have conversations with each other most nights - Sylvia Plath and me!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avijeet-das/we-have-conversations-with-each-other-most-nights-sylvia-plath-and-me/) [Avijeet Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avijeet-das/) > [“If too much has been made of the symptoms of Plath’s mental illness, so too little attention has been paid to its possible causes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-wilson/if-too-much-has-been-made-of-the-symptoms-of-plath-s-mental-illness/) [Andrew Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-wilson/) > [It would be amazing to play Sylvia Plath. She was so dark, and what came out of her writing was troubled and fierce. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/it-would-be-amazing-to-play-sylvia-plath-she-was-so-dark-and-what/) [Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/) > [Like all twenty-one-year-old poets, I thought I would be dead by thirty, and Sylvia Plath had not set a helpful example. For a while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/like-all-twenty-one-year-old-poets-i-thought-i-would-be-dead-by/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Sylvia Plath. Interesting poetess whose tragic suicide was misinterpreted as romantic by the college-girl mentality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/sylvia-plath-interesting-poetess-whose-tragic-suicide-was/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [Like Sylvia Plath, Natalie Jeanne Champagne invites you so close to the pain and agony of her life of mental illness and addiction, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/like-sylvia-plath-natalie-jeanne-champagne-invites-you-so-close-to/) [Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/) > [I love Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton. I also love more cerebral poets like H.D. and Emily Dickinson. My parents subscribed to a monthly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-lia-block/i-love-sylvia-plath-and-anne-sexton-i-also-love-more-cerebral-poets/) [Francesca Lia Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-lia-block/) > [Sylvia Plath wasn't scared of exploring the darker side of her psyche.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-bledel/sylvia-plath-wasn-t-scared-of-exploring-the-darker-side-of-her-psyche/) [Alexis Bledel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-bledel/) > [“The blood jet is poetry, There is no stopping it. 'Kindness' by Sylvia Plath”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/the-blood-jet-is-poetry-there-is-no-stopping-it-kindness-by-sylvia/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [“I began to realize, with some little horror, that she was nothing more than a lowbrow, pop-psychology version of Sylvia Plath. It lasted forever,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/i-began-to-realize-with-some-little-horror-that-she-was-nothing-more/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“And besides, I'm not a writer. I don't go to coffeehouses and smoke, wear black, and analyze Sylvia Plath to the point of depression.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mccafferty/and-besides-i-m-not-a-writer-i-don-t-go-to-coffeehouses-and-smoke/) [Megan McCafferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mccafferty/) > [“Sylvia Plath is there for me when actual living people upon who I have depended upon my whole life, are not. What I mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlaina-tibensky/sylvia-plath-is-there-for-me-when-actual-living-people-upon-who-i/) [Arlaina Tibensky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlaina-tibensky/) > [Look, if you ask a child, 'Would you rather have a fulfilled mother or a stay-at-home Sylvia Plath,' they'll pick Sylvia Plath every time.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayelet-waldman/look-if-you-ask-a-child-would-you-rather-have-a-fulfilled-mother-or-a/) [Ayelet Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayelet-waldman/) ## More by Anne Stevenson > [Yes, I do often write poems from the mind, but I hope I don't ignore feelings and emotions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/yes-i-do-often-write-poems-from-the-mind-but-i-hope-i-don-t-ignore/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [I have always made my own rules, in poetry as in life - though I have tried of late to cooperate more with my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/i-have-always-made-my-own-rules-in-poetry-as-in-life-though-i-have/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [I write, or used to write, to explain to myself situations I couldn't otherwise solve or understand. Meditation comes very naturally to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/i-write-or-used-to-write-to-explain-to-myself-situations-i-couldn-t/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [I did know Ted Hughes and I partly wrote the book to explain to myself and others the complexities of a marriage that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/i-did-know-ted-hughes-and-i-partly-wrote-the-book-to-explain-to/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [Each word bears its weight, so you have to read my poems quite slowly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/each-word-bears-its-weight-so-you-have-to-read-my-poems-quite-slowly/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [Blake has always been a favorite, the lyrics, not so much the prophetic books, but I suppose Yeats influenced me more as a young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/blake-has-always-been-a-favorite-the-lyrics-not-so-much-the-prophetic/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [A poem might be defined as thinking about feelings - about human feelings and frailties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/a-poem-might-be-defined-as-thinking-about-feelings-about-human/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [I married a young Englishman in Cambridge in 1955 and have lived in Britain every since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/i-married-a-young-englishman-in-cambridge-in-1955-and-have-lived-in/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [You've got criminal courts and child welfare officials refusing to do their jobs and protect children so they can shift the cases over to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/you-ve-got-criminal-courts-and-child-welfare-officials-refusing-to-do/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [There comes a time when you have to trust your own judgment, when you must close your eyes and let your instinct rule you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/there-comes-a-time-when-you-have-to-trust-your-own-judgment-when-you/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [A hobbyhorse can be a tiring ride for nonenthusiasts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/a-hobbyhorse-can-be-a-tiring-ride-for-nonenthusiasts/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [Mind led body to the edge of the precipice. They stared in desire at the naked abyss. If you love me, said mind, take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/mind-led-body-to-the-edge-of-the-precipice-they-stared-in-desire-at/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [Blackbirds are the cellos of the deep farms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/blackbirds-are-the-cellos-of-the-deep-farms/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [I'm not really quiet or shy. Ask any of my friends! But I always ground my poetry in life itself. Poetry is an art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/i-m-not-really-quiet-or-shy-ask-any-of-my-friends-but-i-always-ground/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [The sea is as near as we come to another world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/the-sea-is-as-near-as-we-come-to-another-world/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) [Explore all 33 Anne Stevenson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) ## More Committed quotes > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) > [I've been around in public life for a long time. I think people know what I stand for. They know that I have strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-turnbull/i-ve-been-around-in-public-life-for-a-long-time-i-think-people-know/) [Malcolm Turnbull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-turnbull/) > [One lesson to learn is that the press and the broadcasters are not neutral. And it seems we have to learn it each time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/one-lesson-to-learn-is-that-the-press-and-the-broadcasters-are-not/) [Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/) > [If you don't plan to live the Christian life totally committed to knowing your God and to walking in obedience to Him, then don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-arthur/if-you-don-t-plan-to-live-the-christian-life-totally-committed-to/) [Kay Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-arthur/) > [I'm not interested in making a diagnostic novel or a concern. I'm 100 percent committed in fiction to the pleasure principle - that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-m-not-interested-in-making-a-diagnostic-novel-or-a-concern-i-m-100/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [There is no breach of European rules committed by companies from Romania or on Romanian territory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-ponta/there-is-no-breach-of-european-rules-committed-by-companies-from/) [Victor Ponta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-ponta/) > [We all have that desire for something special, something committed. We all want to be The One.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashton-kutcher/we-all-have-that-desire-for-something-special-something-committed-we/) [Ashton Kutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashton-kutcher/) > [We must always refill and ensure there is a critical mass of leaders and activists committed to nonviolence and racial and economic justice who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/we-must-always-refill-and-ensure-there-is-a-critical-mass-of-leaders/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [We have committed ourselves to pursue joint policies, but then national governments say, "We aren't bound by that." That is a dramatic situation, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/we-have-committed-ourselves-to-pursue-joint-policies-but-then/) [Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/) > [Sitting in your garden is a feat to be worked at with unflagging determination and single-mindedness. . . . I am deeply committed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mirabel-osler/sitting-in-your-garden-is-a-feat-to-be-worked-at-with-unflagging/) [Mirabel Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mirabel-osler/) > [You don't bargain with terrorists. You don't appease terrorists. And anybody who believes that this is about something we've done has to ask themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/you-don-t-bargain-with-terrorists-you-don-t-appease-terrorists-and/) [Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) > [There is no secret formula--only a life committed to a close walk with God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillon-burroughs/there-is-no-secret-formula-only-a-life-committed-to-a-close-walk-with/) [Dillon Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillon-burroughs/) > [Poor human nature, what horrible crimes have been committed in thy name! All wars are wars among thieves who are too cowardly to fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/poor-human-nature-what-horrible-crimes-have-been-committed-in-thy/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [Dancing with death meant being committed to killing, committed with your heart and soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-goodkind/dancing-with-death-meant-being-committed-to-killing-committed-with/) [Terry Goodkind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-goodkind/) > [I have sometimes thought that the laws ought not to punish those actions of evil which are committed when the senses are steeped in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/i-have-sometimes-thought-that-the-laws-ought-not-to-punish-those/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) [Browse all 2,539 Committed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/committed/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sylvia Plath was just a month and a half older than I, and when she committed suicide I was only 30 - and very shocked and sorry. I never knew her personally.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anne Stevenson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/sylvia-plath-was-just-a-month-and-a-half-older-than-i-and-when-she/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Committed" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/sylvia-plath-was-just-a-month-and-a-half-older-than-i-and-when-she/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d90/anne-stevenson-19324_committed_sylvia-plath-was-just-a-month-and-a-half_424621.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d90/anne-stevenson-19324_committed_sylvia-plath-was-just-a-month-and-a-half_424621.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d90/anne-stevenson-19324_committed_sylvia-plath-was-just-a-month-and-a-half_424621.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sylvia Plath was just a month and a half older than I, and when she committed suicide I was only 30 - and…” — Anne Stevenson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anne Stevenson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Sylvia Plath was just a month...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/sylvia-plath-was-just-a-month-and-a-half-older-than-i-and-when-she/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/sylvia-plath-was-just-a-month-and-a-half-older-than-i-and-when-she/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```