--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I shall never be a dangerous woman; I can…" description: "\"“I shall never be a dangerous woman; I can make men love, but I cannot make them suffer. It would be much better the other way about. I have seen women..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/432/christina-stead-2325_love_i-shall-never-be-a-dangerous-woman-i-can_1529474.png" --- # I shall never be a dangerous woman; I can make men love… ![“I shall never be a dangerous woman; I can make men love, but I cannot make them suffer. It would be much better the other way about. I have seen women able to make men suffer who could not make them love. The more they suffered the more they hung around for a showdown. In the end they did better…” quote by Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/432/christina-stead-2325_love_i-shall-never-be-a-dangerous-woman-i-can_1529474.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/432/christina-stead-2325_love_i-shall-never-be-a-dangerous-woman-i-can_1529474.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/432/christina-stead-2325_love_i-shall-never-be-a-dangerous-woman-i-can_1529474.png) > ““I shall never be a dangerous woman; I can make men love, but I cannot make them suffer. It would be much better the other way about. I have seen women able to make men suffer who could not make them love. The more they suffered the more they hung around for a showdown. In the end they did better than I, for it is strange what people will do to be able to suffer and say to themselves, in the night, “I have suffered, I have lived indeed.”” [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker reflects on the paradox of seeking suffering for authenticity, suggesting that pain can validate existence. **In simple terms:** Suffering is seen as proof of living fully. Key Takeaway Embrace pain as part of authentic life. Themes existentialism gender suffering Mood philosophical introspective Type literary psychological When to use this quote - personal introspection - literary analysis - therapy discussions Key Concepts authenticity psychology social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What does suffering reveal about self? - Can fulfillment be found without pain? A Different Perspective Romanticizing suffering may ignore healthier coping. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able Suffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able-suffer-1640552/) [Dangerous Woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dangerous-woman/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Suffered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-suffered-5479234/) [Make Suffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-suffer-535507/) [Suffer Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffer-say-1592714/) [Suffered Lived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffered-lived-5671730/) ## Related quotes > [“The more one suffered and lived, the more one had known of joy and grief, the deeper the response must be if an artist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-field/the-more-one-suffered-and-lived-the-more-one-had-known-of-joy-and/) [Rachel Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-field/) > [“This world of dew Is only a world of dew - and yet, and yet. 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If we only—can—live up—to the thoughts—of us—by them—that love us!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/it-is-splendid-to-be-loved-if-we-only-can-live-up-to-the-thoughts-of/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [“I’m afraid to write to your father: he criticizes my spelling,” sneered Henny. “And it appears I know nothing about geography. Hang his stuck-up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/i-m-afraid-to-write-to-your-father-he-criticizes-my-spelling-sneered/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [“you do not know what she did not only to me but to the little children. 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I'm unimportant, an observer, a wandering animal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/about-myself-no-i-m-unimportant-an-observer-a-wandering-animal/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [“A month before our marriage, I knew it would be a well-nigh hopeless union, yet so great is a young man’s idea of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/a-month-before-our-marriage-i-knew-it-would-be-a-well-nigh-hopeless/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [“For a moment, after years of scamping, she felt the dread power of wifehood; they were locked in each other’s grasp till the end—the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/for-a-moment-after-years-of-scamping-she-felt-the-dread-power-of/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [Socialist writers are made of sterner stuff than those who only let their characters steeplechase through trouble in order to comeout first in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/socialist-writers-are-made-of-sterner-stuff-than-those-who-only-let/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [“Don’t call humans rats—rats are superior.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/don-t-call-humans-rats-rats-are-superior/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [“Whatever men say, women know;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/whatever-men-say-women-know/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [“she is never more herself than when she destroys herself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/she-is-never-more-herself-than-when-she-destroys-herself/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [Each Australian is a Ulysses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/each-australian-is-a-ulysses/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [A dominant race did not lie, because it had the whip.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/a-dominant-race-did-not-lie-because-it-had-the-whip/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) [Explore all 171 Christina Stead quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) ## More Love quotes > [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. 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