Bears Quote by Edna St. Vincent Millay
“I, being born a woman and distressed By all the needs and notions of my kind, Am urged by your propinquity to find Your person fair, and feel a certain zest To bear your body's weight upon my breast; So subtly is the fume of life designed, To clarify the pulse and cloud the mind, And leave me once again undone, possessed. Think not for this, however, the poor treason Of my stout blood against my staggering brain, I shall remember you with love, or season My scorn with pity, - let me make it plain: I find this frenzy insufficient reason For conversation when we meet again.”
About This Quote
Source Poem: “The Harshest Day” (1923)
The speaker, a woman, wrestles with intense desire and intellectual conflict, feeling both drawn to and overwhelmed by love’s physical and mental demands.
In simple terms: She feels love is powerful, confusing, and sometimes destructive.
Key Takeaway
Balance passion with reason.
Themes
love
desire
conflict
gender
identity
Mood
melancholic
intense
Type
poetic
reflective
When to use this quote
- intimate relationships
- creative writing
- therapy sessions
- self‑reflection
Key Concepts
feminist literature
romanticism
psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you reconcile desire with rational thought?
- Can love be both empowering and destabilizing?
A Different Perspective
Romantic intensity can cloud judgment and lead to self‑destruction.
![“The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the formulas of nations at war, where any heinousness is justified on the grounds that the enemy is either an inferior [part of the] species or…” quote by Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/895/kate-millett-7301_accompany_the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imp_8896.jpg)
