Children Quote by Eve Ensler
““A mother's body against a child's body makes a place. It says you are here. Without this body against your body there is no place. I envy people who miss their mother. Or miss a place or know something called home. The absence of a body against my body created a gap, a hole, a hunger. This hunger determined my life. ... The absence of a body against my body made attachment abstract. Made my own body dislocated and unable to rest or settle. A body pressed against your body is the beginning of nest. I grew up not in a home but in a kind of free fall of anger and violence that led to a life of constant movement, of leaving and falling. It is why at one point I couldn't stop drinking and fucking. Why I needed people to touch me all the time. It had less to do with sex than location. When you press against me, or put yourself inside me. When you hold me down or lift me up, when you lie on top of me and I can feel your weight, I exist. I am here.””
About This Quote
Source Interview: Eve Ensler on motherhood and identity, 2015
The quote explores how physical closeness defines a sense of belonging and how its absence creates a deep, lingering emptiness.
In simple terms: Physical closeness creates a feeling of home; its lack leaves a void.
Key Takeaway
Seek healthy connections to fill the void.
Themes
identity
belonging
attachment
trauma
home
Mood
introspective
hopeful
Type
philosophical
therapeutic
When to use this quote
- parenting
- therapy
- support groups
- personal healing
Key Concepts
psychology
embodiment
attachment theory
Questions to Reflect On
- What does “home” mean to you beyond physical proximity?
- How can you cultivate a sense of belonging without relying on others?
A Different Perspective
Physical closeness can be misinterpreted as the only source of identity.
