Baseball Quote by Gary D. Schmidt
““Here’s how you practice shrieking like an insane woman who has been locked in an attic for a great many years: You stand in the middle of the field. You look around to be sure that no one is going to hear you. You breathe in a couple of times to get as much air in your chest as you can. You stretch your neck up like the Great Esquimaux Curlew. You imagine that it’s Game Seven of the World Series and it’s the bottom of the ninth and Joe Pepitone is rounding third base and the throw is coming in and the catcher has his glove up waiting for the ball and Joe Pepitone is probably going to be out and the game will be over and the Yankees will lose. Then you let out your shriek, because that’s how everyone in Yankee Stadium would be shrieking right then. That’s how you practice shrieking like an insane woman who has been locked in an attic for a great many years. And you keep doing it over and over again until all the birds in Marysville have flown away.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Unwanteds, 2009
Practice extreme expression in a safe, imagined scenario to release suppressed emotions.
In simple terms: Use vivid imagination to unleash intense feelings.
Key Takeaway
Create a dramatic mental rehearsal to free emotions.
Themes
self‑expression
psychology
creative release
Mood
introspective
playful
Type
advice
psychological
When to use this quote
- public speaking
- acting
- stress relief
- creative writing
Key Concepts
visualization
emotional catharsis
performance
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you adapt this technique to daily life?
- What emotions are you trying to release?
A Different Perspective
Imagined scenarios may not translate to real‑world effectiveness.
