--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I wrote at all, I must throw myself…" description: "\"If I wrote at all, I must throw myself headlong into the great political maelstrom, and would of course be swallowed up like a fishing-boat in the grea..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51e/jane-swisshelm-28261_boat_if-i-wrote-at-all-i-must-throw-myself-he_279039.jpg" --- # If I wrote at all, I must throw myself headlong into the… ![“If I wrote at all, I must throw myself headlong into the great political maelstrom, and would of course be swallowed up like a fishing-boat in the great Norway horror which decorated our school geographies; for no woman had ever done such a thing, and I could never again hold up my head under the…” quote by Jane Swisshelm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51e/jane-swisshelm-28261_boat_if-i-wrote-at-all-i-must-throw-myself-he_279039.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51e/jane-swisshelm-28261_boat_if-i-wrote-at-all-i-must-throw-myself-he_279039.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51e/jane-swisshelm-28261_boat_if-i-wrote-at-all-i-must-throw-myself-he_279039.jpg) > “If I wrote at all, I must throw myself headlong into the great political maelstrom, and would of course be swallowed up like a fishing-boat in the great Norway horror which decorated our school geographies; for no woman had ever done such a thing, and I could never again hold up my head under the burden of shame and disgrace which would be heaped upon me. But what matter? I had no children to dishonor; all save one who had ever loved me were dead, and she no longer needed me, and if the Lord wanted some one to throw into that gulf, no one could be better spared than I.” [Jane Swisshelm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-swisshelm/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She feels compelled to sacrifice herself to avoid shame, seeing death as a release from societal judgment. **In simple terms:** She chooses death over disgrace. Key Takeaway Consider the cost of societal expectations. Themes sacrifice shame gender societal pressure Mood despair resigned tragic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal crisis - social ostracism - mental health - family loss Key Concepts existentialism feminist critique Questions to Reflect On - What alternatives could she have pursued? - How does society shape personal sacrifice? A Different Perspective Her decision ignores possible alternatives like seeking support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Burden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burden/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Dishonor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dishonor/) [Fishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fishing/) [Fishing boats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fishing-boats/) [Geography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/geography/) [Horror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lord/) [Maelstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maelstrom/) [Norway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/norway/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Shame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame/) ## Related quotes > [“The portrait was to bear the burden of his shame: that was all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-portrait-was-to-bear-the-burden-of-his-shame-that-was-all/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [ “\[T\]he principal suffering of the poor is shame and disgrace.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-boyle/t-he-principal-suffering-of-the-poor-is-shame-and-disgrace/) [Gregory Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-boyle/) > [Shame was an emotion he had abandoned years earlier. Addicts know no shame. You disgrace yourself so many times you become immune to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/shame-was-an-emotion-he-had-abandoned-years-earlier-addicts-know-no/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [In darkness one may be ashamed of what one does, without the shame of disgrace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/in-darkness-one-may-be-ashamed-of-what-one-does-without-the-shame-of/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“The principle suffering of the poor is shame and disgrace. It is a toxic shame -- a global sense of failure of the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-boyle/the-principle-suffering-of-the-poor-is-shame-and-disgrace-it-is-a/) [Gregory Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-boyle/) > [“Out of the wreck of our disfigured, misshapen selves, so darkened by shame and disgrace, indeed the Lord comes to us disguised as ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-boyle/out-of-the-wreck-of-our-disfigured-misshapen-selves-so-darkened-by/) [Gregory Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-boyle/) > [It's a shame and a disgrace that so few people take part in the political process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/it-s-a-shame-and-a-disgrace-that-so-few-people-take-part-in-the/) [John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/) > [starvation is a shame and disgrace to the world and totally unnecessary in modern times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/starvation-is-a-shame-and-disgrace-to-the-world-and-totally/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [Yoga has been something that's always there to take with me and practice throughout any journey. There's no place I've ever been where yoga…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelly/yoga-has-been-something-that-s-always-there-to-take-with-me-and/) [Nelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelly/) > [Instead of our drab slogging forth and back to the fishing boats, there's reason to live! We can lift ourselves out of ignorance, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/instead-of-our-drab-slogging-forth-and-back-to-the-fishing-boats/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [It is necessary that the object that the artist is shaping, whether it be a vase of clay or a fishing boat, be significant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-maritain/it-is-necessary-that-the-object-that-the-artist-is-shaping-whether-it/) [Jacques Maritain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-maritain/) > [Three miles long and two streets wide, the town curls around the bay ... a gaudy run with Mediterranean splashes of color, crowded steep-pitched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/three-miles-long-and-two-streets-wide-the-town-curls-around-the-bay-a/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [I know that I can sing really loud. It's like having that really big Evinrude engine on the back of your fishing boat. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neko-case/i-know-that-i-can-sing-really-loud-it-s-like-having-that-really-big/) [Neko Case](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neko-case/) > [The little fishing boat anchors right off the shore of Gili Meno. There are no docks here on this island. You have to roll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/the-little-fishing-boat-anchors-right-off-the-shore-of-gili-meno/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [I was 35 years old and in a position to take a shot at whatever I wanted to try. The Air Force said I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-doyle/i-was-35-years-old-and-in-a-position-to-take-a-shot-at-whatever-i/) [Jerry Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-doyle/) ## More by Jane Swisshelm > [I must be the mate of the man I had chosen; and if he would not come to my level, I must go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-swisshelm/i-must-be-the-mate-of-the-man-i-had-chosen-and-if-he-would-not-come/) [Jane Swisshelm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-swisshelm/) > [I had gone into the hospital with the stupid notion that its primary object was the care and comfort of the sick and wounded.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-swisshelm/i-had-gone-into-the-hospital-with-the-stupid-notion-that-its-primary/) [Jane Swisshelm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-swisshelm/) > [As our boys and men are all expecting to be Presidents, so our girls and women must all hold themselves in readiness to preside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-swisshelm/as-our-boys-and-men-are-all-expecting-to-be-presidents-so-our-girls/) [Jane Swisshelm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-swisshelm/) > [Let the erring sisters depart in peace; the idea of getting up a civil war to compel the weaker States to remain in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-swisshelm/let-the-erring-sisters-depart-in-peace-the-idea-of-getting-up-a-civil/) [Jane Swisshelm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-swisshelm/) > [The diagnosis of drunkenness was that it was a disease for which the patient was in no way responsible, that it was created by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-swisshelm/the-diagnosis-of-drunkenness-was-that-it-was-a-disease-for-which-the/) [Jane Swisshelm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-swisshelm/) > [When a woman starts out in the world on a mission, secular or religious, she should leave her feminine charms at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-swisshelm/when-a-woman-starts-out-in-the-world-on-a-mission-secular-or/) [Jane Swisshelm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-swisshelm/) > [It appears to be a matter of national pride that the President is to have more mud, and blacker mud, and filthier mud in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-swisshelm/it-appears-to-be-a-matter-of-national-pride-that-the-president-is-to/) [Jane Swisshelm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-swisshelm/) > [Girls, do not scrub and cook and scour until you have no time left to plant a tree, or vine or flower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-swisshelm/girls-do-not-scrub-and-cook-and-scour-until-you-have-no-time-left-to/) [Jane Swisshelm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-swisshelm/) > [A woman with her two children was captured on the steps of the capitol building, whither she had fled for protection, and this, too,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-swisshelm/a-woman-with-her-two-children-was-captured-on-the-steps-of-the/) [Jane Swisshelm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-swisshelm/) > [I cannot tell what I am as much afraid of, as a woman who invariably washes on Monday. It is a kind of key…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-swisshelm/i-cannot-tell-what-i-am-as-much-afraid-of-as-a-woman-who-invariably/) [Jane Swisshelm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-swisshelm/) > [It is an old adage, "All is fair in love as in war," but I thought not of general laws, and only felt a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-swisshelm/it-is-an-old-adage-all-is-fair-in-love-as-in-war-but-i-thought-not-of/) [Jane Swisshelm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-swisshelm/) > [I put away my brushes; resolutely crucified my divine gift, and while it hung writhing on the cross, spent my best years and powers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-swisshelm/i-put-away-my-brushes-resolutely-crucified-my-divine-gift-and-while/) [Jane Swisshelm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-swisshelm/) > [So, instead of spending my strength quarreling with the hand, I would strike for the heart of that great tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-swisshelm/so-instead-of-spending-my-strength-quarreling-with-the-hand-i-would/) [Jane Swisshelm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-swisshelm/) > [Abolitionists were men of sharp angles. Organizing them was like binding crooked sticks in a bundle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-swisshelm/abolitionists-were-men-of-sharp-angles-organizing-them-was-like/) [Jane Swisshelm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-swisshelm/) > [We have not the slightest idea that women are made of such light material that the breath of any fool or knave may blow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-swisshelm/we-have-not-the-slightest-idea-that-women-are-made-of-such-light/) [Jane Swisshelm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-swisshelm/) [Explore all 19 Jane Swisshelm quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-swisshelm/) ## More Boat quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. 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I don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-pop/something-i-like-to-do-a-lot-is-just-sit-by-water-when-there-s-a/) [Iggy Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-pop/) > [The trouble is, you can't properly present something you don't believe in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mcguane/the-trouble-is-you-can-t-properly-present-something-you-don-t-believe/) [Thomas McGuane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mcguane/) > [You know how this is: if I look at the crystal moon, at the red branch of the slow autumn at my window, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/you-know-how-this-is-if-i-look-at-the-crystal-moon-at-the-red-branch/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [A film is a boat which is always on the point of sinking-it always tends to break up as you go along and drag…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-truffaut/a-film-is-a-boat-which-is-always-on-the-point-of-sinking-it-always/) [Francois Truffaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-truffaut/) > [I took one guitar lesson, and they wanted me to play 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' or 'Michael Row the Boat Ashore,' and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/i-took-one-guitar-lesson-and-they-wanted-me-to-play-mary-had-a-little/) [Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/) > [I was 35 years old and in a position to take a shot at whatever I wanted to try. 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Waterman Browse all 1,788 Boat quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If I wrote at all, I must throw myself headlong into the great political maelstrom, and would of course be swallowed up like a fishing-boat in the great Norway horror which decorated our school geographies; for no woman had ever done such a thing, and I could never again hold up my head under the burden of shame and disgrace which would be heaped upon me. But what matter? 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