--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It never occurs to her that she will not…" description: "\"“It never occurs to her that she will not be a writer and only occasionally does it occur to her, depressingly, that she is going to grow into a woman,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2a/jean-stafford-33012_ambition_it-never-occurs-to-her-that-she-will-not_1745520.jpg" --- # It never occurs to her that she will not be a writer and… ![“It never occurs to her that she will not be a writer and only occasionally does it occur to her, depressingly, that she is going to grow into a woman, not a man.” quote by Jean Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2a/jean-stafford-33012_ambition_it-never-occurs-to-her-that-she-will-not_1745520.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2a/jean-stafford-33012_ambition_it-never-occurs-to-her-that-she-will-not_1745520.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2a/jean-stafford-33012_ambition_it-never-occurs-to-her-that-she-will-not_1745520.jpg) > ““It never occurs to her that she will not be a writer and only occasionally does it occur to her, depressingly, that she is going to grow into a woman, not a man.”” [Jean Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-stafford/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She fails to envision herself beyond traditional gender roles, reflecting societal expectations limiting identity. **In simple terms:** Gender expectations limit identity. Key Takeaway Question and expand personal identity. Themes gender identity societal expectations Mood critical reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - education - personal growth - activism Key Concepts feminist theory psychology literature Questions to Reflect On - How do gender norms shape your aspirations? - What steps can you take to define yourself beyond expectations? A Different Perspective Self‑realization may conflict with external pressures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) [Grow Woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grow-woman-1556728/) [Occur Depressingly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occur-depressingly-1556730/) [Occurs Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occurs-writer-1556729/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writer Occasionally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-occasionally-556070/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Every one of the big breakthroughs in the art of literature have possibly started as what many would call a ludicrous or even laughable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-wiggins/every-one-of-the-big-breakthroughs-in-the-art-of-literature-have/) [Karl Wiggins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-wiggins/) > [I'm an immigrant writer, or an African writer, or an Ethiopian-American writer, and occasionally an American writer according to the whims and needs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinaw-mengestu/i-m-an-immigrant-writer-or-an-african-writer-or-an-ethiopian-american/) [Dinaw Mengestu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinaw-mengestu/) > [I'm not the fastest reader or writer but occasionally I'll write things down just so I don't forget them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thighpaulsandra/i-m-not-the-fastest-reader-or-writer-but-occasionally-i-ll-write/) [Thighpaulsandra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thighpaulsandra/) > [As much as I'm enjoying stuff out here in Hollywood, I will always think of myself as a comic-book writer who does film and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/as-much-as-i-m-enjoying-stuff-out-here-in-hollywood-i-will-always/) [Brian K. 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I didn't question that when I was little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perfume-genius/i-originally-thought-i-d-grow-up-to-be-a-woman-i-didn-t-question-that/) [Perfume Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perfume-genius/) > [It took me ages to grow into being a woman, into being happy with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/it-took-me-ages-to-grow-into-being-a-woman-into-being-happy-with-it/) [Helena Bonham Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-bonham-carter/) > [If I could talk to my younger self, I would tell her that you will grow into the woman you've always wanted to be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreja-pejic/if-i-could-talk-to-my-younger-self-i-would-tell-her-that-you-will/) [Andreja Pejic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreja-pejic/) > [I feel like I needed to grow up. I needed to grow up as a songwriter. I needed to grow up as a singer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-pearce/i-feel-like-i-needed-to-grow-up-i-needed-to-grow-up-as-a-songwriter-i/) [Carly Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-pearce/) > [When you grow up as a woman, there is that confusion where you think, 'I need to be this or that to fit in.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-ball/when-you-grow-up-as-a-woman-there-is-that-confusion-where-you-think-i/) [Zoe Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-ball/) > [I think that the more I learn and grow as a woman, and the older I get, the more I realize just how important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-madix/i-think-that-the-more-i-learn-and-grow-as-a-woman-and-the-older-i-get/) [Ariana Madix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-madix/) > [I think the most important thing my wife Cynthia and I can do for Kristen is to teach her how to grow up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-mccord/i-think-the-most-important-thing-my-wife-cynthia-and-i-can-do-for/) [Kent McCord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-mccord/) > [I feel like I've started to grow up and be more of a woman instead of this crazy girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-lambert/i-feel-like-i-ve-started-to-grow-up-and-be-more-of-a-woman-instead-of/) [Miranda Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-lambert/) > [One needs more than ambition and talent to make a success of anything, really. There must be love and a vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessye-norman/one-needs-more-than-ambition-and-talent-to-make-a-success-of-anything/) [Jessye Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessye-norman/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) ## More by Jean Stafford > [He does what I have always needed to have done to me, and that is that he dominates me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-stafford/he-does-what-i-have-always-needed-to-have-done-to-me-and-that-is-that/) [Jean Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-stafford/) > [“I read Wolfe’s new book \_ The Story of a Novel\_ and as usual he stole the whole damn thing from me. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-stafford/i-read-wolfe-s-new-book-the-story-of-a-novel-and-as-usual-he-stole/) [Jean Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-stafford/) > [“I fell in love with Caligula and now I'm married to Calvin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-stafford/i-fell-in-love-with-caligula-and-now-i-m-married-to-calvin/) [Jean Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-stafford/) > [I am growing meaner by the hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-stafford/i-am-growing-meaner-by-the-hour/) [Jean Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-stafford/) > [A small silence came between us, as precise as a picture hanging on the wall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-stafford/a-small-silence-came-between-us-as-precise-as-a-picture-hanging-on/) [Jean Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-stafford/) > [“To her own heart, which was shaped exactly like a valentine, there came a winglike palpitation, a delicate exigency, and all the fragrance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-stafford/to-her-own-heart-which-was-shaped-exactly-like-a-valentine-there-came/) [Jean Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-stafford/) > [“If she ever got fat, she thought, or if she ever said anything fat, she would lock herself in a bathroom and stay there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-stafford/if-she-ever-got-fat-she-thought-or-if-she-ever-said-anything-fat-she/) [Jean Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-stafford/) > [Irony, I feel, is a very high form of morality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-stafford/irony-i-feel-is-a-very-high-form-of-morality/) [Jean Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-stafford/) > [For all practical purposes I left home when I was 7.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-stafford/for-all-practical-purposes-i-left-home-when-i-was-7/) [Jean Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-stafford/) > [From time to time, I need a rest from the exercitation of my intellect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-stafford/from-time-to-time-i-need-a-rest-from-the-exercitation-of-my-intellect/) [Jean Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-stafford/) > [You say that you hope I will be recognized as the best novelist of my generation. I want you to know now and know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-stafford/you-say-that-you-hope-i-will-be-recognized-as-the-best-novelist-of-my/) [Jean Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-stafford/) > [“He whirled round and round in his rapid love; it pricked him on the breastbone like a needle. He wanted to be shut up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-stafford/he-whirled-round-and-round-in-his-rapid-love-it-pricked-him-on-the/) [Jean Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-stafford/) > [For me, there is nothing worse than the knowledge that my life holds nothing for me but being a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-stafford/for-me-there-is-nothing-worse-than-the-knowledge-that-my-life-holds/) [Jean Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-stafford/) > [“She wanted them to go together to some hopelessly disreputable bar and to console one another in the most maudlin fashion over a lengthy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-stafford/she-wanted-them-to-go-together-to-some-hopelessly-disreputable-bar/) [Jean Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-stafford/) [Explore all 15 Jean Stafford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-stafford/) ## More Ambition quotes > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [One needs more than ambition and talent to make a success of anything, really. There must be love and a vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessye-norman/one-needs-more-than-ambition-and-talent-to-make-a-success-of-anything/) [Jessye Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessye-norman/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [A man's worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-s-worth-is-no-greater-than-the-worth-of-his-ambitions/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm hungry and ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julen-lopetegui/i-m-hungry-and-ambitious/) [Julen Lopetegui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julen-lopetegui/) > [“I was ambitious and desperate to direct my first film, so I capitulated and blew it. Never again. Never fucking again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/i-was-ambitious-and-desperate-to-direct-my-first-film-so-i/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [I was always attracted most to joining City, and I am pleased to be at such a good club with such a big ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edin-dzeko/i-was-always-attracted-most-to-joining-city-and-i-am-pleased-to-be-at/) [Edin Dzeko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edin-dzeko/) > [Work towards your goal and dont watch the post size,its either they hate,or like you.there is no room for both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-buabeng/work-towards-your-goal-and-dont-watch-the-post-size-its-either-they/) [Isaac Buabeng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-buabeng/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I almost never have a plan for myself... I'm not ambitious in that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/i-almost-never-have-a-plan-for-myself-i-m-not-ambitious-in-that-way/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [I play for high stakes and given an audience - there is no act too daring or too noble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-play-for-high-stakes-and-given-an-audience-there-is-no-act-too/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [There's nothing worse than a leader who lacks ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-nothing-worse-than-a-leader-who-lacks-ambition/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If i can't even protect my captain's dream, then whatever ambition i have is nothing but talk..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoro/if-i-can-t-even-protect-my-captain-s-dream-then-whatever-ambition-i/) [Zoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoro/) > [It may seem unattainable but if you put actions, your heart and your mind into it, you will prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-mond/it-may-seem-unattainable-but-if-you-put-actions-your-heart-and-your/) [London Mond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-mond/) > [Obligation is what's leading us to toward successful, and what keeps us moving towards the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wazim-shaw/obligation-is-what-s-leading-us-to-toward-successful-and-what-keeps/) [Wazim Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wazim-shaw/) [Browse all 4,601 Ambition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It never occurs to her that she will not be a writer and only occasionally does it occur to her, depressingly, that she is going to grow into a woman, not a man.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jean Stafford" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-stafford/it-never-occurs-to-her-that-she-will-not-be-a-writer-and-only/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ambition" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-stafford/it-never-occurs-to-her-that-she-will-not-be-a-writer-and-only/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2a/jean-stafford-33012_ambition_it-never-occurs-to-her-that-she-will-not_1745520.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2a/jean-stafford-33012_ambition_it-never-occurs-to-her-that-she-will-not_1745520.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2a/jean-stafford-33012_ambition_it-never-occurs-to-her-that-she-will-not_1745520.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It never occurs to her that she will not be a writer and only occasionally does it occur to her…” — Jean Stafford", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jean Stafford", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-stafford/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It never occurs to her that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-stafford/it-never-occurs-to-her-that-she-will-not-be-a-writer-and-only/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-stafford/it-never-occurs-to-her-that-she-will-not-be-a-writer-and-only/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```