--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Highsmith’s life and work would always…" description: "\"“Highsmith’s life and work would always give the appearance of a balancing act.”\" — Joan Schenkar" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/800/joan-schenkar-53821_balancing_highsmith-s-life-and-work-would-always-g_632614.jpg" --- # Highsmith’s life and work would always give the appearance… ![“Highsmith’s life and work would always give the appearance of a balancing act.” quote by Joan Schenkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/800/joan-schenkar-53821_balancing_highsmith-s-life-and-work-would-always-g_632614.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/800/joan-schenkar-53821_balancing_highsmith-s-life-and-work-would-always-g_632614.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/800/joan-schenkar-53821_balancing_highsmith-s-life-and-work-would-always-g_632614.jpg) > ““Highsmith’s life and work would always give the appearance of a balancing act.”” [Joan Schenkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-schenkar/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Highsmith’s existence and writing constantly seemed like a delicate balance. **In simple terms:** Her life and work felt like a balancing act. Key Takeaway Maintain equilibrium between personal life and creative output. Themes creativity balance biography Mood analytical reflective Type biographical literary When to use this quote - writing career - mental health management - public image Key Concepts artistic tension personal duality Questions to Reflect On - How did she manage conflict? - What sacrifices were made? A Different Perspective Balancing may be unsustainable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balancing act](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balancing-act/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-work/) ## Related quotes > [We are all trying to balance our careers and children and give as much of ourselves and our time to them. 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So be sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/you-ll-get-mixed-up-of-course-as-you-already-know-you-ll-get-mixed-up/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [Life is a balancing act. You need to keep your head up and your feet on the ground, while allowing your heart to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-gale/life-is-a-balancing-act-you-need-to-keep-your-head-up-and-your-feet/) [Susan Gale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-gale/) > [Life will only ever continue to be a balancing act, that has less to do with pain, and more to do with beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-will-only-ever-continue-to-be-a-balancing-act-that-has-less-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > ['Having it all' is such an intimidating concept. Just when you think you have all those plates spinning perfectly... something changes. It is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-allyn-baker/having-it-all-is-such-an-intimidating-concept-just-when-you-think-you/) [Leigh-Allyn Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-allyn-baker/) > [The fact that the same proportionalities rule optimal running, flying and swimming is not a coincidence rather it is an illustration of the fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-bejan/the-fact-that-the-same-proportionalities-rule-optimal-running-flying/) [Adrian Bejan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-bejan/) > [Any order is a balancing act of extreme precariousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/any-order-is-a-balancing-act-of-extreme-precariousness/) [Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/) > [“I’ve talked about my belief that balance is a dynamic activity—by which I mean, one that never ends. I’ve spelled out my reasons for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/i-ve-talked-about-my-belief-that-balance-is-a-dynamic-activity-by/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“Meditation is a balancing act between attention and relaxation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-alan-wallace/meditation-is-a-balancing-act-between-attention-and-relaxation/) [B. Alan Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-alan-wallace/) > [Women live in a world where we are forced to consider our safety at every turn. We minimize risk while we maximize activity. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/women-live-in-a-world-where-we-are-forced-to-consider-our-safety-at/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [We're going to sing about things that matter to us. The balancing act is to present these ideas but also make the music exciting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/we-re-going-to-sing-about-things-that-matter-to-us-the-balancing-act/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [“Life runs in a narrow path to balancing act, convincing tact, and satisfying fact.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santosh-kalwar/life-runs-in-a-narrow-path-to-balancing-act-convincing-tact-and/) [Santosh Kalwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santosh-kalwar/) ## More by Joan Schenkar > [“She wasn’t nice. She was rarely polite. And no one who knew her well would have called her a generous woman.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-schenkar/she-wasn-t-nice-she-was-rarely-polite-and-no-one-who-knew-her-well/) [Joan Schenkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-schenkar/) > [“When Pat gave her ‘criminal-hero’ Tom Ripley a charmed and parentless life, a wealthy, socially poised Alter Ego (Dickie Greenleaf), and a guilt-free modus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-schenkar/when-pat-gave-her-criminal-hero-tom-ripley-a-charmed-and-parentless/) [Joan Schenkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-schenkar/) > [“Perversion interests me most and is my guiding darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-schenkar/perversion-interests-me-most-and-is-my-guiding-darkness/) [Joan Schenkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-schenkar/) > [“But in the first few hundred of the thousands of pages of plain prose and careful grammar that Patricia Highsmith plied in her thirty-eight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-schenkar/but-in-the-first-few-hundred-of-the-thousands-of-pages-of-plain-prose/) [Joan Schenkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-schenkar/) > [“children who are blessed with happy childhoods almost never grow up to become famous writers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-schenkar/children-who-are-blessed-with-happy-childhoods-almost-never-grow-up/) [Joan Schenkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-schenkar/) [Explore all 6 Joan Schenkar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-schenkar/) ## More Balancing quotes > [Balancing is good to isolate the abs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-wagner/balancing-is-good-to-isolate-the-abs/) [Jill Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-wagner/) > [“Distribution of weight is preferable to balancing everything on the head of a pin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/psixaristw/distribution-of-weight-is-preferable-to-balancing-everything-on-the/) Psixaristw > [I think balancing work and family takes constant adjustment. Its not something you can say you've accomplished and move on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-rocha/i-think-balancing-work-and-family-takes-constant-adjustment-its-not/) [Coco Rocha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coco-rocha/) > [I find that balancing my life with my work with the kids at St. Jude, working on books, working on my career as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-thomas/i-find-that-balancing-my-life-with-my-work-with-the-kids-at-st-jude/) [Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/) > [We are all trying to balance our careers and children and give as much of ourselves and our time to them. You work and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-preston/we-are-all-trying-to-balance-our-careers-and-children-and-give-as/) [Kelly Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-preston/) > [Balancing hopes, desires and an appreciating of the possibilities with a clear-eyed assessment of the limitations: that is the art of choosing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/balancing-hopes-desires-and-an-appreciating-of-the-possibilities-with/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [For every apparent gain, in short, we now observe a balancing danger. This is the world we have created.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kingwell/for-every-apparent-gain-in-short-we-now-observe-a-balancing-danger/) [Mark Kingwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kingwell/) > [I'm always balancing how much I can be gone, and how much I can be around for my kids and standard poodles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-freese/i-m-always-balancing-how-much-i-can-be-gone-and-how-much-i-can-be/) [Josh Freese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-freese/) > [I have the luxury of balancing and juggling films in different languages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dulquer-salmaan/i-have-the-luxury-of-balancing-and-juggling-films-in-different/) [Dulquer Salmaan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dulquer-salmaan/) > [You're always going to feel like you're catching up, and part of that is just balancing work and motherhood and the whole feeling of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-gordon/you-re-always-going-to-feel-like-you-re-catching-up-and-part-of-that/) [Kim Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gordon/) > [I don't love the phrase 'balancing work and family.' It sets up this idea of scales of justice with work on one side and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norah-o-donnell/i-don-t-love-the-phrase-balancing-work-and-family-it-sets-up-this/) [Norah O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norah-o-donnell/) > [We're going to sing about things that matter to us. The balancing act is to present these ideas but also make the music exciting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/we-re-going-to-sing-about-things-that-matter-to-us-the-balancing-act/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [When it comes to losing weight, balancing your hormones is absolutely crucial. Not only will it help you lose weight by correcting a sluggish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-somers/when-it-comes-to-losing-weight-balancing-your-hormones-is-absolutely/) [Suzanne Somers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-somers/) > [“You know that feeling of invincibility you sometimes get, especially when young and testing yourself - well that could be because actually know deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/you-know-that-feeling-of-invincibility-you-sometimes-get-especially/) [Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/) > [I wanted to build a tool for my generation: people 20 to 40 who don't want to spend time balancing a checkbook or checking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-patzer/i-wanted-to-build-a-tool-for-my-generation-people-20-to-40-who-don-t/) [Aaron Patzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-patzer/) Browse all 110 Balancing quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Highsmith’s life and work would always give the appearance of a balancing act.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joan Schenkar" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-schenkar/highsmith-s-life-and-work-would-always-give-the-appearance-of-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Balancing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-schenkar/highsmith-s-life-and-work-would-always-give-the-appearance-of-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/800/joan-schenkar-53821_balancing_highsmith-s-life-and-work-would-always-g_632614.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/800/joan-schenkar-53821_balancing_highsmith-s-life-and-work-would-always-g_632614.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/800/joan-schenkar-53821_balancing_highsmith-s-life-and-work-would-always-g_632614.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Highsmith’s life and work would always give the appearance of a balancing act.” — Joan Schenkar", "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": "Joan Schenkar", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-schenkar/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Highsmith’s life and work would always...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-schenkar/highsmith-s-life-and-work-would-always-give-the-appearance-of-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-schenkar/highsmith-s-life-and-work-would-always-give-the-appearance-of-a/#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 } } ] } ```