--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wring my hands because I know that as a…" description: "\"I wring my hands because I know that as a dude, my privilege, my long-term deficiencies work against me in writing women, no matter how hard I try and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/655/junot-diaz-531_deficiency_i-wring-my-hands-because-i-know-that-as_2894407.jpg" --- # I wring my hands because I know that as a dude, my… ![“I wring my hands because I know that as a dude, my privilege, my long-term deficiencies work against me in writing women, no matter how hard I try and how talented I am.” quote by Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/655/junot-diaz-531_deficiency_i-wring-my-hands-because-i-know-that-as_2894407.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/655/junot-diaz-531_deficiency_i-wring-my-hands-because-i-know-that-as_2894407.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/655/junot-diaz-531_deficiency_i-wring-my-hands-because-i-know-that-as_2894407.jpg) > “I wring my hands because I know that as a dude, my privilege, my long-term deficiencies work against me in writing women, no matter how hard I try and how talented I am.” [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator feels powerless because his social advantages and personal flaws hinder his romantic pursuits despite effort and talent. **In simple terms:** Privilege and flaws block love despite effort. Key Takeaway Recognize how privilege and flaws affect relationships. Themes identity privilege romance self-awareness Mood frustrated reflective Type personal social psychological When to use this quote - dating - personal growth - career networking - creative writing Key Concepts masculinity social dynamics self-sabotage Questions to Reflect On - How do your advantages hinder you? - What steps can you take to mitigate your deficiencies? A Different Perspective Privilege alone cannot guarantee success; personal work is also needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Deficiency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deficiency/) [Dude Privilege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dude-privilege-4082024/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-term/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Privilege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privilege/) [Privilege Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privilege-long-2185512/) [Term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/term/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Wring Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wring-hands-4082025/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-women-281413/) ## Related quotes > [“He'd never seen a woman wring her hands. Not in real life. He'd thought people only wrung their hands in plays.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-royal/he-d-never-seen-a-woman-wring-her-hands-not-in-real-life-he-d-thought/) [Lauren Royal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-royal/) > [You can't wring your hands and roll up your sleeves at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-t-wring-your-hands-and-roll-up-your-sleeves-at-the-same-time/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is easier to seize wealth than to produce it, and as long as the State makes the seizure of wealth a matter of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-easier-to-seize-wealth-than-to-produce-it-and-as-long-as-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For those people who fail to see the injustices that are occurring, in particular with the Muslim community, I think it's because you've sat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibtihaj-muhammad/for-those-people-who-fail-to-see-the-injustices-that-are-occurring-in/) [Ibtihaj Muhammad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibtihaj-muhammad/) > [Speaking as one who has abused privilege a long time, I tell you, it's great to be alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-zevon/speaking-as-one-who-has-abused-privilege-a-long-time-i-tell-you-it-s/) [Warren Zevon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-zevon/) > [Being the first deaf person to play a regular character is a huge privilege and was long overdue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/being-the-first-deaf-person-to-play-a-regular-character-is-a-huge/) [Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/) > [There are more and more women writing. And there are more and more good male writers who are writing and who learned and decided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-o-hara/there-are-more-and-more-women-writing-and-there-are-more-and-more/) [Catherine O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-o-hara/) > [There are moments when you have to write certain things and you don't have to think of your sex. If you are writing about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/there-are-moments-when-you-have-to-write-certain-things-and-you-don-t/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [I'm not writing about things other women do. I'm writing for other women to have more self-confidence because I need it myself! And if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/i-m-not-writing-about-things-other-women-do-i-m-writing-for-other/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [I think women need to hear more encouragement in any field, because I see it - I teach creative writing. And even though it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-pollack/i-think-women-need-to-hear-more-encouragement-in-any-field-because-i/) [Eileen Pollack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-pollack/) > [It is a sad paradox that when male authors impersonate women ... they are said to be dealing with 'cosmic, major concerns' - but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-is-a-sad-paradox-that-when-male-authors-impersonate-women-they-are/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [A book is not an example of 'women's writing' simply because it is written by a woman. Writing may become 'women's writing' when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/a-book-is-not-an-example-of-women-s-writing-simply-because-it-is/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [Writing about women's sexuality is very scary for me because I'm always afraid I'll get it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/writing-about-women-s-sexuality-is-very-scary-for-me-because-i-m/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [I approach writing female characters the same why I approach writing male characters. I never think I'm writing about women, I think I'm writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/i-approach-writing-female-characters-the-same-why-i-approach-writing/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [My mother was a tremendous woman. I was just cleaning up old trunks and I found a book with her notes written during the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vandana-shiva/my-mother-was-a-tremendous-woman-i-was-just-cleaning-up-old-trunks/) [Vandana Shiva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vandana-shiva/) ## More by Junot Diaz > [It might interest you that just as the U.S. was ramping up its involvement in Vietnam, LBJ launched an illegal invasion of the Dominican…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/it-might-interest-you-that-just-as-the-u-s-was-ramping-up-its/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [Tell her that you love her hair, that you love her skin, her lips, because, in truth, you love them more than you love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/tell-her-that-you-love-her-hair-that-you-love-her-skin-her-lips/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [It took me sixteen years to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/it-took-me-sixteen-years-to-write/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [You ask everybody you know: How long does it usually take to get over it? There are many formulas. One year for every year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/you-ask-everybody-you-know-how-long-does-it-usually-take-to-get-over/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [Instead of finding himself in nerd heaven—where every nerd gets fifty-eight virgins to role-play with—he woke up in Robert Wood Johnson with two broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/instead-of-finding-himself-in-nerd-heaven-where-every-nerd-gets-fifty/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [The one thing about being a dude and writing from a female perspective is that the baseline is, you suck. The baseline is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/the-one-thing-about-being-a-dude-and-writing-from-a-female/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“I used to think those were the barrio rules, Latinos and blacks in, whites out —a place we down cats weren’t supposed to go.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-used-to-think-those-were-the-barrio-rules-latinos-and-blacks-in/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“I put my hand on her knee. I just wish you'd say you love me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-put-my-hand-on-her-knee-i-just-wish-you-d-say-you-love-me/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [I've always thought that you don't love a country by turning a blind eye to its crimes and to a problem. The way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-ve-always-thought-that-you-don-t-love-a-country-by-turning-a-blind/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“Called her a whore and attacked her walls, tearing down her posters and throwing her books everywhere. I found out because some whitegirl ran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/called-her-a-whore-and-attacked-her-walls-tearing-down-her-posters/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [You're Dominican only if you do this, this, and that. And if you do this and that, you'll be accepted to a certain degree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/you-re-dominican-only-if-you-do-this-this-and-that-and-if-you-do-this/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“Ramfis fled the country after Trujillo's death, lived dissolutely off his father's swag, and ended up dying in a car crash of his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/ramfis-fled-the-country-after-trujillo-s-death-lived-dissolutely-off/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [If you didn't grow up like I did then you don't know, and if you don't know it's probably better you don't judge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/if-you-didn-t-grow-up-like-i-did-then-you-don-t-know-and-if-you-don-t/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“If you ask me I don't think there are any such things as curses. I think there is only life. That's enough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/if-you-ask-me-i-don-t-think-there-are-any-such-things-as-curses-i/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [The only difference between a published and unpublished writer is a tolerance for imperfection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/the-only-difference-between-a-published-and-unpublished-writer-is-a/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) [Explore all 486 Junot Diaz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) ## More Deficiency quotes > [You can trace every sickness, every disease and every ailment to a mineral deficiency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/you-can-trace-every-sickness-every-disease-and-every-ailment-to-a/) [Linus Pauling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-pauling/) > [He that fancies himself very enlightened, because he sees the deficiencies of others, may be very ignorant, because he has not studied his own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/he-that-fancies-himself-very-enlightened-because-he-sees-the/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [“Where any one body of educated men, of whatever denomination, are condemned indiscriminately, there must be a deficiency of information, (or smiling) of something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/where-any-one-body-of-educated-men-of-whatever-denomination-are/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [The ancient Greek oral poets all had this anxiety about the deficiencies of their memories and always began poems by praying to the Muse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-antin/the-ancient-greek-oral-poets-all-had-this-anxiety-about-the/) [David Antin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-antin/) > [If somewhere is a deficiency the normal American answer would have been well then, let's spend some more money, build some more weapons and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helmut-schmidt/if-somewhere-is-a-deficiency-the-normal-american-answer-would-have/) [Helmut Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helmut-schmidt/) > [To behold, is not necessary to observe, and the power of comparing and combining is only to be obtained by education. It is much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-von-humboldt/to-behold-is-not-necessary-to-observe-and-the-power-of-comparing-and/) [Wilhelm von Humboldt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-von-humboldt/) > [Can there be a more lamentable picture than that of a Chancellor of the Exchequer seated on an empty chest by a pool of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-peel/can-there-be-a-more-lamentable-picture-than-that-of-a-chancellor-of/) [Robert Peel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-peel/) > [“For years I had been aware of an important deficiency in the English language: a word to describe something a person loses that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-miller/for-years-i-had-been-aware-of-an-important-deficiency-in-the-english/) [Ellen Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-miller/) > [I'm trying to get at this. That is, a man may know that he belongs to, say, a group - this group or that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/i-m-trying-to-get-at-this-that-is-a-man-may-know-that-he-belongs-to/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [The first step to improvement, whether mental, moral, or religious, is to know ourselves - our weakness, errors, deficiencies, and sins, that, by divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tryon-edwards/the-first-step-to-improvement-whether-mental-moral-or-religious-is-to/) [Tryon Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tryon-edwards/) > [Indeed taking all the evidence together, it is not too much to say that there is no single historic incident better or more variously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/indeed-taking-all-the-evidence-together-it-is-not-too-much-to-say/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [By the deficiency or absence of one necessary constituent, all the others being present, the soil is rendered barren for all those crops to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justus-von-liebig/by-the-deficiency-or-absence-of-one-necessary-constituent-all-the/) [Justus von Liebig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justus-von-liebig/) > [It does not matter what your personal deficiency, or whether it be a hundred and one different things, God has always one sufficient answer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/watchman-nee/it-does-not-matter-what-your-personal-deficiency-or-whether-it-be-a/) [Watchman Nee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/watchman-nee/) > [Patriotism is proud of a country's virtues and eager to correct its deficiencies; it also acknowledges the legitimate patriotism of other countries, with their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/patriotism-is-proud-of-a-country-s-virtues-and-eager-to-correct-its/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [It seems to be the fate of man to seek all his consolations in futurity. The time present is seldom able to fill desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/it-seems-to-be-the-fate-of-man-to-seek-all-his-consolations-in/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) [Browse all 236 Deficiency quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deficiency/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I wring my hands because I know that as a dude, my privilege, my long-term deficiencies work against me in writing women, no matter how hard I try and how talented I am.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Junot Diaz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-wring-my-hands-because-i-know-that-as-a-dude-my-privilege-my-long/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Deficiency" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-wring-my-hands-because-i-know-that-as-a-dude-my-privilege-my-long/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/655/junot-diaz-531_deficiency_i-wring-my-hands-because-i-know-that-as_2894407.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/655/junot-diaz-531_deficiency_i-wring-my-hands-because-i-know-that-as_2894407.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/655/junot-diaz-531_deficiency_i-wring-my-hands-because-i-know-that-as_2894407.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I wring my hands because I know that as a dude, my privilege, my long-term deficiencies work against me in…” — Junot Diaz", "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": "Junot Diaz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I wring my hands because I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-wring-my-hands-because-i-know-that-as-a-dude-my-privilege-my-long/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-wring-my-hands-because-i-know-that-as-a-dude-my-privilege-my-long/#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 } } ] } ```