--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Her life seemed to her a great…" description: "\"“Her life seemed to her a great engineering work scarcely begun. Lately more excavation than construction had occurred. She had lost a sense of her own..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/marge-piercy-2610_heart_her-life-seemed-to-her-a-great-engineeri_512168.png" --- # Her life seemed to her a great engineering work scarcely… ![“Her life seemed to her a great engineering work scarcely begun. Lately more excavation than construction had occurred. She had lost a sense of her own invincibility. In that way she was no longer archetypically American.” quote by Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/marge-piercy-2610_heart_her-life-seemed-to-her-a-great-engineeri_512168.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/marge-piercy-2610_heart_her-life-seemed-to-her-a-great-engineeri_512168.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/marge-piercy-2610_heart_her-life-seemed-to-her-a-great-engineeri_512168.png) > ““Her life seemed to her a great engineering work scarcely begun. Lately more excavation than construction had occurred. She had lost a sense of her own invincibility. In that way she was no longer archetypically American.”” [Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/) ## 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 her life is more about digging into problems than building confidence, losing a sense of invincibility and thus feeling less typically American. **In simple terms:** She feels less confident and more stuck, losing a sense of invincibility. Key Takeaway Regain confidence by acknowledging progress and rebuilding self‑belief. Themes identity confidence American ideals self‑discovery Mood reflective introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - career stagnation - personal crisis - creative block - cultural assimilation Key Concepts existential doubt cultural critique Questions to Reflect On - What steps can restore your sense of invincibility? - How do cultural expectations shape your self‑view? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on self‑criticism can hinder growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Invincibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invincibility/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [Women today have so many opportunities in fields like engineering. The work is new and engineers are making things work, making the impossible possible.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-love-cohen/women-today-have-so-many-opportunities-in-fields-like-engineering-the/) [Judith Love Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-love-cohen/) > [Indeed, the most important part of engineering work-and also of other scientific work-is the determination of the method of attacking the problem, whatever it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-proteus-steinmetz/indeed-the-most-important-part-of-engineering-work-and-also-of-other/) [Charles Proteus Steinmetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-proteus-steinmetz/) > [“I hate salaried engineering jobs, as they try and make you work twice as many hours for no more money. I no longer pursue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/i-hate-salaried-engineering-jobs-as-they-try-and-make-you-work-twice/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Many people think all I do is some random engineering work in between caving expeditions. It's been far more deliberate than that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stone/many-people-think-all-i-do-is-some-random-engineering-work-in-between/) [William Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stone/) > [We have lost all sense of other considerations, because they are artificial. Only the facts are real and important to us. And good boots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-maria-remarque/we-have-lost-all-sense-of-other-considerations-because-they-are/) [Erich Maria Remarque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-maria-remarque/) > [“the lost sense that we play out our lives as part of a greater story”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/the-lost-sense-that-we-play-out-our-lives-as-part-of-a-greater-story/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [“When I was cooking I enjoyed a sense of being ‘out’ of myself. The action of dicing vegetables and warming oil made my hands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-jamieson/when-i-was-cooking-i-enjoyed-a-sense-of-being-out-of-myself-the/) [Alice Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-jamieson/) > [“To reflect is to regain a little, lost sense of proportion”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/to-reflect-is-to-regain-a-little-lost-sense-of-proportion/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Haven't lost your sense of humor after all but your sense of identity is what seems to have been misplaced. No. Wrong. You don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-guest/haven-t-lost-your-sense-of-humor-after-all-but-your-sense-of-identity/) [Judith Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-guest/) > [I became disconnected from the childlike play that art could be. I spent so much time fearing I wasn't good enough that I lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-shue/i-became-disconnected-from-the-childlike-play-that-art-could-be-i/) [Elisabeth Shue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-shue/) > [Major labels just lost their way. It's like the housing bubble. They lost a sense of the fundamentals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/win-butler/major-labels-just-lost-their-way-it-s-like-the-housing-bubble-they/) [Win Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/win-butler/) > [“We were all searching outside ourselves for our missing pieces, and we were all looking in the wrong direction. Instead of finding ourselves, we'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-strauss/we-were-all-searching-outside-ourselves-for-our-missing-pieces-and-we/) [Neil Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-strauss/) > [“I shook my head, trying to make sense out of what had happened. As before, no sense came. I completely lost every sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karina-halle/i-shook-my-head-trying-to-make-sense-out-of-what-had-happened-as/) [Karina Halle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karina-halle/) > [“I'm quite certain that if I lost my sense of humor, it would most definitely need to be replaced by a padded cell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/comic-strip-mama/i-m-quite-certain-that-if-i-lost-my-sense-of-humor-it-would-most/) Comic Strip Mama > [“We're on the eve of destruction. Men have lost all sense of honor. Power has become their faith instead of faith being their power.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atiq-rahimi/we-re-on-the-eve-of-destruction-men-have-lost-all-sense-of-honor/) Atiq Rahimi ## More by Marge Piercy > [Shared laughter is erotic too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/shared-laughter-is-erotic-too/) [Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/) > [Work is its own cure. You have to like it better than being loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/work-is-its-own-cure-you-have-to-like-it-better-than-being-loved/) [Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/) > [The anger of the weak never goes away, Professor, it just gets a little moldy. It molds like a beautiful blue cheese in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/the-anger-of-the-weak-never-goes-away-professor-it-just-gets-a-little/) [Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/) > [“The people I love the best jump into work head first without dallying in the shallows and swim off with sure strokes almost out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/the-people-i-love-the-best-jump-into-work-head-first-without-dallying/) [Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/) > [Every poet has a certain amount of "stuff." That's what you draw from for imagery. The more stuff you know well, not simply intellectually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/every-poet-has-a-certain-amount-of-stuff-that-s-what-you-draw-from/) [Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/) > [the body is simple as a turtle / and straight as a dog: / the body cannot lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/the-body-is-simple-as-a-turtle-and-straight-as-a-dog-the-body-cannot/) [Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/) > [We must shine with hope, stained glass windows that shape light into icons, glow like lanterns borne before a procession. Who can bear hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/we-must-shine-with-hope-stained-glass-windows-that-shape-light-into/) [Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/) > [Remember that every son had a mother whose beloved son he was, and every woman had a mother whose beloved son she wasn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/remember-that-every-son-had-a-mother-whose-beloved-son-he-was-and/) [Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/) > [We live in a media soup and are constantly being programmed or are fighting that programming. Thus any truthful account of a life, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/we-live-in-a-media-soup-and-are-constantly-being-programmed-or-are/) [Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/) > [The moon is always female and so am I although often in the vale of razorblades I have wished I could put on and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/the-moon-is-always-female-and-so-am-i-although-often-in-the-vale-of/) [Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/) > [Sometimes when a character in a novel is difficult for me to enter, I sue something in myself or in my own life as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/sometimes-when-a-character-in-a-novel-is-difficult-for-me-to-enter-i/) [Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/) > [Doorways are sacred to women for we are the doorways of life and we must choose what comes in and what goes out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/doorways-are-sacred-to-women-for-we-are-the-doorways-of-life-and-we/) [Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/) > [“Writing sometimes feels frivolous and sometimes sacred, but memory is one of my strongest muses. I serve her with my words. So long as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/writing-sometimes-feels-frivolous-and-sometimes-sacred-but-memory-is/) [Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/) > [The work of the world is common as mud. Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust. But the thing worth doing well done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/the-work-of-the-world-is-common-as-mud-botched-it-smears-the-hands/) [Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/) > [We're herded into schools and terrified into behaving. Taught how we're supposed to pretend to be, taught to parrot all kinds of nonsense at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/we-re-herded-into-schools-and-terrified-into-behaving-taught-how-we/) [Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/) [Explore all 158 Marge Piercy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/) ## More Heart quotes > [Against his own will, almost, Will felt himself understanding; he would have done anything, he thought, told any lie, taken any risk, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/against-his-own-will-almost-will-felt-himself-understanding-he-would/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“He held her like a new woman and what she felt felt almost as good as love had, and each of them called it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dunn/he-held-her-like-a-new-woman-and-what-she-felt-felt-almost-as-good-as/) [Stephen Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dunn/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [My heart jumps out of its cage to see what the fuss is about. Damn thing. Always so hopeful, but my voice hides it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-wylie/my-heart-jumps-out-of-its-cage-to-see-what-the-fuss-is-about-damn/) [Sarah Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-wylie/) > [I love because there is not enough room in my heart to hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rena-kornreich-gelissen/i-love-because-there-is-not-enough-room-in-my-heart-to-hate/) Rena Kornreich Gelissen > [“He didn't break my heart. No one can break your heart except you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/he-didn-t-break-my-heart-no-one-can-break-your-heart-except-you/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When we are capable of living in the moment free from the tyranny of "shoulds," free from the nagging sensation that this moment isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-z-borysenko/when-we-are-capable-of-living-in-the-moment-free-from-the-tyranny-of/) [Joan Z. Borysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-z-borysenko/) > [My father longed for a better life for us, and when I was nine he got a job as a heart surgeon in Belfast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-melua/my-father-longed-for-a-better-life-for-us-and-when-i-was-nine-he-got/) [Katie Melua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-melua/) > [O tiger's heart wrapped in a woman's hide!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-tiger-s-heart-wrapped-in-a-woman-s-hide/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Love will fan the flame, and that flame will warm the heart that's waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-w-smith/love-will-fan-the-flame-and-that-flame-will-warm-the-heart-that-s/) [Michael W. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-w-smith/) > [Always have the fear of God in your heart, and remember that God is always with you, everywhere, whether you are walking or sitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennadius-of-constantinople/always-have-the-fear-of-god-in-your-heart-and-remember-that-god-is/) [Gennadius of Constantinople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennadius-of-constantinople/) > [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“She couldn't break the orbit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/she-couldn-t-break-the-orbit/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) [Browse all 45,172 Heart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Her life seemed to her a great engineering work scarcely begun. Lately more excavation than construction had occurred. She had lost a sense of her own invincibility. In that way she was no longer archetypically American.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marge Piercy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/her-life-seemed-to-her-a-great-engineering-work-scarcely-begun-lately/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Heart" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/her-life-seemed-to-her-a-great-engineering-work-scarcely-begun-lately/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/marge-piercy-2610_heart_her-life-seemed-to-her-a-great-engineeri_512168.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/marge-piercy-2610_heart_her-life-seemed-to-her-a-great-engineeri_512168.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/marge-piercy-2610_heart_her-life-seemed-to-her-a-great-engineeri_512168.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Her life seemed to her a great engineering work scarcely begun. Lately more excavation than construction had…” — Marge Piercy", "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": "Marge Piercy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Her life seemed to her a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/her-life-seemed-to-her-a-great-engineering-work-scarcely-begun-lately/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/her-life-seemed-to-her-a-great-engineering-work-scarcely-begun-lately/#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 } } ] } ```