--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And now we who are writing women and…" description: "\"“And now we who are writing women and strange monsters Still search our hearts to find the difficult answers, Still hope that we may learn to lay our h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6b/may-sarton-897_feminism_and-now-we-who-are-writing-women-and-str_2551914.jpg" --- # And now we who are writing women and strange monsters… ![“And now we who are writing women and strange monsters Still search our hearts to find the difficult answers, Still hope that we may learn to lay our hands More gently and more subtly on the burning sands.” quote by May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6b/may-sarton-897_feminism_and-now-we-who-are-writing-women-and-str_2551914.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6b/may-sarton-897_feminism_and-now-we-who-are-writing-women-and-str_2551914.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6b/may-sarton-897_feminism_and-now-we-who-are-writing-women-and-str_2551914.jpg) > ““And now we who are writing women and strange monsters Still search our hearts to find the difficult answers, Still hope that we may learn to lay our hands More gently and more subtly on the burning sands.”” [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poet reflects on the difficulty of confronting inner truths and the desire for gentle, careful handling of painful realities. **In simple terms:** Facing hard truths requires gentle effort. Key Takeaway Approach pain with care. Themes self‑discovery truth gentleness creative struggle Mood thoughtful hopeful Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - personal journaling - therapy - creative writing - conflict resolution - spiritual practice Key Concepts introspection vulnerability artistic process Questions to Reflect On - What truths are you avoiding? - How can gentleness both help and hinder growth? A Different Perspective Gentle handling may delay necessary confrontation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Burning Sands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burning-sands-1529010/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Hearts Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hearts-difficult-1529012/) [Poem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poem/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Subtly Burning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subtly-burning-1529011/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) [Women Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-strange-1211122/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) [Writing Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-women-281413/) ## Related quotes > [Women are strange and incomprehensible, a device invented by Providence to keep the wit of man well sharpened by constant employment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/women-are-strange-and-incomprehensible-a-device-invented-by/) [Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/) > [“I’ve been on this earth for sixty-six years, and I’ve reached a conclusion and it’s a fact: women are strange creatures. One day I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-robertson/i-ve-been-on-this-earth-for-sixty-six-years-and-i-ve-reached-a-2/) [Willie Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-robertson/) > [“Men are weird and stronger, women are strange and superior.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anyaele-sam-chiyson/men-are-weird-and-stronger-women-are-strange-and-superior/) [Anyaele Sam Chiyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anyaele-sam-chiyson/) > [Women are so strange in their influence that they tempt you to misplaced kindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/women-are-so-strange-in-their-influence-that-they-tempt-you-to/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [How can you be so many women to so many strange people, oh you strange girl?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/how-can-you-be-so-many-women-to-so-many-strange-people-oh-you-strange/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [Women r a strange breed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gyanendra/women-r-a-strange-breed/) [Gyanendra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gyanendra/) > [Women are a strange thing. Like watches, houses, and cars, you really only need one at any moment in your life (French men disagree).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-hopkins/women-are-a-strange-thing-like-watches-houses-and-cars-you-really/) [Katie Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-hopkins/) > [“Cáel sighed. “Look, right now? Either you want Rose, or you don’t. If you do—and, quite frankly, it’s obvious to me that you do—then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riley-shane/c-el-sighed-look-right-now-either-you-want-rose-or-you-don-t-if-you/) [Riley Shane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riley-shane/) > [“...women have done strange things; they are a far greater puzzle to the student of human nature than the sterner, less complex sex has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmuska-orczy/women-have-done-strange-things-they-are-a-far-greater-puzzle-to-the/) [Emmuska Orczy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmuska-orczy/) > [Women are strange little beasts,' he said to Dr. Coutras. 'You can treat them like dogs, you can beat them till your arm aches,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/women-are-strange-little-beasts-he-said-to-dr-coutras-you-can-treat/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Women are strange. You can't live with them but you also can't live without em'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/women-are-strange-you-can-t-live-with-them-but-you-also-can-t-live/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Who's the power on the street? Young women. They're a strange breed: very confident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-whitehouse/who-s-the-power-on-the-street-young-women-they-re-a-strange-breed/) [Paul Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-whitehouse/) > [I've been on this earth for sixty-six years, and I've reached a conclusion and it's a fact: women are strange creatures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/i-ve-been-on-this-earth-for-sixty-six-years-and-i-ve-reached-a/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) > [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 May Sarton > [“I felt pain like an assault, The old pain again When the world thrusts itself inside, When we have to take in the outside,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/i-felt-pain-like-an-assault-the-old-pain-again-when-the-world-thrusts/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [Most people have to talk so they won't hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/most-people-have-to-talk-so-they-won-t-hear/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [People who cannot feel punish those who do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/people-who-cannot-feel-punish-those-who-do/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [This suspension of one's own reality, this being entirely alone in a strange city (at times I wondered if I had lost the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/this-suspension-of-one-s-own-reality-this-being-entirely-alone-in-a/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [One must think like a hero to behave like a merely decent human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/one-must-think-like-a-hero-to-behave-like-a-merely-decent-human-being/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [Real joy is becoming exceedingly rare among artists of any kind. And I have an idea that those who can and do communicate it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/real-joy-is-becoming-exceedingly-rare-among-artists-of-any-kind-and-i/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [For to be desperate is to discover strength. / We die of comfort and by conflict live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/for-to-be-desperate-is-to-discover-strength-we-die-of-comfort-and-by/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [“I see you with that shell Held to your sensitive abstracted ear, Hunting the ocean’s rumor till you hear it well, Until you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/i-see-you-with-that-shell-held-to-your-sensitive-abstracted-ear/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [There is a wilder solitude in winter When every sense is pricked alive and keen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/there-is-a-wilder-solitude-in-winter-when-every-sense-is-pricked/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [I long for the bulbs to arrive, for the early autumn chores are melancholy, but the planting of bulbs is the work of hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/i-long-for-the-bulbs-to-arrive-for-the-early-autumn-chores-are/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [Why is it that people who cannot show feeling presume that that is a strength and not a weakness?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/why-is-it-that-people-who-cannot-show-feeling-presume-that-that-is-a/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [Innocence is not pure so much as pleased, Always expectant, bright-eyed, self-enclosed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/innocence-is-not-pure-so-much-as-pleased-always-expectant-bright-eyed/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [I have written every poem, every novel, for the same purpose-to find out what I think, to know where I stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/i-have-written-every-poem-every-novel-for-the-same-purpose-to-find/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [For art is order, but it is born out of the chaos of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/for-art-is-order-but-it-is-born-out-of-the-chaos-of-life/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [all great people are humble because great people have great work and are humbled by the largeness of their dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/all-great-people-are-humble-because-great-people-have-great-work-and/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) [Explore all 336 May Sarton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) ## More Feminism quotes > [“But benevolent patriarchy is still patriarchy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/but-benevolent-patriarchy-is-still-patriarchy/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [“This story is not at all an uncommon one in tech circles, including gaming. The popular notion is that women who get ahead must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bailey-poland/this-story-is-not-at-all-an-uncommon-one-in-tech-circles-including/) [Bailey Poland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bailey-poland/) > [Without meaning to sound anti-men, ghastly women are the closest you get to a male role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-burke/without-meaning-to-sound-anti-men-ghastly-women-are-the-closest-you/) [Kathy Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-burke/) > [If the women in the factories stopped work for twenty minutes, the Allies would lose the war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joffre/if-the-women-in-the-factories-stopped-work-for-twenty-minutes-the/) [Joseph Joffre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joffre/) > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“there was something of the women molded into the great, stalwart frame of Hollingsworth; nor was he ashamed of it; as men often are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-was-something-of-the-women-molded-into-the-great-stalwart-frame/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [Women rule the world. It's not really worth fighting because they know what they're doing. Ask Napoleon. Ask Adam. Ask Richard Burton or Richie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-bon-jovi/women-rule-the-world-it-s-not-really-worth-fighting-because-they-know/) [Jon Bon Jovi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-bon-jovi/) > [“Bármilyen idiótának, aki azt kérdezi: „Feminista vagy? Akkor elégeted a melltartóidat, mi? HE? Melltartókat égetsz, te feminista?” – szép nyugodtan így kell válaszolni: „Ostoba.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/b-rmilyen-idi-t-nak-aki-azt-k-rdezi-feminista-vagy-akkor-el-geted-a/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [People are capable of great, great change during the span of one lifetime. And women even more than men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/people-are-capable-of-great-great-change-during-the-span-of-one/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [Susan B. Anthony must be turning in her grave if she knew that millions of women who have the right to vote are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-m-kunin/susan-b-anthony-must-be-turning-in-her-grave-if-she-knew-that/) [Madeleine M. Kunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-m-kunin/) > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [Women know things that men will never know. We keep the best secrets. We tell the best stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/women-know-things-that-men-will-never-know-we-keep-the-best-secrets/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/) [Yoram Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoram-wind/) [Browse all 15,705 Feminism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“And now we who are writing women and strange monsters Still search our hearts to find the difficult answers, Still hope that we may learn to lay our hands More gently and more subtly on the burning sands.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "May Sarton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/and-now-we-who-are-writing-women-and-strange-monsters-still-search/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Feminism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/and-now-we-who-are-writing-women-and-strange-monsters-still-search/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6b/may-sarton-897_feminism_and-now-we-who-are-writing-women-and-str_2551914.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6b/may-sarton-897_feminism_and-now-we-who-are-writing-women-and-str_2551914.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6b/may-sarton-897_feminism_and-now-we-who-are-writing-women-and-str_2551914.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“And now we who are writing women and strange monsters Still search our hearts to find the difficult answers…” — May Sarton", "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": "May Sarton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“And now we who are writing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/and-now-we-who-are-writing-women-and-strange-monsters-still-search/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/and-now-we-who-are-writing-women-and-strange-monsters-still-search/#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 } } ] } ```