--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have sometimes wondered also whether in…" description: "\"I have sometimes wondered also whether in people like me who come to the boil fast (soupe au lait, the French call this trait, like a milk soup that bo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/may-sarton-897_anger_i-have-sometimes-wondered-also-whether-i_2174895.jpg" --- # I have sometimes wondered also whether in people like me… ![“I have sometimes wondered also whether in people like me who come to the boil fast (soupe au lait, the French call this trait, like a milk soup that boils over) the tantrum is not a built-in safety valve against madness or illness. ... The fierce tension in me, when it is properly channeled…” quote by May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/may-sarton-897_anger_i-have-sometimes-wondered-also-whether-i_2174895.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/may-sarton-897_anger_i-have-sometimes-wondered-also-whether-i_2174895.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/may-sarton-897_anger_i-have-sometimes-wondered-also-whether-i_2174895.jpg) > “I have sometimes wondered also whether in people like me who come to the boil fast (soupe au lait, the French call this trait, like a milk soup that boils over) the tantrum is not a built-in safety valve against madness or illness. ... The fierce tension in me, when it is properly channeled, creates the good tension for work. But when it becomes unbalanced I am destructive. How to isolate that good tension is my problem these days. Or, put in another way, how to turn the heat down fast enough so the soup won't boil over!” [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. Intense emotions can be constructive when channeled, but unchecked they become destructive; balance is essential. **In simple terms:** Strong feelings can help or hurt. Key Takeaway Find healthy outlets for intense emotions. Themes self‑awareness balance creativity Mood introspective serious Type psychological inspirational When to use this quote - work deadlines - artistic creation - personal crises - conflict management Key Concepts emotional regulation psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you recognize when tension is useful? - What practices help you lower your emotional temperature? A Different Perspective Too much focus on control may suppress authentic expression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) [Heat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heat/) [Illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illness/) [Madness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madness/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Safety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safety/) [Tantrum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tantrum/) [Tantrums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tantrums/) [Tension](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tension/) ## Related quotes > [Like an electric tea-kettle, pornography comes to a boil very fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/like-an-electric-tea-kettle-pornography-comes-to-a-boil-very-fast/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [We used to say that he who threw the biggest tantrum won the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-finn/we-used-to-say-that-he-who-threw-the-biggest-tantrum-won-the-day/) [Neil Finn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-finn/) > [After he has had his tantrum, the neurotic expects those around him to feel friendly and relaxed; after all, he does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mignon-mclaughlin/after-he-has-had-his-tantrum-the-neurotic-expects-those-around-him-to/) [Mignon McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mignon-mclaughlin/) > [I figure if I start going crazy and getting wild, it is just going to make everybody else go into a tantrum. And I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-manning/i-figure-if-i-start-going-crazy-and-getting-wild-it-is-just-going-to/) [Eli Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-manning/) > [“This is nothing more than a freaking temper tantrum with a body count, and I am done with it. Nobody else is dying for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawkins/this-is-nothing-more-than-a-freaking-temper-tantrum-with-a-body-count/) [Rachel Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawkins/) > [“At the point of the tantrum, your child has told you she is overwhelmed and over the edge. She cannot listen or be rational…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tovah-p-klein/at-the-point-of-the-tantrum-your-child-has-told-you-she-is/) Tovah P. Klein > [“I feel a sudden, intense desire to throw a temper tantrum,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-weeks/i-feel-a-sudden-intense-desire-to-throw-a-temper-tantrum/) [Brent Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-weeks/) > [“tantrum. I don’t want to have a baby but sometimes I want to be a baby because it’s socially acceptable for them to cry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-kirkman/tantrum-i-don-t-want-to-have-a-baby-but-sometimes-i-want-to-be-a-baby/) [Jen Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-kirkman/) > [My parents took me to the Bronte parsonage in England when I was a teenager. I had a fight with my mum, burst into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-catton/my-parents-took-me-to-the-bronte-parsonage-in-england-when-i-was-a/) [Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/) > [The thing I remember most about having a tantrum is not the rage during the tantrum, but the being freaked out afterwards, and embarrassed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/the-thing-i-remember-most-about-having-a-tantrum-is-not-the-rage/) [Spike Jonze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/) > [My kids! They run so hot and cold. One minute, I am in complete control and feeling like Supermom, then the next minute, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-taekman/my-kids-they-run-so-hot-and-cold-one-minute-i-am-in-complete-control/) [Kristen Taekman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-taekman/) > [“But I'm learning it's human nature to want the things you can't have. What changes is how you go about pursuing the things you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kacvinsky/but-i-m-learning-it-s-human-nature-to-want-the-things-you-can-t-have/) [Katie Kacvinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kacvinsky/) > [All sadness is a tantrum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-katie/all-sadness-is-a-tantrum/) [Byron Katie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-katie/) > [“It was tempting to throw a tantrum, stomp your foot and demand that things be different. But growing up and being an adult didn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/callie-harper/it-was-tempting-to-throw-a-tantrum-stomp-your-foot-and-demand-that/) [Callie Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/callie-harper/) > [The only tantrum I have ever thrown was when I watched an annoying girl doing a Barbie commercial on TV, and I screamed Mommy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-trachtenberg/the-only-tantrum-i-have-ever-thrown-was-when-i-watched-an-annoying/) [Michelle Trachtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-trachtenberg/) ## 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 Anger quotes > [“If I let myself think of it the pain and anger were still fresh, adrenalin racing down my limbs to pool, hot and itchy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylie-ladd/if-i-let-myself-think-of-it-the-pain-and-anger-were-still-fresh/) [Kylie Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylie-ladd/) > [I receive something we might euphemistically call an 'inappropriately hostile' response - that is to say, more than fair criticism or even fair anger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/i-receive-something-we-might-euphemistically-call-an-inappropriately/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Anger is a rough water; if you can canalize it into a water mill, you can benefit from it. Anything bad can be transformed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/anger-is-a-rough-water-if-you-can-canalize-it-into-a-water-mill-you/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“When you feel terribly angry, you're possessed by anger ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-feel-terribly-angry-you-re-possessed-by-anger-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. It's much better to verbalize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/medical-studies-have-shown-that-cursing-reduces-levels-of-stress-and/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [My care will be in the heart n not in words My anger will be in Words n not in the Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/my-care-will-be-in-the-heart-n-not-in-words-my-anger-will-be-in-words/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-a-negro-in-this-country-and-to-be-relatively-conscious-is-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The present contains nothing more than the past, and what is found in the effect was already in the cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/the-present-contains-nothing-more-than-the-past-and-what-is-found-in/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/depression-is-merely-anger-without-enthusiasm/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [I always fight better when my opponent's angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-haye/i-always-fight-better-when-my-opponent-s-angry/) [David Haye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-haye/) > [ “Where there are kashays (anger-pride-deceit-greed), there is worldly life. As long as anger-pride-deceit-greed exist; one is a sansaari \[living a worldly life\] regardless of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-are-kashays-anger-pride-deceit-greed-there-is-worldly/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) [Browse all 7,469 Anger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have sometimes wondered also whether in people like me who come to the boil fast (soupe au lait, the French call this trait, like a milk soup that boils over) the tantrum is not a built-in safety valve against madness or illness. ... The fierce tension in me, when it is properly channeled, creates the good tension for work. But when it becomes unbalanced I am destructive. How to isolate that good tension is my problem these days. 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