--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They are encumbered with secret…" description: "\"“They are encumbered with secret pregnancies that never come to term. There are no terms, you don’t see. They drag their swollen brains about with them..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10d/suzette-haden-elgin-44043_quote_they-are-encumbered-with-secret-pregnanc_2227527.jpg" --- # They are encumbered with secret pregnancies that never… ![“They are encumbered with secret pregnancies that never come to term. There are no terms, you don’t see. They drag their swollen brains about with them everywhere; hidden in pleats and drapes and cunning pouches; and the unbearable keep kicking, kicking under the dura mater. It is no bloody wonder…” quote by Suzette Haden Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10d/suzette-haden-elgin-44043_quote_they-are-encumbered-with-secret-pregnanc_2227527.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10d/suzette-haden-elgin-44043_quote_they-are-encumbered-with-secret-pregnanc_2227527.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10d/suzette-haden-elgin-44043_quote_they-are-encumbered-with-secret-pregnanc_2227527.jpg) > ““They are encumbered with secret pregnancies that never come to term. There are no terms, you don’t see. They drag their swollen brains about with them everywhere; hidden in pleats and drapes and cunning pouches; and the unbearable keep kicking, kicking under the dura mater. It is no bloody wonder they have headaches. Hold them to your ear, lumpy as they are, and pale; that roar you hear is the surge of the damned unspeakable being kept back. Stone will not dilate will not stretch will not tear— it shivers. Cleaves. Moves uneasily. At its core the burgundy lava simmers, making room. There are volcanoes at the bottom of the sea. Those pretty green things swaying are their false hair. Deliver us? Ram inward the forceps of the patriarchal paradigm and your infernal medicine and bring forth the ancient offspring with their missing mouths? I think not. Not bloody likely. (20th”” [Suzette Haden Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzette-haden-elgin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Hidden burdens cause mental strain; confronting them reveals deep pain and resistance. **In simple terms:** Unseen pressures cause suffering. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and address hidden struggles. Themes mental health burden silence resistance gender Mood reflective somber Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - Therapy sessions - activist organizing - creative writing - support groups Key Concepts psychology feminist theory trauma metaphor Questions to Reflect On - What hidden pressures affect you? - How can you safely express internal pain? A Different Perspective Metaphors may obscure clarity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [The left hemisphere acts as an "interpreter," watching the actions and behaviors of the body and assigning a coherent narrative to these events. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/the-left-hemisphere-acts-as-an-interpreter-watching-the-actions-and/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [Message? 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We make it up by perceiving stimuli from the environment - external or internal - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzette-haden-elgin/first-principle-there-s-no-such-thing-as-reality-we-make-it-up-by/) [Suzette Haden Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzette-haden-elgin/) > [“Any beginning is also an ending, you know. You can’t have just the one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzette-haden-elgin/any-beginning-is-also-an-ending-you-know-you-can-t-have-just-the-one/) [Suzette Haden Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzette-haden-elgin/) > [A Grandmother is a safe haven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzette-haden-elgin/a-grandmother-is-a-safe-haven/) [Suzette Haden Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzette-haden-elgin/) > [This is what happens when the discourse of publishing, defined and driven by spoken and written language, is talked about in exactly the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzette-haden-elgin/this-is-what-happens-when-the-discourse-of-publishing-defined-and/) [Suzette Haden Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzette-haden-elgin/) > [Linguistics is our best tool for bringing about social change and SF is our best tool for testing such changes before they are implemented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzette-haden-elgin/linguistics-is-our-best-tool-for-bringing-about-social-change-and-sf/) [Suzette Haden Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzette-haden-elgin/) > [If you behave like a doormat, expect to be stepped on and don't complain about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzette-haden-elgin/if-you-behave-like-a-doormat-expect-to-be-stepped-on-and-don-t/) [Suzette Haden Elgin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzette-haden-elgin/) [Explore all 9 Suzette Haden Elgin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzette-haden-elgin/) ## More Brains Hidden quotes > [The left hemisphere acts as an "interpreter," watching the actions and behaviors of the body and assigning a coherent narrative to these events. 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