Children Quote by Sylvia Plath
““I believe that there are people who think as I do, who have thought as I do, who will think as I do. There are those who will live, unconscious of me, but continuing my attitude, so to speak, as I continue, unknowingly, the similar attitude of those before me. I could write and write. All it takes is a motion of the hand in response to a brain impulse, trained from childhood to record in our own American brand of hieroglyphics the translations of external stimuli. How much of my brain is wilfully my own? How much is not a rubber stamp of what I have read and heard and lived? Sure, I make a sort of synthesis of what I come across, but that is all that differentiates me from another person? - - - That I have banged into and assimilated various things? That my environment and a chance combination of genes got me where I am?””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Unnamable, 1970
The passage questions personal originality versus the influence of culture, language, and genetics on thought and expression.
In simple terms: It wonders how much of our mind is truly our own.
Key Takeaway
Reflect on the sources of your ideas.
Themes
identity
influence
creativity
language
genetics
Mood
introspective
philosophical
Type
reflective
analytical
When to use this quote
- writing
- academic research
- personal journaling
- artistic creation
Key Concepts
self
consciousness
determinism
Questions to Reflect On
- What parts of your thinking feel inherited?
- How can you nurture authentic voice?
A Different Perspective
Ideas are shaped by both innate and external forces.
