Feminism Quote by Virginia Woolf
““Here is nature once more at her old game of self-preservation. This train of thought, she perceives, is threatening mere waste of energy, even some collision with reality, for who will ever be able to lift a finger against Whitaker’s Table of Precedency? The Archbishop of Canterbury is followed by the Lord High Chancellor; the Lord High Chancellor is followed by the Archbishop of York. Everybody follows somebody, such is the philosophy of Whitaker; and the great thing is to know who follows whom. Whitaker knows, and let that, so Nature counsels, comfort you, instead of enraging you; and if you can’t be comforted, if you must shatter this hour of peace, think of the mark on the wall. 11 I understand Nature’s game—her prompting to take action as a way of ending any thought that threatens to excite or to pain. Hence, I suppose, comes our slight contempt for men of action—men, we assume, who don’t think. Still, there’s no harm in putting a full stop to one’s disagreeable thoughts by looking at a mark on the wall.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Mrs Dalloway, Virginia Woolf, 1925
Nature’s instinct to preserve itself drives actions that end disruptive thoughts, urging us to recognize hierarchies and find comfort in simple symbols.
In simple terms: Nature pushes us to act, ending troubling thoughts, using symbols for comfort.
Recognize patterns, seek simple comforts.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- personal reflection
- creative writing
- mental health
- decision making
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you identify your own “Whitaker’s Table” of influence?
- What simple symbol brings you peace?
Relying on symbols may avoid deeper analysis of underlying issues.