100 Top & Most Popular Sylvia Plath Quotes

Sylvia Plath Quotes

About Sylvia Plath

Sylvia Plath was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. She is credited with advancing the genre of confessional poetry and is best known for two of her published collections, The Colossus and Other Poems (1960) and Ariel (1965), as well as The Bell Jar, a semi-autobiographical novel published shortly before her suicide in 1963.
Born: 27 October 1932, Jamaica Plain, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Died: 11 February 1963, Primrose Hill, London, United Kingdom

100 Top Quotes by Sylvia Plath in English

  1. “I am terrified by this dark thing that sleeps in me.”
  2. “I desire the things which will destroy me in the end.”
  3. “The silence depressed me. It wasn’t the silence of silence. It was my own silence.”
  4. “I talk to God but the sky is empty.”
  5. “I am gone quite mad with the knowledge of accepting the truth of my own mortality.”
  6. “I have the choice of being constantly active and happy or introspectively passive and sad. Or I can go mad by ricocheting in between.”
  7. “I am too pure for you or anyone.”
  8. “I love people. Everybody. I love them, I think, as a stamp collector loves his collection.”
  9. “Out of the ash I rise with my red hair and I eat men like air.”
  10. “I can never read all the books I want; I can never be all the people I want and live all the lives I want.”
  11. “I desire the things that will destroy me in the end.”
  12. “I must get my soul back from you; I am killing my flesh without it.”
  13. “I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart: I am, I am, I am.”
  14. “The blood jet is poetry, there is no stopping it.”
  15. “I felt very still and empty, the way the eye of a tornado must feel, moving dully along in the middle of the surrounding hullabaloo.”
  16. “If you expect nothing from anybody, you’re never disappointed.”
  17. “I want to live and feel all the shades, tones, and variations of mental and physical experience possible in my life.”
  18. “I am a collection of dismantled almosts.”
  19. “I talk to myself out loud. I don’t know why, but I always have.”
  20. “I love my rejection slips. They show me I try.”
  21. “I love my past. I love my present. I’m not ashamed of what I’ve had, and I’m not sad because I have it no longer.”
  22. “I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.”
  23. “I am a writer. I always knew I was a writer.”
  24. “I have the choice of being constantly active and happy or introspectively passive and sad. Or I can go mad by ricocheting in between.”
  25. “I do not want to be a flat character.”
  26. “I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead; I lift my eyes and all is born again.”
  27. “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.”
  28. “I must learn to be content with being happier than I deserve.”
  29. “I must bridge the gap between adolescent glitter and mature glow.”
  30. “I write only because there is a voice within me that will not be still.”
  31. “I love people. Everybody. I love them, I think, as a stamp collector loves his collection.”
  32. “The sea rose invisibly beneath us and the moon shone smooth and bright. A glossy flute of light, like velvet down a bridal aisle, smoothed ahead of us on the sea, where no one else could see.”
  33. “I am sure there are things that can’t be cured by a good bath but I can’t think of one.”
  34. “I love the smell of a library book.”
  35. “How frail the human heart must be – a mirrored pool of thought.”
  36. “Perhaps when we find ourselves wanting everything, it is because we are dangerously close
  1. “The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.”
  2. “I want to be important. By being different. And these girls are all the same.”
  3. “I am not interested in being original. I am interested in being true.”
  4. “I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead; I lift my eyes and all is born again.”
  5. “I have the choice of being constantly active and happy or introspectively passive and sad. Or I can go mad by ricocheting in between.”
  6. “I want to taste and glory in each day, and never be afraid to experience pain; and never shut myself up in a numb core of nonfeeling, or stop questioning and criticizing life and take the easy way out. To learn and think: to think and live; to live and learn: this always, with new insight, new understanding, and new love.”
  7. “I love people. Everybody. I love them, I think, as a stamp collector loves his collection.”
  8. “I felt very still and empty, the way the eye of a tornado must feel, moving dully along in the middle of the surrounding hullabaloo.”
  9. “I want to live and feel all the shades, tones, and variations of mental and physical experience possible in my life.”
  10. “I must get my soul back from you; I am killing my flesh without it.”
  11. “I am too pure for you or anyone.”
  12. “I must bridge the gap between adolescent glitter and mature glow.”
  13. “I talk to myself out loud. I don’t know why, but I always have.”
  14. “I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.”
  15. “I love my rejection slips. They show me I try.”
  16. “I love my past. I love my present. I’m not ashamed of what I’ve had, and I’m not sad because I have it no longer.”
  17. “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.”
  18. “I must learn to be content with being happier than I deserve.”
  19. “I am a writer. I always knew I was a writer.”
  20. “I do not want to be a flat character.”
  21. “I am gone quite mad with the knowledge of accepting the truth of my own mortality.”
  22. “I desire the things that will destroy me in the end.”
  23. “The silence depressed me. It wasn’t the silence of silence. It was my own silence.”
  24. “I can never read all the books I want; I can never be all the people I want and live all the lives I want.”
  25. “I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart: I am, I am, I am.”
  26. “The blood jet is poetry, there is no stopping it.”
  27. “I am a collection of dismantled almosts.”
  28. “Out of the ash I rise with my red hair and I eat men like air.”
  29. “I talk to God but the sky is empty.”
  30. “I desire the things which will destroy me in the end.”
  31. “I am terrified by this dark thing that sleeps in me.”
  32. “Dying is an art, like everything else. I do it exceptionally well.”
  33. “The figs are fragrant, dark and sweet, and their shape makes me think of passionate kisses.”
  34. “I love my footprints in the sand. I love the way they cradle my feet.”
  1. “I write only because there is a voice within me that will not be still.”
  2. “I think I made you up inside my head.”
  3. “I think that I am one of the few people in the world who are at home in their own skulls. I am my own sanctuary and I can be reborn as many times as I choose throughout my life.”
  4. “I think I am in love with suffering.”
  5. “I am not afraid of death, but would not want to die in some obscure or pointless way.”
  6. “I like people too much or not at all. I’ve got to go down deep, to fall into people, to really know them.”
  7. “I have the choice of being constantly active and happy or introspectively passive and sad. Or I can go mad by ricocheting in between.”
  8. “I love my rejection slips. They show me I try.”
  9. “I have a lot of scars from my childhood, but I like to think of them as beauty marks. They represent strength and survival.”
  10. “I am a lover of truth, a worshipper of freedom, a celebrant at the altar of language and purity and tolerance.”
  11. “The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.”
  12. “I want to be important. By being different. And these girls are all the same.”
  13. “I must bridge the gap between adolescent glitter and mature glow.”
  14. “I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart: I am, I am, I am.”
  15. “The blood jet is poetry, there is no stopping it.”
  16. “I desire the things which will destroy me in the end.”
  17. “I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.”
  18. “I desire the things that will destroy me in the end.”
  19. “I do not want to be a flat character.”
  20. “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.”
  21. “I am gone quite mad with the knowledge of accepting the truth of my own mortality.”
  22. “I must learn to be content with being happier than I deserve.”
  23. “I am a writer. I always knew I was a writer.”
  24. “I love my past. I love my present. I’m not ashamed of what I’ve had, and I’m not sad because I have it no longer.”
  25. “I talk to myself out loud. I don’t know why, but I always have.”
  26. “I can never read all the books I want; I can never be all the people I want and live all the lives I want.”
  27. “I am not interested in being original. I am interested in being true.”
  28. “I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead; I lift my eyes and all is born again.”
  29. “I want to taste and glory in each day, and never be afraid to experience pain; and never shut myself up in a numb core of nonfeeling, or stop questioning and criticizing life and take the easy way out. To learn and think: to think and live; to live and learn: this always, with new insight, new understanding, and new love.”
  30. “I love people. Everybody. I love them, I think, as a stamp collector loves his collection.”
  31. “I felt very still and empty, the way the eye of a tornado must feel, moving dully along in the middle of the surrounding hullabaloo.”

FAQs:

Q: Who is Sylvia Plath?

A: Sylvia Plath was an American poet, novelist, and short-story writer, born in 1932 in Boston, Massachusetts. She is best known for her semi-autobiographical novel, “The Bell Jar,” and her poetry collection “Ariel.”

Q: What is Sylvia Plath famous for?

A: Sylvia Plath is famous for her powerful, confessional poetry and her candid, introspective prose. She is often associated with the confessional poetry movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

Q: What was Sylvia Plath’s writing style?

A: Sylvia Plath’s writing style was characterized by its intense emotional honesty, vivid imagery, and complex use of metaphor. Her work often dealt with themes of death, mental illness, and personal struggle.

Q: What is Sylvia Plath’s most famous work?

A: Sylvia Plath’s most famous work is her poetry collection “Ariel,” which was published posthumously in 1965. The collection includes some of her most famous poems, including “Daddy” and “Lady Lazarus.”

Q: What is “The Bell Jar” about?

A: “The Bell Jar” is a semi-autobiographical novel that tells the story of Esther Greenwood, a young woman who struggles with mental illness and the pressures of society. The novel is often seen as a critique of the rigid gender roles and expectations of the 1950s.

Q: What was Sylvia Plath’s personal life like?

A: Sylvia Plath’s personal life was marked by both professional success and personal struggle. She was married to fellow poet Ted Hughes, and the two had two children together. Plath suffered from depression throughout her life and ultimately committed suicide in 1963.

Q: What is the significance of Sylvia Plath’s work?

A: Sylvia Plath’s work is significant for its raw emotional power, its exploration of difficult themes, and its impact on the confessional poetry movement. Her work has been celebrated for its feminist themes and its influence on contemporary literature.

Q: What awards did Sylvia Plath win?

A: Sylvia Plath was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1982 for her poetry collection “The Collected Poems.” She also won a Fulbright scholarship to study at Cambridge University in England, where she met her future husband Ted Hughes.

Q: What is the legacy of Sylvia Plath?

A: Sylvia Plath’s legacy is a complex one, marked by both celebration of her work and controversy over her personal life. Her writing continues to influence contemporary poets and writers, and her life and work have been the subject of numerous biographies and academic studies.