I've always been interested in the intersection between our rational and our unconscious lives. Kathryn Harrison More Quotes by Kathryn Harrison More Quotes From Kathryn Harrison For me, writing is inseparable from thinking. I could say the entire undertaking is a vast cerebral construct against my demons. It's the thing that I love. It's my identity. Kathryn Harrison identity writing thinking Scars are stories, history written on the body Kathryn Harrison scar body stories We're taught to expect unconditional love from our parents, but I think it is more the gift our children give us. It's they who love us helplessly, no matter what or who we are. Kathryn Harrison unconditional-love children thinking There aren't many people in our history who have so completely surrendered themselves to a mission that they would give up their lives for it. Kathryn Harrison giving-up giving people My days are as long as despair can make them. Kathryn Harrison despair long The dizzy rapture of starving. The power of needing nothing. By force of will I make myself the impossible sprite who lives on air, on water, on purity. Kathryn Harrison force-of-will air water Don’t portray yourself as who you want to be. Portray yourself as who you are. Kathryn Harrison who-you-are want Sometimes there's a sort of tear in the veil, and there are people who live in more than one dimension. Kathryn Harrison veils tears people Writing is how I stay sane. It's completely necessary. Kathryn Harrison sane writing I can't work out much about myself or what I see in the world around me unless I do it through writing. Kathryn Harrison work-out writing world I like nudging readers into a slightly different perspective, but in a sly way - I want to be the writer who slips a stiletto in and out, to make so swift and clean a cut, it's not until a chapter ends that the reader looks down and sees she's bleeding and asks what happened. Kathryn Harrison perspective cutting want As a young woman, I was so eager to please that I served others' happiness and even their values before my own. It didn't earn me love, but it did deliver me to a place where I had to choose between what I thought of myself and what other people did. I chose myself. Kathryn Harrison others-happiness young people I like vampires, tuberculosis, anything to do with blood. Then I read a biography of Rasputin and found out he'd had this daughter who had become a famous lion tamer and been billed as the daughter of the mad monk who was able to hypnotize animals with her eyes. It gave me a vision. Kathryn Harrison eyes me vision daughter Lives that are so conspicuous have a claustrophobic feeling. Once you're in charge of running a country, you're under scrutiny all the time. That's a trap. Kathryn Harrison feeling you time country We know the seductive alchemy of art. To transform private anguish into a narrative of truth, if not beauty; to make sense where there was none; to bring order out of chaos - these are the promises art makes. Kathryn Harrison promises truth beauty art I am perfectly capable of writing things about myself that one doesn't discuss in polite company, but I was raised by people who said you don't discuss politics, you don't discuss religion, and you certainly don't discuss people's sex lives. Kathryn Harrison i-am myself you politics I'm not an investigative journalist; I don't track crime or police blotters. Kathryn Harrison journalist crime track police I don't care what people think about me. I care what people think about my work. As a young woman, I was so eager to please that I served others' happiness and even their values before my own. Kathryn Harrison woman me work happiness I was the good girl who never needed disciplining, who made straight A's. I applied and was accepted to Stanford University. Kathryn Harrison never good university girl I remember seeing my father only twice as a child for brief visits. As I grew up, I invented a father who was larger than life - stronger, smarter, more handsome, and even holier than other men. Kathryn Harrison handsome men life father
