That's writing for you: when you make space for passion, it doesn't turn up. Rachel Cusk More Quotes by Rachel Cusk More Quotes From Rachel Cusk The distinctive feature of my family was intolerance of sensitivity and emotion - everything's great, it all has to be great all the time and why do you have to spoil it? Whereas probably the most fundamental and important thing to me has been defending my right to tell the truth about how I feel. Rachel Cusk emotion important fundamentals What other grown-up gets told how to do their job so often as a writer? Rachel Cusk jobs We who were born were not witnesses to our birth: like death, it is something we are forever after trying to catch sight of. Rachel Cusk sight forever trying Honest criticism, I suppose, has its place. But honest writing is infinitely more valuable. Rachel Cusk honest criticism writing Hope is one of those no-win-no-fee things, and although it needs some encouragement to survive, its existence doesn't necessarily prove anything. Rachel Cusk encouragement winning needs Help is dangerous because it exists outside the human economy: the only payment for help is gratitude. Rachel Cusk economy gratitude helping For me, a novel is always the result of my attempt to impose myself on raw circumstances. It is a concrete form of lived experience. Rachel Cusk results form circumstances Feminism remains something that needs to be explained to people. Rachel Cusk feminism people needs Every time I write a book, I've probably taken five years off my life. Rachel Cusk taken writing book Even if they knew the truth of their own feelings, most mothers would be socially and emotionally incapable of revealing it. Rachel Cusk would-be mother feelings Childhood, after all, is not an ending, but rather a state full of potent curiosity. Rachel Cusk childhood states curiosity Christianity has kept itself going for centuries on hope alone, and has perpetrated all manner of naughtiness in the meantime. Rachel Cusk century christianity A feminist man is a bit like a vegetarian: it's the humanitarian principle he's defending, I suppose. Rachel Cusk feminist principles men I absolutely don't dislike children - I would choose their company over adult company any time. Rachel Cusk company adults children It is living, not thinking, as a feminist that has become the challenge. Rachel Cusk motivational inspirational thinking It's a pretty brutal process, having a baby. Rachel Cusk having-a-baby process baby I'm waiting for the day when my children cease to find my domestic propriety reassuring and actually find it annoying. Rachel Cusk annoying waiting children I'm a novelist, not a social scientist or a commentator. Rachel Cusk scientist novelists social The woman who thinks she can choose femininity, can toy with it like the social drinker toys with wine - well, she's asking for it, asking to be undone, devoured, asking to spend her life perpetrating a new fraud, manufacturing a new fake identity, only this time it's her equality that's fake. Rachel Cusk fake wine thinking Like the child, the creative writing student is posited as a centre of vulnerable creativity, needful of attention and authority. Rachel Cusk creativity writing children
