Clara Parrish

“the shock of waking up to the fact that the world does not also belong to you; the shame at having been so naive as to have thought it did; the indignation, depression, and despair that follow this realization; and, finally, the marshaling of the handy coping mechanisms, compartmentalization, pragmatism, and diminished expectations.”
― Carina Chocano, You Play the Girl: And Other Vexing Stories That Tell Women Who They Are

“Romantic love is a mirror in which you can see your whole self pleasantly reflected, if you’re lucky. Or it’s a dark mirror into which you can disappear.”
― Carina Chocano, You Play the Girl: On Playboy Bunnies, Stepford Wives, Train Wrecks, & Other Mixed Messages

“But there was nothing of the southern bigot about her. On the Memphis street where Marilyn lived, there were only blacks for playmates, the children of servants who worked for the neighbors and her own relatives. The difference in color was meaningless to a little girl seeking companionship; that attitude never changed in adult life.”
― Warren G. Harris, The Other Marilyn: A Biography of Marilyn Miller

“in a curious and unanticipated way, we really do welcome the birth of our child. There”
― Adrienne Rich, Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution