Anais Nin (1903-1977) was a renowned French-Cuban author who wrote journals, novels, and short stories, which are hailed for their exploratory style. She became famous for her published journals, that span over 60 years, starting from the age of 11, onward. Here are 20 of Anais Nin’s most popular quotes:
Anais Nin Quotes
- “We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.”
- “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”
- “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”
- “The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say.”
- “I, with a deeper instinct, choose a man who compels my strength, who makes enormous demands on me, who does not doubt my courage or my toughness, who does not believe me naïve or innocent, who has the courage to treat me like a woman.”
- “You cannot save people, you can just love them.”
- “Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.”
- “Dreams are necessary to life.”
- “The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery. There is always more mystery.”
- “Do not seek the because – in love there is no because, no reason, no explanation, no solutions.”
- “There are many ways to be free. One of them is to transcend reality by imagination, as I try to do.”
- “We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.”
- “I am an excitable person who only understands life lyrically, musically, in whom feelings are much stronger as reason.”
- “I am only responsible for my own heart, you offered yours up for the smashing my darling. Only a fool would give out such a vital organ.”
- “There is not one big cosmic meaning for all; there is only the meaning we each give to our life, an individual meaning, an individual plot, like an individual novel, a book for each person.”
- “In chaos, there is fertility.”
- “The only abnormality is the incapacity to love.”
- “To withhold from living is to die…the more you give of yourself to life the more life nourishes you.”
- “Anxiety is love’s greatest killer. It makes others feel as you might when a drowning man holds on to you. You want to save him, but you know he will strangle you with his panic.”
- “Had I not created my whole world, I would certainly have died in other people’s.”
These quotes reflect Nin’s noteworthy perspective towards self-awareness, love, creativity, and courage. Each quote displays a unique depth of thought and insightfulness into human nature and the mysteries of life. Nin’s wisdom continues to inspire her readers, provoking introspection and challenging preconceived notions.