Welcome to our collection of insightful and inspiring quotes by May Sarton. As an accomplished poet, novelist, and memoirist, May Sarton’s words resonate with depth, honesty, and a profound understanding of the human experience. Born in Belgium in 1912 and later naturalized as an American citizen, Sarton’s literary journey spanned decades, during which she crafted works that explored themes of love, solitude, creativity, and the complexities of life.
Throughout her prolific career, May Sarton’s writings captured the essence of emotions and thoughts that often go unspoken, offering readers a glimpse into the inner workings of the human soul. Her ability to articulate the nuances of existence with sensitivity and grace has left an indelible mark on literature, earning her a place among the most revered authors of the 20th century. Whether delving into the intricacies of relationships, the joys of nature, or the challenges of aging, Sarton’s words have continued to inspire and resonate with readers around the world.
Below, you’ll find a selection of May Sarton’s most memorable quotes, each offering profound insights and reflections on life, love, and the pursuit of meaning. Whether you choose to reflect on these words, share them with others, or incorporate them into your creative endeavors, may they serve as a source of inspiration and contemplation in your own journey.
In a total work, the failures have their not unimportant place. May Sarton
Self-respect is nothing to hide behind. When you need it most it isn’t there. May Sarton
Help us to be ever faithful gardeners of the spirit, who know that without darkness nothing comes to birth, and without light nothing flowers. May Sarton
A house that does not have one warm, comfy chair in it is soulless. May Sarton
One must think like a hero to behave like a merely decent human being. May Sarton
Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self. May Sarton
Each day, and the living of it, has to be a conscious creation in which discipline and order are relieved with some play and pure foolishness. May Sarton
Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace. May Sarton
It is the privilege of those who fear love to murder those who do not fear it! May Sarton
Women are at last becoming persons first and wives second, and that is as it should be. May Sarton
The minute one utters a certainty, the opposite comes to mind. May Sarton
There is only one real deprivation… and that is not to be able to give one’s gifts to those one loves most. May Sarton
The garden is growth and change and that means loss as well as constant new treasures to make up for a few disasters. May Sarton
True feeling justifies whatever it may cost. May Sarton
No partner in a love relationship… should feel that he has to give up an essential part of himself to make it viable. May Sarton
The more articulate one is, the more dangerous words become. May Sarton
Most people have to talk so they won’t hear. May Sarton
In the country of pain we are each alone. May Sarton
Don’t forget that compared to a grownup person every baby is a genius. Think of the capacity to learn! The freshness, the temperament, the will of a baby a few months old! May Sarton
We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be. May Sarton
May we agree that private life is irrelevant? Multiple, mixed, ambiguous at best – out of it we try to fashion the crystal clear, the singular, the absolute, and that is what is relevant; that is what matters. May Sarton