A biography for Clarissa Pinkola Esteshasn’t been written yet.
“It is in the middle of misery that so much becomes clear. The one who says nothing good comes of this is not yet listening.”
“Some say that sudden knowledge of mystical matters is accomplished only in complete quietude, or that Creator, in one of God's many forms, appears only in orderly ways that are beauteous and picturesque, or that the mystical appears only in completely silent ways. All are true. Except for the 'only' part.”
“Many people have trouble with forgiveness because they have been taught it is a singular act to be completed in one sitting. That is not so. Forgiveness has many layers, many seasons.”
“I was twice-born. I'm Mexican by nature and Hungarian by nurture.”
“You must become an activist if you are going to live the natural life.”
“Our own sorrows seem heavy enough, even when lifted by certain long-term joys. But watching others hurt is the breaker of most any heart.”
“To reasoned people, almost everything is understandable, but evil is forever incomprehensible.”
“Forgive: Make a conscious decision to cease to harbor resentment, which includes forgiving a debt and giving up one's resolve to retaliate.”
“When you feel bad, find a person to talk to and cry with, to tell of your anger and other helpless feelings.”
“We all wish to be brave and strong in the face of disaster. We all wish to be looked up to for our endurance and efforts to help others.”
“I hope you will go out and let stories happen to you, and that you will work them, water them with your blood and tears and you laughter till they bloom, till you yourself burst into bloom.”
“That is what the intuition is for: it is the direct messenger of the soul.”
“There's a reason poets often say, 'Poetry saved my life,' for often the blank page is the only one listening to the soul's suffering, the only one registering the story completely, the only one receiving all softly and without condemnation.”
“In our time, there are still many, like those in the Good Samaritan story, who being of the religious classes in that time, purposely crossed to the other side of the road, and passed by the injured and bleeding.”
“The soul has no gender.”
“Asking the proper questions is the central action of transformation. Questions are the key that causes the secret doors of the psyche to swing open.”