Married, you're basically part of the herd, and that makes life easier in a lot of ways in terms of social support. But if you're not by nature a herd animal, you start to feel like you're passing. Mary Gaitskill animalbasicallyeasy Change image and share on social
You can't tell an 18-year-old to keep it down and turn off Britney Spears or whatever it is that they listen to. Mary Gaitskill britneylistenspear Change image and share on social
I've noticed women my age and a little younger, anywhere from 35 to 50, saying, 'Who would want to bring kids into a world like this?' Or, 'I don't want to spend my life that way. I want to do my artwork.' And they're very unapologetically stating this. Mary Gaitskill ageartworkbring share on social
When I was writing 'Bad Behavior,' I was very, very quiet. I would just sit there and listen to people. And if I was out in public, I was usually quiet, and people tended to assume I was stupid because I was a young, pretty girl who's quiet. Mary Gaitskill assumebadbehavior share on social
Where I grew up, in the Detroit area, there was a really good station. Sometimes you would hear songs for the first time on the radio, and if a really special song came on, somebody would turn it up, and everybody would just stop talking. Mary Gaitskill areadetroitgood share on social
I remember back in the '90s, I used to feel criticized by women for not having children. Like there must be something wrong with me. Mary Gaitskill 90sbackchild Change image and share on social
I found the world extraordinarily strange, having first left home at 15. Mary Gaitskill extraordinarilyfindhome Change image and share on social
Having watched television, I would kind of play the role or picture myself on a television show or something like that. That's maybe always been true of a certain type of kid, even before television maybe, but I think it's been amplified to an insane level. Mary Gaitskill amplifyinsanekid share on social
Not being locked into one set of feelings, which you run the risk of mistaking for the truth, you have greater and more intense access to all feeling states, including those you would never choose to act out. Mary Gaitskill accessactchoose share on social
There is a sense in which we have - like, I go in to teach a class; I may be somewhat different than I would be talking to you, although it's related because it's public. I'm very different with my roommate or my lover or my cats. But I don't know if that means you're acting, really, if you're being truthful. Mary Gaitskill actcatclass share on social