be who you are. If you are trying to live by ideals, you are constantly plagued by a sense of unreality. Somewhere you think there must be some joy; it can't be all "must," "ought to," "have to." And when the crunch comes, you have to recognize the truth: you weren't there. Then the house of cards collapses." - Meaning and context.">
p. 61
“

Living by principles is not living your own life. It is easier to try to be better than you are than to be who you are. If you are trying to live by ideals, you are constantly plagued by a sense of unreality. Somewhere you think there must be some joy; it can't be all "must," "ought to," "have to." And when the crunch comes, you have to recognize the truth: you weren't there. Then the house of cards collapses.

— Marion Woodman

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Living by principles is not living your own life. It is easier to try to be better than you are than to be who you are. If you are trying to live by ideals, you are constantly plagued by a sense of unreality. Somewhere you think there must be some joy; it can't be all "must," "ought to," "have to." And when the crunch comes, you have to recognize the truth: you weren't there. Then the house of cards collapses." in the context of "p. 61" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Quote Image
Source: Wikiquote: "Marion Woodman" (Quotes, Addiction to Perfection (1982): Addiction to Perfection: The Still Unravished Bride (Inner City Books, 1982, ) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Marion Woodman

About Marion Woodman

Marion Woodman (born on the 15of Agust1928) is a mythopoetic author and women's movement figure. She is a Jungian analyst trained at the Jung Institute in Zürich, Switzerland.