14 Best Clarrisa Pinkola Estes Quotes

“Stories are medicine.”

This line emphasizes the healing power of myths, fairy tales, and personal narratives. Estes uses stories throughout the book as therapeutic tools, believing they connect individuals to deeper archetypal truths and provide guidance for psychological and spiritual growth and understanding.

“To be ourselves causes us to be exiled by many others, and yet to comply with what others want causes us to be exiled from ourselves.”

This profound statement highlights the dilemma of authenticity. It suggests that conforming to external expectations to gain acceptance leads to a loss of one's true self, a form of internal exile, which is ultimately more damaging than external rejection. It underscores the importance of self-loyalty.

“The wild nature is not a luxury but a necessity of the soul.”

Estes argues that reconnecting with one's innate, instinctual, and intuitive self – the Wild Woman archetype – is not an optional indulgence but a fundamental requirement for psychological well-being and spiritual vitality. It's essential for a full, authentic, and deeply satisfying life.

“Bone by bone, hair by hair, the Wild Woman comes back.”

This line refers to the myth of La Loba, the Bone Woman, who gathers bones and sings them back to life. It symbolizes the slow, painstaking process of psychological restoration, where fragmented or lost aspects of the feminine psyche are gradually reassembled and revitalized, leading to wholeness.

“When women reassert their relationship with the wildish nature, they are gifted with a permanent and inner resource.”

This quote underscores the transformative power of embracing the Wild Woman archetype. It suggests that by reconnecting with their instinctual wisdom, women gain an enduring source of strength, creativity, and resilience that resides within them, independent of external circumstances or societal pressures.

“The Wild Woman is the health of all women.”

This statement posits the Wild Woman archetype as the embodiment of psychological and spiritual well-being for women. It implies that aligning with this primal, instinctual self leads to wholeness, vitality, and a natural state of mental and emotional health, free from societal distortions.

“The Wild Woman is not a 'tamed' woman. She is not a woman who has been broken in.”

This quote clarifies that the Wild Woman is not about being unruly or aggressive, but about being untamed in spirit, authentic, and unbroken by societal pressures or trauma. She represents an innate, free spirit that cannot be domesticated or controlled by external forces.

“The work of the Wild Woman is to bring back the lost parts of the self.”

This highlights the therapeutic goal of connecting with the Wild Woman archetype. It's about retrieving and integrating the aspects of one's psyche that have been suppressed, wounded, or forgotten due to societal conditioning, trauma, or neglect, leading to psychological and spiritual wholeness.

“The Wild Woman is the keeper of the soul.”

This line positions the Wild Woman as the guardian and protector of a woman's deepest essence and spiritual core. She ensures the soul's vitality, authenticity, and connection to its primal source, preventing it from being lost or diminished by external influences or internal neglect.

“The Wild Woman is the one who knows the way home.”

This suggests that the Wild Woman archetype serves as an internal compass, guiding women back to their authentic selves, their true nature, and their spiritual origins. She represents the innate wisdom that helps navigate life's challenges and find inner peace and belonging.

“Go out into the woods, go out. If you don't go out in the woods, nothing will ever happen and your life will never begin.”

Emphasizing the necessity of venturing into the unknown and wild aspects of oneself for true living.

“The Wild Woman is not a label, but a state of being.”

Clarifying that the Wild Woman is an inherent, instinctual force rather than a superficial identity.

“Our souls are not meant to be tamed.”

A core message of the book, asserting the inherent wildness and freedom of the human spirit, particularly the female psyche.

“Though we may be wounded, we are not broken.”

Highlighting resilience and the capacity for healing and wholeness despite past traumas or societal pressures.