I remember, when I was a teenager, people telling me, 'You know, when you are a mother, you will never feel lonely. You will feel so much love, and you will be fulfilled by this love.' Then I became a mother. And I learnt that is absolutely wrong: you can feel very lonely with your children, even if you love them.

I think maternal instinct is a male construct that has been used for centuries to keep women in their place, at home.

Motherhood is not only something very pure and very full of love, it can be full of dark things, too.

Leila Slimani Quotes