Creation as Motherhood

When a mind bears great promise, we call it pregnant, but when this promise is fulfilled, we almost always call it a father – the father of an idea, of a school of thought, of a science, and so on. The contradiction before us is clear. To be consistent, this we must profess: All creators are mothers. Thus all creation is like giving birth – painful, bloody, and dangerous. And this too we must profess: All creations are like children – they come from one's very bowels, yet after being born they take on a life of their own.