Reading is the unbelievably healthy way _x000D_ my attention deficit disorder medicates itself. _x000D_ Reading is escape, and the opposite of escape; it's a way to _x000D_ make contact with reality after a day of making things up.
Nora EphronRead
You always think that a bolt of lightning is going to strike and your parents will magically change into the people you wish they were, or back into the people they used to be.
Interpretation
What this quote means
We often wish for our parents to change into our ideal versions of them, but such changes rarely happen magically.
Nora Ephron's quote highlights the common human tendency to hope for a transformation in loved ones, particularly parents, imagining that they might fulfill our expectations or return to a prior ideal state. This reflects deep emotional ties and expectations we place on family relationships, indicating that we may live in a fantasy of change rather than accepting people as they are.
Themes
ChangeExpectationsParentsRelationshipsAcceptanceFamily
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used during a family therapy session to illustrate the struggles with parental expectations.
More from Nora Ephron
All quotes →Reading makes me feel I've accomplished something, learned something, become a better person. ... Reading is bliss.
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