Normal, in our house, is like a blanket too short for a bed--sometimes it covers you just fine, and other times it leaves you cold and shaking; and worst of all, you never know which of the two it's going to be.
Jodi PicoultRead
It is so easy to presume that while your own world has ground to an absolute halt, so has everyone else's.
Interpretation
What this quote means
We often believe that our personal struggles are unique and that no one else is facing similar challenges.
This quote by Jodi Picoult highlights a common human tendency to assume that our own difficulties are unparalleled and that everyone else is progressing without any obstacles. It serves as a reminder that everyone experiences hardship and that we are not alone in our struggles, encouraging us to maintain empathy towards others and recognize the shared nature of life's challenges.
Themes
StrugglesEmpathyPerspectiveHuman ExperienceHardship
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared in a motivational workshop discussing empathy.
More from Jodi Picoult
All quotes →Whether it was power they sought, or revenge, or love-well, those were all just different forms of hunger. The bigger the hole inside you, the more desperate you became to fill it.
Jodi PicoultRead
she told me she'd be a phoenix." The image of the mythical creature rising from the ashes glitters in my mind. "They don't really exist." "She said that depends on whether or not there's someone who can see them.
Jodi PicoultRead
for 100,000 (dollars), you [can] flatten a house with a wrecking ball. Imagine how much less it [takes] to destroy something than it [does] to build it in the first place.
Jodi PicoultRead
But if you seek forgiveness, doesn't that automatically mean you cannot be a monster? By definition, doesn't that desperation make you human again?
Jodi PicoultRead
when you [lose someone], it feels like the hole in your gum when a tooth falls out. You can chew, you can eat, you have plenty of other teeth, but your tongue keeps going back to that empty place, where all nerves are still a little raw
Jodi PicoultRead
Similar quotes
Human life runs its course in the metamorphosis between receiving and giving.
Johann Wolfgang Von GoetheRead
[...]It is as if after surviving so much, there was no longer reason to survive.
Jonathan Safran FoerRead
Hell, I am young. I am free. My teeth are clean. The sun shines. To hell with everything else
Stephen FryRead
When you're on top and you lead the parade, everyone's there throwing lilies and lilac water on your head. But when those parades have gone by and there's a storm in your heart, there are very few people that are going to sit there and listen to you bemoan life.
Sylvester StalloneRead
The hardest thing, I think, is to live richly in the present, without letting it be tainted & spoiled out of fear for the future or regret for a badly-managed past.
Sylvia PlathRead
Whether it’s food or women, the ones on front street are supermodels. Big hair, big tits, big trouble, but the one you come home to is probably something like cavatelli and red sauce. She’s not screaming for attention because she knows she’s good enough even if your dumb ass hasn’t figured it out yet.
Eddie HuangRead