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
Gay teenagers are four times as likely to attempt suicide as straight ones. I wish they knew that there's nothing wrong with them; that they are just a different shade of normal.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the mental health struggles faced by gay teenagers and emphasizes the importance of acceptance and self-worth.
Jodi Picoult's quote addresses the alarming statistic that gay teenagers are significantly more likely to attempt suicide compared to their straight peers. She expresses a deep wish for these young individuals to recognize that their sexual orientation is a natural variation of human experience and not something to be ashamed of, promoting the idea that diversity in identity is a fundamental part of being 'normal' in society.
Themes
SuicideGayAcceptanceMental HealthNormal
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech at a youth conference addressing LGBTQ+ issues, this quote can be used to encourage young attendees to embrace their identities.
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.
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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.
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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?
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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
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