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
Hope and reality lie in inverse proportions, inside the walls of a hospital... Doubt is like dye. Once is spreads into the fabric of excuses you've woven, you'll never get rid of the stain.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Hope can diminish in the face of harsh realities, especially in challenging situations like being in a hospital, and doubt can permeate our excuses permanently.
This quote reflects on the contrasting nature of hope and reality, particularly in difficult environments such as hospitals where grim situations can overshadow optimism. It further suggests that doubt can infiltrate our ways of thinking and rationalizing our circumstances, becoming an indelible part of our psyche which is hard to eliminate, similar to a permanent stain that alters the whole fabric of life.
Themes
HopeRealityDoubtHospitalExcusesLife
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech discussing overcoming life's challenges.
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
Knowing what to say, in the right way - at the perfect moment - can mean the difference between a world-class life and an average one.
Robin S. SharmaRead
Sometimes we complain without thinking much of it, but the frightening thing about complaining is that every time we do, a cloud descends over our heart, and our hope, appreciation and joy gradually wane.
Daisaku IkedaRead
Those who prepared for all the emergencies of life beforehand may equip themselves at the expense of joy.
E. M. ForsterRead
The very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream.
William ShakespeareRead
Live one day at a time emphasizing ethics rather than rules.
Wayne DyerRead
To beguile the time, look like the time. Bear welcome in your eye, your hand, your tongue.
William ShakespeareRead