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
Inside each of us is a monster; inside each of us is a saint. The real question is which one we nurture the most, which one will smite the other.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the duality of human nature, suggesting that we all have both good and evil tendencies.
Jodi Picoult's quote reflects on the intrinsic struggle within every individual between their darker impulses, symbolized by the 'monster,' and their better nature, represented by the 'saint.' The essence of personal growth and morality lies in the choices we make and which aspects of ourselves we choose to nurture more, ultimately determining our character and actions.
Themes
DualityNatureMoralityGoodEvilChoice
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a psychological discussion about the nature of man.
More from Jodi Picoult
All quotes βWhether 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
true Christians consider themselves not as satisfying some rigorous creditor, but as discharging a debt of gratitude
William WilberforceRead
I am the Bad Wolf. I create myself. I take the words. I scatter them... in time, and space. A message to lead myself here.
Russell T DaviesRead
A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law, or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law.
Martin Luther King, Jr.Read
Terrorists are not following Islam. Killing people and blowing up people and dropping bombs in places and all this is not the way to spread the word of Islam. So people realize now that all Muslims are not terrorists.
Muhammad AliRead
In a situation like this, of course you identify with everyone who's suffering. (But we must also think about) the terrorists who are creating such horrible future lives for themselves because of the negativity of this karma. It's all of our jobs to keep our minds as expansive as possible. If you can see (the terrorists) as a relative who's dangerously sick and we have to give them medicine, and the medicine is love and compassion. There's nothing better.
Richard GereRead
It's just what people do when they're getting old, when they're sick of themselves and their life; they think of money and take care of themselves.
Jean-Paul SartreRead