I mean, it's like we all get our raw materials from our families―but it's up to us whether we build bridges or bombs.
Neal ShustermanRead
It was at that moment he realized that his spirit was truly human once more. For he no longer remembered how to be alone without being lonely.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the human experience of solitude and loneliness, highlighting the importance of connection.
In this quote, Neal Shusterman captures a profound moment of self-awareness where a character understands the essence of being human in the context of loneliness. The realization that being alone does not have to equate to feeling lonely speaks to the human need for connection and the emotional struggles that accompany isolation. It emphasizes that true humanity involves recognizing our need for companionship and understanding that being alone can lead to growth rather than despair.
Themes
SolitudeLonelinessConnectionHumanitySelf-Awareness
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be shared during a talk on emotional well-being and the importance of community.
More from Neal Shusterman
All quotes →Either things happen for a reason, or they happen for no reason at all. Either one's life is a thread in a glorious tapestry or humanity is just a hopelessly tangled knot.
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Unwinds didn't go out with a bang-they didn't even go out with a whimper. they went out with the silence of a candle flame pinched between two fingers.
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She smiles at them as they go by and continues to play, making it clear that this furnace of a place, full of planes that cannot fly, is more than it seems. It is a womb of redemption for every Unwind, and fora ll those who fought the Heartland War and lost - which was everybody.
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Words don't hurt you." Which is one of the hugest criminal lies perpetrated by adults against children in this world. Because words hurt more than any physical pain.
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Which is worse, Risa often wondered, to have tens of thousands of babies that no one wanted or to silently make then go away before they were even born
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