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
Parents aren’t the people you come from. They’re the people you want to be, when you grow up.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True parenting is about inspiration and aspiration rather than biological connections.
This quote suggests that the essence of parenting transcends mere genetics or lineage. It implies that the individuals we look up to as role models shape our aspirations and identity, and that the qualities we admire in our parents guide our growth and development into the people we aspire to be.
Themes
ParentsRole ModelsGrowthInspirationIdentity
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about personal development, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of choosing inspiring figures in life.
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
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