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
You'd think someone who'd been to medical school would be able to hear through a stethoscope that somebody was empty inside.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True understanding requires more than knowledge; it involves empathy and insight into others' emotional states.
In this quote, Jodi Picoult highlights the limitations of formal education by contrasting medical knowledge with the ability to perceive emotional and psychological states. It suggests that being well-trained in a profession does not necessarily equate to being able to recognize deeper human experiences, such as feelings of emptiness or despair.
Themes
EmpathyUnderstandingHuman ExperienceEmotionKnowledge
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of emotional intelligence in healthcare, this quote can emphasize the need for compassion.
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
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