Psychiatry in this place is like serving an in-flight meal in the middle of a plane crash. If I wanted to make you well, as a doctor, I should be giving you a parachute, not a cheese-and-pickle sandwich.
Chris CleaveRead
Even for a girl like me, then, there comes a day when she can stop surviving and start living. To survive, you have to look good or talk good. But to end your story well-- here is the truth-- you have to talk yourself out of it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the transition from mere survival to truly living, suggesting that authentic self-expression is crucial for fulfillment.
Chris Cleave's quote highlights the difference between merely existing and genuinely living. It suggests that survival often requires a facade—looking and talking in ways that conform to expectations—while true living involves sincere self-reflection and courage to change one's narrative. It calls for embracing authenticity to find deeper fulfillment in life.
Themes
SurvivalLivingAuthenticitySelf-ExpressionFulfillment
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about personal growth and self-discovery.
More from Chris Cleave
All quotes →Still shaking, in the pew, I understood that it isn't the dead we cry for. We cry for ourselves, and I didn't deserve my own pity.
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Death, of course, is a refuge. It's where you go when a new name, or a mask and cape, can no longer hide you from yourself. It's where you run to when none of the principalities of your conscience will grant you asylum.
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Is it my fault if I do not look like an English girl and I do not talk like a Nigerian? Well, who says an English girl must have skin as pale as the clouds that float across her summers? Who says a Nigerian girl must speak in fallen English...?
Chris CleaveRead
So when I say that I am a refugee, you must understand that there is no refuge.
Chris CleaveRead
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