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.
Chris CleaveRead
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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