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
There are so many ways a family can unravel. All it takes is a tiny slash of selfishness, a rip of greed, a puncture of bad luck. And yet, woven tightly, family can be the strongest bond imaginable.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Family relationships can easily fall apart due to negative traits, yet they can also be incredibly strong when nurtured.
This quote by Jodi Picoult illustrates the fragility and strength of family ties. It suggests that while selfishness, greed, and misfortune can lead to the disintegration of familial bonds, a tightly woven family can create a foundation of unparalleled strength and support. It highlights the dual nature of family as both vulnerable and resilient, depending on how its members interact and care for one another.
Themes
FamilyRelationshipsStrengthSelfishnessGreed
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a family counseling session to highlight the importance of working through issues together.
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
Similar quotes
Acceptance, tolerance, bravery, compassion. These are the things my mom taught me!
Lady GagaRead
Twenty years ago, I wrote a book called 'It Takes a Village.' And a lot of people looked at the title and asked, 'What the heck do you mean by that?' This is what I mean. None of us can raise a family, build a business, heal a community or lift a country totally alone.
Hillary ClintonRead
God blessed me with two unbelievable parents, and I am just like both of them. I have the smile and charisma of my mother and the big heart of my mom, because she wants to save the world and help the world, so I am just like her.
Magic JohnsonRead
When a new baby laughs for the first time a new fairy is born, and as there are always new babies there are always new fairies.
James M. BarrieRead
Children surviving childhood is my obsessive theme and my life's concern.
Maurice SendakRead
In my early teens, I acquired a kind of representative status: went on behalf of the family to wakes and funerals and so on. And I would be counted on as an adult contributor when it came to farm work - the hay in the summertime, for example.
Seamus HeaneyRead