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
I pointed to the wound. "It's missing," I said. My grandmother smiled, and that was all it took for me to stop seeing the scar, and to recognize her again. "Yes," she said. "But see how much of me is left?
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the idea of recognizing the essence of a person beyond their scars or past wounds.
In this quote, Jodi Picoult illustrates how focusing on the positive aspects of a person—despite their scars or past traumas—can help foster connection and appreciation. The dialogue between the speaker and the grandmother emphasizes the importance of understanding and acknowledging someone's enduring qualities and the wholeness of their being, rather than being fixated on their flaws or injuries.
Themes
WoundScarRecognitionGrandmotherLoveAcceptance
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about resilience and healing.
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
During a Chess competition a Chessmaster should be a combination of a beast of prey and a monk
Alexander AlekhineRead
Rowing harder doesn't help if the boat is headed in the wrong direction.
Kenichi OhmaeRead
Reason has so many forms that we do not know which to choose-Experiment has no fewer.
Michel De MontaigneRead
Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, and riches take wings. Only one thing endures and that is character.
Horace GreeleyRead
All I ask is to be held above the barren wastes of want.
Wilfred OwenRead
Next, feel your heart, literally placing your hand on your chest if you find that helpful. This is a way of accepting yourself just as you are in that moment, a way of saying, "This is my experience right now, and it's okay." Then go into the next moment without any agenda.
Pema ChodronRead