Quote Of The Day By Jodi Picoult: 'You Don't Love Someone Because They're Perfect...'

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Jodi Picoult is one of the most influential modern American writers. Throughout her three-decade-long career, Picoult has published 30 books — most of which center on social, interpersonal, and ethical issues. One of her novels, "19 Minutes," was even named the most banned book in the country by PEN America in 2024 for its depiction and discussion of a school shooting. Before she became a bestselling writer, Picoult was an English and creative writing student at Princeton University. She went on to earn a Master's degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 1990. While pursuing her larger writing ambitions, Picoult showcased the same versatility that translated into her written work by finding employment as a copywriter for different companies, editing textbooks, and teaching English until she was able to write full-time. 

11 years after her first novel, "Songs of the Humpback Whale," was published in 1992, Picoult published her best-known book: "My Sister's Keeper." While Picoult had been consistently publishing novels in the years leading up to "My Sister's Keeper," this particular story about children's rights, medical sovereignty, and a family battling childhood cancer resonated with individuals across the country. Since then, Picoult has been given two honorary degrees, from Dartmouth College and the University of New Haven. What's more, she has received multiple literary awards and has continued to regularly publish critically celebrated novels. Picoult's empathy, thoughtfulness, and keen awareness of the human condition make her quote of the day particularly resonant.

Jodi Picoult has written numerous critically-acclaimed novels, but perhaps her most influential is "My Sister's Keeper." In one memorable line from the book, Picoult wrote, "You don't love someone because they're perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they're not." Picoult's perspective on familial love can be extended to all forms of affection and serves as a sharp observation on the nature of interpersonal connection.

Jodi Picoult's quote of the day is perhaps the most referenced excerpt from "My Sister's Keeper" — and for good reason. At the heart of her quote is the sentiment that love isn't conditional; you don't love someone, whether they're family, a friend, or a partner, for being perfect. For one, nobody is truly perfect. We all have flaws, whether they're obvious or something we try to hide. Additionally, true love and affection are not conditional. Love isn't something you can consciously give or take away based on behavior. It takes time, work, and genuine connection to love someone. 

While some actions and words are, of course, inexcusable, the majority of our flaws and personal problems can be worked on together and mended in time — not to mention with adequate outside support. Picoult's experience in writing poignant stories about the realities of life — the good, the bad, and the ugly — shines through in this quote. Give yourself and your loved ones grace, and acknowledge that all of humanity is imperfect, but it's how we support and uplift one another through strife that connects us.

• "Maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it."
• "Extraordinary things are always hiding in places people never think to look."
• "Once you had put the pieces back together, even though you may look intact, you were never quite the same as you'd been before the fall."
• "There's always going to be bad stuff out there. But here's the amazing thing — light trumps darkness, every time. You stick a candle into the dark, but you can't stick the dark into the light."
• "A mathematical formula for happiness: reality divided by expectations. There were two ways to be happy: improve your reality or lower your expectations."
• "Love is not a because, it's a no matter what."