--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But whatever that fatal elixir is, that…" description: "\"“But whatever that fatal elixir is, that mixture of circumstance and temperament that leads a person to the edge of death and sometimes back again, it ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/carolyn-parkhurst-14899_death_but-whatever-that-fatal-elixir-is-that-m_1443322.jpg" --- # But whatever that fatal elixir is, that mixture of… ![“But whatever that fatal elixir is, that mixture of circumstance and temperament that leads a person to the edge of death and sometimes back again, it flowed through Lexy's body like blood... She laughed when she told me these things, making fun of the drama of her teen angst, but I could see that…” quote by Carolyn Parkhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/carolyn-parkhurst-14899_death_but-whatever-that-fatal-elixir-is-that-m_1443322.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/carolyn-parkhurst-14899_death_but-whatever-that-fatal-elixir-is-that-m_1443322.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee3/carolyn-parkhurst-14899_death_but-whatever-that-fatal-elixir-is-that-m_1443322.jpg) > ““But whatever that fatal elixir is, that mixture of circumstance and temperament that leads a person to the edge of death and sometimes back again, it flowed through Lexy's body like blood... She laughed when she told me these things, making fun of the drama of her teen angst, but I could see that it hurt her to remember. It was during those afternoons in bed that she began to pull out her hair. She wanted, she said, to make her pain tangible, to feel something on the outside. As she lined up the strands of hair on the sheet next to her, she told me, she felt a sense of accomplishment.”” [Carolyn Parkhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-parkhurst/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A teen uses self‑harm to make internal pain visible and feel a sense of control. **In simple terms:** Self‑harm as a way to externalize emotional pain. Key Takeaway Seek healthier ways to express and manage pain. Themes mental health self‑harm coping teen angst Mood somber empathetic Type psychological cautionary When to use this quote - therapy sessions - support groups - personal journaling - artistic expression Key Concepts psychological distress body as metaphor Questions to Reflect On - What alternatives can provide a similar sense of accomplishment? - How can loved ones respond without judgment? A Different Perspective Self‑harm can reinforce negative cycles and cause lasting damage. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Angst Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angst-hurt-5171467/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Flowed Lexy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flowed-lexy-5171466/) [Making fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-fun/) [Pain Tangible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain-tangible-5171468/) [Sense of accomplishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-of-accomplishment/) [Teen Angst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teen-angst-564589/) [Told Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/told-felt-352902/) ## Related quotes > [Dear Diary: My teen angst bullshit now has a body count.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/dear-diary-my-teen-angst-bullshit-now-has-a-body-count/) [Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/) > [Lesley Gore's part-time field was pop singer, and in her brief but urgent prime, she was the Queen of Teen Angst. She endured heartbreak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-corliss/lesley-gore-s-part-time-field-was-pop-singer-and-in-her-brief-but/) [Richard Corliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-corliss/) > [“She was the Slayer. Normal teen angst didn't stack up to fangs at your throat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-golden/she-was-the-slayer-normal-teen-angst-didn-t-stack-up-to-fangs-at-your/) [Christopher Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-golden/) > [“Teen angst is so boring, isn't it? I try so hard not to be a cliche, but it's like written in my DNA to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-reed/teen-angst-is-so-boring-isn-t-it-i-try-so-hard-not-to-be-a-cliche-but/) [Amy Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-reed/) > [I've never had to rebel against my parents; I never had that sort of teen-angst thing where you didn't get along with them. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daria-werbowy/i-ve-never-had-to-rebel-against-my-parents-i-never-had-that-sort-of/) [Daria Werbowy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daria-werbowy/) > [I don't have anything left to offer in the teen-angst area. I've done it every way I know how.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/i-don-t-have-anything-left-to-offer-in-the-teen-angst-area-i-ve-done/) [Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/) > [Good Charlotte is anger management teen angst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-madden/good-charlotte-is-anger-management-teen-angst/) [Joel Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-madden/) > [I'm really good at making teen angst romantic. I'm really good at dealing with heartbreak and things like that and making it into this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavi-gevinson/i-m-really-good-at-making-teen-angst-romantic-i-m-really-good-at/) [Tavi Gevinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavi-gevinson/) > [I had teen angst for a while, but I think every teenager has the angst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-bell/i-had-teen-angst-for-a-while-but-i-think-every-teenager-has-the-angst/) [Jamie Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-bell/) > [I was, like, this token teen angst child of Broadway. It's so funny. What is that? I don't even know. But I loved it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-damiano/i-was-like-this-token-teen-angst-child-of-broadway-it-s-so-funny-what/) [Jennifer Damiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-damiano/) > [When I started out as a music journalist, at the end of the 1980s, it was generally assumed that we were living through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/when-i-started-out-as-a-music-journalist-at-the-end-of-the-1980s-it/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [I've always enjoyed the teen angst thing. I had a lot of teen angst as I was growing up, so I think I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magda-apanowicz/i-ve-always-enjoyed-the-teen-angst-thing-i-had-a-lot-of-teen-angst-as/) [Magda Apanowicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magda-apanowicz/) > [I've been in bands since I was about fifteen, so there are probably quite a lot of terrible teenage songs kicking about somewhere. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-mayberry/i-ve-been-in-bands-since-i-was-about-fifteen-so-there-are-probably/) [Lauren Mayberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-mayberry/) > [“Your perpetual loop of teen angst? Or as you put it, your own personal episode of 'Dawson's Creek' playing over and over, like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-leigh/your-perpetual-loop-of-teen-angst-or-as-you-put-it-your-own-personal/) [Josie Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-leigh/) > [I've been writing songs since I was a teenager, so one kind of song I've written a lot is about, I don't know, teen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-ve-been-writing-songs-since-i-was-a-teenager-so-one-kind-of-song-i/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) ## More by Carolyn Parkhurst > [“Anyway, I thought, it's wishful thinking, all this talk of ghosts. If the dead wandered among us, their spirits still present on this earth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-parkhurst/anyway-i-thought-it-s-wishful-thinking-all-this-talk-of-ghosts-if-the/) [Carolyn Parkhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-parkhurst/) > [“Walking out of the store with my parrot & sushi, I feel hideous, like everything I've done must be written on my skin. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-parkhurst/walking-out-of-the-store-with-my-parrot-sushi-i-feel-hideous-like/) [Carolyn Parkhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-parkhurst/) > [“That's the fundamental flaw in the illusion that writers like to maintain, the idea that we can craft anything approaching the truth. No matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-parkhurst/that-s-the-fundamental-flaw-in-the-illusion-that-writers-like-to/) [Carolyn Parkhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-parkhurst/) > [How can it be, I wondered, that we can be lying in bed next to a person we love wholly and helplessly, a person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-parkhurst/how-can-it-be-i-wondered-that-we-can-be-lying-in-bed-next-to-a-person/) [Carolyn Parkhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-parkhurst/) > [“This is happening; this is not fiction. And the thing about life? It doesn't have texture at all. Go ahead, feel the space around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-parkhurst/this-is-happening-this-is-not-fiction-and-the-thing-about-life-it/) [Carolyn Parkhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-parkhurst/) > [“I remember my wife in white. I remember her walking toward me on our wedding day, a bouquet of red flowers in her hand,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-parkhurst/i-remember-my-wife-in-white-i-remember-her-walking-toward-me-on-our/) [Carolyn Parkhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-parkhurst/) > [The conclusion I have reached is that, above all, dogs are witnesses. They are allowed access to our most private moments. They are there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-parkhurst/the-conclusion-i-have-reached-is-that-above-all-dogs-are-witnesses/) [Carolyn Parkhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-parkhurst/) > [It's true, isn't it, that each of us has two hearts? The secret heart, curled behind like a fist, living gnarled and shrunken beneath…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-parkhurst/it-s-true-isn-t-it-that-each-of-us-has-two-hearts-the-secret-heart/) [Carolyn Parkhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-parkhurst/) > [“Go on,"Lexy said. "What do you want to be today?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-parkhurst/go-on-lexy-said-what-do-you-want-to-be-today/) [Carolyn Parkhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-parkhurst/) > [The simplest thing that can be said about any person, any relationship, is that it's not simple at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-parkhurst/the-simplest-thing-that-can-be-said-about-any-person-any-relationship/) [Carolyn Parkhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-parkhurst/) > [“The unexpected thing, the miraculous thing, is when a car that's been shattered in a crash, that's been left in the rain to rust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-parkhurst/the-unexpected-thing-the-miraculous-thing-is-when-a-car-that-s-been/) [Carolyn Parkhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-parkhurst/) > [What's it like, Lexy? You wake up and you feel - what? Heaviness, an ache inside, a weight, yes. A soft crumpling of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-parkhurst/what-s-it-like-lexy-you-wake-up-and-you-feel-what-heaviness-an-ache/) [Carolyn Parkhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-parkhurst/) > [Perhaps she saw before her a lifetime of walking on the ruined earth and chose instead a single moment in the air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-parkhurst/perhaps-she-saw-before-her-a-lifetime-of-walking-on-the-ruined-earth/) [Carolyn Parkhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-parkhurst/) > [“And sitting here now, with all of Lexy's dreams in my lap, I realize there are things about her I will never know. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-parkhurst/and-sitting-here-now-with-all-of-lexy-s-dreams-in-my-lap-i-realize/) [Carolyn Parkhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-parkhurst/) > [“You are my finest knight”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-parkhurst/you-are-my-finest-knight/) [Carolyn Parkhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-parkhurst/) [Explore all 45 Carolyn Parkhurst quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-parkhurst/) ## More Death quotes > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/) [Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/) > [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/) [Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/) > [“What did you see?” she asked gently. His brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the question. Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/) [J. Anthony Torino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-anthony-torino/) > [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/) [Alan W. Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-powers/) > [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/) [Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/) > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [I love life. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/) [Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/) > [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) [Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But whatever that fatal elixir is, that mixture of circumstance and temperament that leads a person to the edge of death and sometimes back again, it flowed through Lexy's body like blood... She laughed when she told me these things, making fun of the drama of her teen angst, but I could see that it hurt her to remember. It was during those afternoons in bed that she began to pull out her hair. She wanted, she said, to make her pain tangible, to feel something on the outside. 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