--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Compulsion, guilt, pick your poison.'…" description: "\"“Compulsion, guilt, pick your poison.' Meaty shrugged. 'You make a better nurse than a patient.”\" — Cassie Alexander" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f38/cassie-alexander-34228_nurse_compulsion-guilt-pick-your-poison-meaty_510071.jpg" --- # Compulsion, guilt, pick your poison.' Meaty shrugged. 'You… ![“Compulsion, guilt, pick your poison.' Meaty shrugged. 'You make a better nurse than a patient.” quote by Cassie Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f38/cassie-alexander-34228_nurse_compulsion-guilt-pick-your-poison-meaty_510071.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f38/cassie-alexander-34228_nurse_compulsion-guilt-pick-your-poison-meaty_510071.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f38/cassie-alexander-34228_nurse_compulsion-guilt-pick-your-poison-meaty_510071.jpg) > ““Compulsion, guilt, pick your poison.' Meaty shrugged. 'You make a better nurse than a patient.”” [Cassie Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassie-alexander/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A person can choose to be proactive (nurse) rather than reactive (patient) when faced with guilt or compulsion. **In simple terms:** Choose to help instead of being a victim. Key Takeaway Take responsibility and act. Themes personal growth choice responsibility Mood determined reflective Type advice motivational When to use this quote - healthcare work - personal crisis - addiction recovery Key Concepts agency self‑efficacy Questions to Reflect On - What can you do to shift from victim to helper? - How does guilt influence your choices? A Different Perspective Choosing a role may be limited by circumstances. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Better Nurse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-nurse-4325070/) [Compulsion Guilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compulsion-guilt-4325074/) [Guilt Pick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilt-pick-4325073/) [Meaty Shrugged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaty-shrugged-4325071/) [Nurse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nurse/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [Poison Meaty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poison-meaty-4325072/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) ## Related quotes > [Peace is the first thing the angels sang. Peace is the mark of the children of God. Peace is the nurse of love. Peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-i/peace-is-the-first-thing-the-angels-sang-peace-is-the-mark-of-the/) [Pope Leo I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-i/) > [Another person is, at the heart of it, unknowable. And if you cannot know a person enough to always guess what they’re capable of,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/another-person-is-at-the-heart-of-it-unknowable-and-if-you-cannot/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [Nurses stand as a metaphor of affection, care and support which completes the human desire of overall well being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mazher-mazher50/nurses-stand-as-a-metaphor-of-affection-care-and-support-which/) [Mazher (@mazher50](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mazher-mazher50/) > [It seems to be my fate to discover only the obvious: that children have sexual feelings, which every nurse maid knows; and that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/it-seems-to-be-my-fate-to-discover-only-the-obvious-that-children/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [You wanted to become a doctor to help people and feel better at the end of your job, I think, watching them, as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/you-wanted-to-become-a-doctor-to-help-people-and-feel-better-at-the/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [“You fed us, washed us, forced that vile medicine down our throats. By sheer force of will you made some of us live who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-osborne/you-fed-us-washed-us-forced-that-vile-medicine-down-our-throats-by/) [Maggie Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-osborne/) > [There was a while where every role I was getting offered was extremely noble - like the judge or the kindly nurse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/there-was-a-while-where-every-role-i-was-getting-offered-was/) [John Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cho/) > [If Christian scientists had more science and doctors more Christianity, it wouldn't make any difference which you called in - if you had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finley-peter-dunne/if-christian-scientists-had-more-science-and-doctors-more/) [Finley Peter Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finley-peter-dunne/) > [You know, I once did a short film with Kay Cannon. It was set at a gynecologist's office and I was her nurse in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-hunt/you-know-i-once-did-a-short-film-with-kay-cannon-it-was-set-at-a/) [Brendan Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-hunt/) > [“The nurse becomes willing to sacrifice herself for the patient. But the patient isn’t suffering from an external illness, he’s suffering from self-inflicted wounds.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-nurse-becomes-willing-to-sacrifice-herself-for-the-patient-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The prime communities of the Southwest are survival communities. Their sustenance is governed by rainfall and wind direction. You can study little enclaves of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-predock/the-prime-communities-of-the-southwest-are-survival-communities-their/) [Antoine Predock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-predock/) > [I think-I need to ask an embarrassing question. Do you think I could borrow a pair of scrubs? I-uh-my pants-" "Oh!" Cried the poor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/i-think-i-need-to-ask-an-embarrassing-question-do-you-think-i-could/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [“Praise God for good nurses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/praise-god-for-good-nurses/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [One reason for the tremendous increase in health-care costs in the U.S. is managerial neglect of the "hotel services" by the people who dominate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/one-reason-for-the-tremendous-increase-in-health-care-costs-in-the-u/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [How I keep trying to force our story into a fairy tale, but from the beginning, it's been more like a nursery rhyme." "Bizarre…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/how-i-keep-trying-to-force-our-story-into-a-fairy-tale-but-from-the/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) ## More by Cassie Alexander > [“I’d always wanted to think that love could heal anything. But I realized lying there, eyes closed, listening to Asher breathe, that really love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassie-alexander/i-d-always-wanted-to-think-that-love-could-heal-anything-but-i/) [Cassie Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassie-alexander/) > [“Lucas shook his head. "We haven't caught him yet. We're still looking." "Every ship but your four fastest," I murmured to myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassie-alexander/lucas-shook-his-head-we-haven-t-caught-him-yet-we-re-still-looking/) [Cassie Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassie-alexander/) > [“But if you believe in heaven then you have to believe someone's keeping score. And if someone's keeping score, if what we do really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassie-alexander/but-if-you-believe-in-heaven-then-you-have-to-believe-someone-s/) [Cassie Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassie-alexander/) > [“The Shadows this, the Shadows that—I’d asked Charles about them once, when our breaks had overlapped…But Charles said “they” (complete with scare quotes) lurked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassie-alexander/the-shadows-this-the-shadows-that-i-d-asked-charles-about-them-once/) [Cassie Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassie-alexander/) > [“I planned to reintroduce him to my friends lorazepam and oxycodone in a big, big way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassie-alexander/i-planned-to-reintroduce-him-to-my-friends-lorazepam-and-oxycodone-in/) [Cassie Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassie-alexander/) > [“No matter how much I fought him or gave in to him in turns, I couldn’t fuck away my fears.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassie-alexander/no-matter-how-much-i-fought-him-or-gave-in-to-him-in-turns-i-couldn-t/) [Cassie Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassie-alexander/) > [“Nurses are natural kleptos. You don't want to be in a roon without enough supplies, so every time you walk past the med-cart you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassie-alexander/nurses-are-natural-kleptos-you-don-t-want-to-be-in-a-roon-without/) [Cassie Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassie-alexander/) > [“We could crawl inside your head and make you but a shell of yourself, a puppet of meat, for which we keep the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassie-alexander/we-could-crawl-inside-your-head-and-make-you-but-a-shell-of-yourself/) [Cassie Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassie-alexander/) > [“My voice mail message says I work nights and sleep days. Everyone who knows me, knows this. And still, people who aren’t employed at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassie-alexander/my-voice-mail-message-says-i-work-nights-and-sleep-days-everyone-who/) [Cassie Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassie-alexander/) > [“I sank into the chair and checked to see if the charge nurse could see me—not if I didn’t lean out too far. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassie-alexander/i-sank-into-the-chair-and-checked-to-see-if-the-charge-nurse-could/) [Cassie Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassie-alexander/) > [“I nodded. Everyone at the hospital wanted to think that their case was special, and if you were a good nurse, you helped them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassie-alexander/i-nodded-everyone-at-the-hospital-wanted-to-think-that-their-case-was/) [Cassie Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassie-alexander/) > [“Welcome to the secret wing of County Hospital …Where vampires get transfused, werewolves have silver allergies, and one nurse is way over her head !”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassie-alexander/welcome-to-the-secret-wing-of-county-hospital-where-vampires-get/) [Cassie Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassie-alexander/) > [“Nurses are natural kleptos. You don’t want to be in a room without enough supplies, so every time you walk past the med-cart you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassie-alexander/nurses-are-natural-kleptos-you-don-t-want-to-be-in-a-room-without/) [Cassie Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassie-alexander/) [Explore all 14 Cassie Alexander quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassie-alexander/) ## More Nurse quotes > [Peace is the first thing the angels sang. Peace is the mark of the children of God. Peace is the nurse of love. Peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-i/peace-is-the-first-thing-the-angels-sang-peace-is-the-mark-of-the/) [Pope Leo I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-i/) > [One reason for the tremendous increase in health-care costs in the U.S. is managerial neglect of the "hotel services" by the people who dominate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/one-reason-for-the-tremendous-increase-in-health-care-costs-in-the-u/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [“Praise God for good nurses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/praise-god-for-good-nurses/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I think-I need to ask an embarrassing question. Do you think I could borrow a pair of scrubs? I-uh-my pants-" "Oh!" Cried the poor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/i-think-i-need-to-ask-an-embarrassing-question-do-you-think-i-could/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [The prime communities of the Southwest are survival communities. Their sustenance is governed by rainfall and wind direction. You can study little enclaves of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-predock/the-prime-communities-of-the-southwest-are-survival-communities-their/) [Antoine Predock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-predock/) > [“The nurse becomes willing to sacrifice herself for the patient. But the patient isn’t suffering from an external illness, he’s suffering from self-inflicted wounds.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-nurse-becomes-willing-to-sacrifice-herself-for-the-patient-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You know, I once did a short film with Kay Cannon. It was set at a gynecologist's office and I was her nurse in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-hunt/you-know-i-once-did-a-short-film-with-kay-cannon-it-was-set-at-a/) [Brendan Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-hunt/) > [If Christian scientists had more science and doctors more Christianity, it wouldn't make any difference which you called in - if you had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finley-peter-dunne/if-christian-scientists-had-more-science-and-doctors-more/) [Finley Peter Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finley-peter-dunne/) > [There was a while where every role I was getting offered was extremely noble - like the judge or the kindly nurse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/there-was-a-while-where-every-role-i-was-getting-offered-was/) [John Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cho/) > [“You fed us, washed us, forced that vile medicine down our throats. By sheer force of will you made some of us live who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-osborne/you-fed-us-washed-us-forced-that-vile-medicine-down-our-throats-by/) [Maggie Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-osborne/) > [You wanted to become a doctor to help people and feel better at the end of your job, I think, watching them, as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/you-wanted-to-become-a-doctor-to-help-people-and-feel-better-at-the/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [It seems to be my fate to discover only the obvious: that children have sexual feelings, which every nurse maid knows; and that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/it-seems-to-be-my-fate-to-discover-only-the-obvious-that-children/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [Nurses stand as a metaphor of affection, care and support which completes the human desire of overall well being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mazher-mazher50/nurses-stand-as-a-metaphor-of-affection-care-and-support-which/) [Mazher (@mazher50](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mazher-mazher50/) > [Another person is, at the heart of it, unknowable. And if you cannot know a person enough to always guess what they’re capable of,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/another-person-is-at-the-heart-of-it-unknowable-and-if-you-cannot/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [How I keep trying to force our story into a fairy tale, but from the beginning, it's been more like a nursery rhyme." "Bizarre…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/how-i-keep-trying-to-force-our-story-into-a-fairy-tale-but-from-the/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) [Browse all 944 Nurse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nurse/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Compulsion, guilt, pick your poison.' Meaty shrugged. 'You make a better nurse than a patient.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cassie Alexander" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassie-alexander/compulsion-guilt-pick-your-poison-meaty-shrugged-you-make-a-better/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Nurse" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassie-alexander/compulsion-guilt-pick-your-poison-meaty-shrugged-you-make-a-better/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f38/cassie-alexander-34228_nurse_compulsion-guilt-pick-your-poison-meaty_510071.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f38/cassie-alexander-34228_nurse_compulsion-guilt-pick-your-poison-meaty_510071.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f38/cassie-alexander-34228_nurse_compulsion-guilt-pick-your-poison-meaty_510071.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Compulsion, guilt, pick your poison.' Meaty shrugged. 'You make a better nurse than a patient.” — Cassie Alexander", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Cassie Alexander", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassie-alexander/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Compulsion, guilt, pick your poison.' Meaty...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassie-alexander/compulsion-guilt-pick-your-poison-meaty-shrugged-you-make-a-better/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassie-alexander/compulsion-guilt-pick-your-poison-meaty-shrugged-you-make-a-better/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```