--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I got an abortion and learned how to make…" description: "\"“I got an abortion and learned how to make dehydrated tuna flakes and turkey jerky and took a refresher course on basic first aid and practiced using m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d9/cheryl-strayed-605_change_i-got-an-abortion-and-learned-how-to-mak_1302318.png" --- # I got an abortion and learned how to make dehydrated tuna… ![“I got an abortion and learned how to make dehydrated tuna flakes and turkey jerky and took a refresher course on basic first aid and practiced using my water purifier in my kitchen sink. I had to change. I had to change was the thought that drove me in those months of planning. Not into a…” quote by Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d9/cheryl-strayed-605_change_i-got-an-abortion-and-learned-how-to-mak_1302318.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d9/cheryl-strayed-605_change_i-got-an-abortion-and-learned-how-to-mak_1302318.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d9/cheryl-strayed-605_change_i-got-an-abortion-and-learned-how-to-mak_1302318.png) > ““I got an abortion and learned how to make dehydrated tuna flakes and turkey jerky and took a refresher course on basic first aid and practiced using my water purifier in my kitchen sink. I had to change. I had to change was the thought that drove me in those months of planning. Not into a different person, but back to the person I used to be -- strong and responsible, clear-eyed and driven, ethical and good. And the PCT would make me that way. There, I'd walk and think about my entire life. I'd find my strength again, far from everything that had made my life ridiculous.”” [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A personal crisis prompted a return to core strengths, using practical skills and self‑discipline to reclaim identity and purpose. **In simple terms:** Crisis leads to rediscovering inner strength. Key Takeaway Relearn basics, then rebuild self. Themes resilience self‑recovery skill‑building identity transformation Mood determined hopeful Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - emergency preparedness - health training - personal reinvention Key Concepts self‑efficacy habit formation mindset shift Questions to Reflect On - What habits can you adopt to reinforce resilience? - How do you define the “person you used to be”? A Different Perspective Recovery can be messy and may involve confronting uncomfortable truths. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abortion Learned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abortion-learned-4280807/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Change Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-thought-283759/) [Different person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-person/) [Entire life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entire-life/) [Good Pct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-pct-1330309/) [Got Abortion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/got-abortion-529820/) [Life strength](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-strength/) ## Related quotes > [I had to change. I had to change was the thought that drove me in those months of planning. Not into a different person,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/i-had-to-change-i-had-to-change-was-the-thought-that-drove-me-in/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [I'd walk and think about my entire life. I'd find my strength again, far from everything that had made my life ridiculous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/i-d-walk-and-think-about-my-entire-life-i-d-find-my-strength-again/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [When I die I wanna go to hell, cause I'm a piece of shit, it ain't hard to fucking tell. Crime after crime, from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-die-i-wanna-go-to-hell-cause-i-m-a-piece-of-shit-it-ain-t-hard/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ If you got to \[abortion\] centers, young women are provided very few options, in many places they're not told anything about, for example, adoption… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/if-you-got-to-abortion-centers-young-women-are-provided-very-few/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [Diablo Cody wasn't writing a script about a 16-year girl that got an abortion. She was writing a script about a 16-year old girl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-page/diablo-cody-wasn-t-writing-a-script-about-a-16-year-girl-that-got-an/) [Ellen Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-page/) > [When I die I wanna go to hell, cause I'm a piece of s\*\*\*, it ain't hard to f\*\*\*\*\* tell. Crime after crime, from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/biggie/when-i-die-i-wanna-go-to-hell-cause-i-m-a-piece-of-s-it-ain-t-hard-to/) [Biggie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/biggie/) > [Why is it controversial that I chose to talk about my abortion? And the fact that I got an abortion when I was in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-holliday/why-is-it-controversial-that-i-chose-to-talk-about-my-abortion-and/) [Tess Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-holliday/) > [“Apart from regeneration our thought of God, of ourselves, of sin, and of righteousness is radically perverted. Regeneration changes our hearts and minds; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-murray/apart-from-regeneration-our-thought-of-god-of-ourselves-of-sin-and-of/) [John Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-murray/) > [It's funny how things change and you never thought it would happen to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-funny-how-things-change-and-you-never-thought-it-would-happen-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It is amazing how the world can change, he thought, during the life span of a fruitcake.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-edsel/it-is-amazing-how-the-world-can-change-he-thought-during-the-life/) [Robert M. Edsel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-edsel/) > [“If your life is going to change, you must think for a change. You are always only one thought away from changing your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-trimm/if-your-life-is-going-to-change-you-must-think-for-a-change-you-are/) [Cindy Trimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-trimm/) > [“Have you ever thought your friend or loved one had issues and you kept praying for God to change them? Have you ever thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-penland/have-you-ever-thought-your-friend-or-loved-one-had-issues-and-you/) [Amanda Penland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-penland/) > [You are perfect exactly as you are. With all your flaws and problems, theres no need to change anything. All you need to change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mulimah4lyf/you-are-perfect-exactly-as-you-are-with-all-your-flaws-and-problems/) [Mulimah4lyf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mulimah4lyf/) > [“Keep an open mind. The right person coming to you at the right time will change everything you ever thought was true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mcgahan/keep-an-open-mind-the-right-person-coming-to-you-at-the-right-time/) [Kate McGahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mcgahan/) > [Words are the small change of thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/words-are-the-small-change-of-thought/) [Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/) ## More by Cheryl Strayed > [“She understands that attention is the first and final act of love, and that the ultimate dwindling resource in the human arrangement isn’t cheap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/she-understands-that-attention-is-the-first-and-final-act-of-love-and/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“The most terrible and beautiful and interesting things happen in life. For some of you, those things have already happened. Whatever happens to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/the-most-terrible-and-beautiful-and-interesting-things-happen-in-life/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [Of course you want someone special to love you. A majority of the people who write to me inquire about how they can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/of-course-you-want-someone-special-to-love-you-a-majority-of-the/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [It's still true that literary works by women, gays, and writers of color are often framed as specific, rather than universal, small rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/it-s-still-true-that-literary-works-by-women-gays-and-writers-of/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [My whole life sort of ended when my mom died.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/my-whole-life-sort-of-ended-when-my-mom-died/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“And you have to do it no matter what is true. No matter what is hard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/and-you-have-to-do-it-no-matter-what-is-true-no-matter-what-is-hard/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“Don’t listen to those people who suggest you should be “over” your daughter’s death by now. The people who squawk the loudest about such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/don-t-listen-to-those-people-who-suggest-you-should-be-over-your/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“. . . there was the actual doing it, quickly followed by the grim realization of what it meant to do it, followed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/there-was-the-actual-doing-it-quickly-followed-by-the-grim/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“The sky didn't wonder where it was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/the-sky-didn-t-wonder-where-it-was/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [He was the most ordinary man in all the world, and yet in her memory he'd become luminous, like the prince in a fairy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/he-was-the-most-ordinary-man-in-all-the-world-and-yet-in-her-memory/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [Love is our essential nutrient. Without it, life has little meaning. It's the best thing we have to give and the most valuable thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/love-is-our-essential-nutrient-without-it-life-has-little-meaning-it/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“I never believed the boys were angry. I believed they were hurt and anger was the safest manifestation of their sorrow. It was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/i-never-believed-the-boys-were-angry-i-believed-they-were-hurt-and/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“It’s wrong that this is required of you. It’s wrong that your son died. It will always be wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/it-s-wrong-that-this-is-required-of-you-it-s-wrong-that-your-son-died/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“Your ultimatum is simple. It’s fair. And it’s stating your own intentions, not what you hope theirs will be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/your-ultimatum-is-simple-it-s-fair-and-it-s-stating-your-own/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“We aren't poor," my mother said, again and again. "Because we're rich in love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/we-aren-t-poor-my-mother-said-again-and-again-because-we-re-rich-in/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) [Explore all 450 Cheryl Strayed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) [Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/) > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I got an abortion and learned how to make dehydrated tuna flakes and turkey jerky and took a refresher course on basic first aid and practiced using my water purifier in my kitchen sink. 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