--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I asked a nurse for dental floss and was…" description: "\"“I asked a nurse for dental floss and was told that I am not allowed dental floss. Apparently dental floss can be used for several functions besides th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87b/emily-austin-52282_corn_i-asked-a-nurse-for-dental-floss-and-was_1206177.jpg" --- # I asked a nurse for dental floss and was told that I am… ![“I asked a nurse for dental floss and was told that I am not allowed dental floss. Apparently dental floss can be used for several functions besides the maintenance of healthy gums. These apparently include self-harm. When instructed that I was not permitted dental floss because of “risks it raises…” quote by Emily Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87b/emily-austin-52282_corn_i-asked-a-nurse-for-dental-floss-and-was_1206177.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87b/emily-austin-52282_corn_i-asked-a-nurse-for-dental-floss-and-was_1206177.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87b/emily-austin-52282_corn_i-asked-a-nurse-for-dental-floss-and-was_1206177.jpg) > ““I asked a nurse for dental floss and was told that I am not allowed dental floss. Apparently dental floss can be used for several functions besides the maintenance of healthy gums. These apparently include self-harm. When instructed that I was not permitted dental floss because of “risks it raises associated with suicide” I envisioned a noose made entirely of floss. Realizing such a noose would require a dramatic amount of floss to effectively uphold any human person, I brought it to the attention of a nurse. “I don’t believe that even the most practiced engineers could fashion any functioning noose out of a single container of floss,” I say. “People use it to cut themselves,” she explained. “Oh,” I replied. I had just about come to terms with the no-floss rule until the hospital, in a flagrant display of disrespect for its patients, chose to serve us corn on the cob for lunch. “Are you aware that we are not allowed dental floss?” I yelled at the nurse bringing me the corn. I then threw the corn violently from my plate into the nearest wall.”” [Emily Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-austin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Restrictive policies on simple items can lead to frustration and extreme reactions, highlighting tension between safety concerns and personal autonomy. **In simple terms:** Over‑regulation of everyday tools can provoke anger and conflict. Key Takeaway Advocate for clear, evidence‑based guidelines. Themes patient rights hospital policy mental health risk management personal autonomy Mood frustrated assertive critical Type policy critique personal narrative healthcare. When to use this quote - hospital settings - patient‑nurse interactions - policy compliance challenges Key Concepts ethics behavioral health institutional trust Questions to Reflect On - Are blanket prohibitions effective for safety? - How can institutions address patient concerns without compromising care? A Different Perspective Strict bans may overlook practical necessity and cause unintended harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Corn on the cob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corn-on-the-cob/) [Dental floss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dental-floss/) [Hospital](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hospital/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Humorous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humorous/) [Humour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humour/) ## Related quotes > [You know, sometimes a man just can't satisfy all of a woman's desires. Which is why God invented dental floss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-sometimes-a-man-just-can-t-satisfy-all-of-a-woman-s-desires/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No wonder he has such nice teeth. They probably pay him in dental floss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janette-rallison/no-wonder-he-has-such-nice-teeth-they-probably-pay-him-in-dental-floss/) [Janette Rallison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janette-rallison/) > [“Dying is easy, getting the dental floss off your finger and into the trash is hard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregor-collins/dying-is-easy-getting-the-dental-floss-off-your-finger-and-into-the/) [Gregor Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregor-collins/) > [There's nothing slutty about a dental-floss bikini. You don't even think about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sofia-vergara/there-s-nothing-slutty-about-a-dental-floss-bikini-you-don-t-even/) [Sofia Vergara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sofia-vergara/) > [I wrote a song about dental floss but did anyone's teeth get cleaner?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/i-wrote-a-song-about-dental-floss-but-did-anyone-s-teeth-get-cleaner/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [Of course I'm funky like fat people having intercourse. Basically, the funk is stuck in your teeth...so get the dental floss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/redman/of-course-i-m-funky-like-fat-people-having-intercourse-basically-the/) [Redman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/redman/) > [Would I rather be dental floss or a toothbrush? is that a question? Um, I would actually rather be floss, I think, if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-mcadams/would-i-rather-be-dental-floss-or-a-toothbrush-is-that-a-question-um/) [Rachel McAdams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-mcadams/) > [Nothing rekindles my spirits, gives comfort to my heart and mind, more than a visit to Mississippi... and to be regaled as I often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/nothing-rekindles-my-spirits-gives-comfort-to-my-heart-and-mind-more/) [Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/) > [July is hollyhocks and hammocks, fireworks and vacations, hot and steamy weather, cool and refreshing swims, beach picnics, and vegetables all out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-hersey/july-is-hollyhocks-and-hammocks-fireworks-and-vacations-hot-and/) [Jean Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-hersey/) > [If you're traveling in a time machine, and you're eating corn on the cob, I don't think it's going to affect things one way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/if-you-re-traveling-in-a-time-machine-and-you-re-eating-corn-on-the/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [“He wasn’t fond of vegetables aside from corn on the cob, hated anything green unless it was a gummy bear, and basically had the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-shalvis/he-wasn-t-fond-of-vegetables-aside-from-corn-on-the-cob-hated/) [Jill Shalvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-shalvis/) > [When I was growing up, we went to Musikfest every year, and I have vivid memories of the corn on the cob. I'm going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-carpenter/when-i-was-growing-up-we-went-to-musikfest-every-year-and-i-have/) [Sabrina Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-carpenter/) > [“As they wove their way through the crowded street, they passed numerous barbecue tents, the focus of the festival, after all. Inside the tents,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/as-they-wove-their-way-through-the-crowded-street-they-passed/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [My father was a preacher in Maryland and we had crab feasts - with corn on the cob, but no beer, being Methodist -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-amos/my-father-was-a-preacher-in-maryland-and-we-had-crab-feasts-with-corn/) [Tori Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-amos/) > [I needed a capo - a clamp to hold down the strings - so my daddy made me one out of a corn on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-campbell/i-needed-a-capo-a-clamp-to-hold-down-the-strings-so-my-daddy-made-me/) [Glen Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-campbell/) ## More by Emily Austin > [“The bus I am riding on must be on its way to a garbage convention. Never before has a more rancid assemblage of people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-austin/the-bus-i-am-riding-on-must-be-on-its-way-to-a-garbage-convention/) [Emily Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-austin/) > [“I have to share a room. I am expected to sleep mere meters from a woman whose mental ailment is unknown to me. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-austin/i-have-to-share-a-room-i-am-expected-to-sleep-mere-meters-from-a/) [Emily Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-austin/) > [“Her teeth and lips are tinted purple from the Kool-Aid. Mine are probably purple too, but I can’t see them. You can’t see your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-austin/her-teeth-and-lips-are-tinted-purple-from-the-kool-aid-mine-are/) [Emily Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-austin/) > [“Ivy’s taken me to her parent’s house... I was originally lured into her car with the promise of a burrito. Ivy did not mention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-austin/ivy-s-taken-me-to-her-parent-s-house-i-was-originally-lured-into-her/) [Emily Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-austin/) > [“As it turns out, my acceptance of the heroin addict’s invitation to party may have been a case of poor judgement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-austin/as-it-turns-out-my-acceptance-of-the-heroin-addict-s-invitation-to/) [emily austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-austin/) > [“I’d rather be me now, than me any age prior. But there is this heaviness to aging. Who I am was built on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-austin/i-d-rather-be-me-now-than-me-any-age-prior-but-there-is-this/) [Emily Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-austin/) [Explore all 7 Emily Austin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-austin/) ## More Corn quotes > [My father kept me busy from dawn to dusk when I was a kid. When I wasn't pitching hay, hauling corn or running a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-feller/my-father-kept-me-busy-from-dawn-to-dusk-when-i-was-a-kid-when-i-wasn/) [Bob Feller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-feller/) > [Before the world was made, when it was only darkness and mist and waters, God was well aware of Lake Wobegon, my family, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/before-the-world-was-made-when-it-was-only-darkness-and-mist-and/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [Believe it or not, Mexican cooking, for those of you who have not gone farther south than Taco Bell, uses a lot of vegetables.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/believe-it-or-not-mexican-cooking-for-those-of-you-who-have-not-gone/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [Growing corn, which from a biological perspective had always been a process of capturing sunlight to turn into food, has in no small measure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/growing-corn-which-from-a-biological-perspective-had-always-been-a/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [She may be lying in bed reading a book, she may be making love with a prize fighter, or she may be running like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/she-may-be-lying-in-bed-reading-a-book-she-may-be-making-love-with-a/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [From cheesecake on a stick to meat skewers to deep-fried bananas on a stick - there are no plates anymore. In Los Angeles, everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-carell/from-cheesecake-on-a-stick-to-meat-skewers-to-deep-fried-bananas-on-a/) [Steve Carell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-carell/) > [“...is it really true that we can't afford one attack helicopter's worth of seed corn to listen to the stars?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/is-it-really-true-that-we-can-t-afford-one-attack-helicopter-s-worth/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Hunger makes you restless. you dream about food - not just any food, but perfect food, the best food, magical meals, famous and awe-inspiring,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/hunger-makes-you-restless-you-dream-about-food-not-just-any-food-but/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [...Mr. Wodehouse is a prose stylist of such startling talent that Frankie nearly skipped around with glee when she first read some of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/mr-wodehouse-is-a-prose-stylist-of-such-startling-talent-that-frankie/) [E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/) > [Heaven above was blue, and earth beneath was green; the river glistened like a path of diamonds in the sun; the birds poured forth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/heaven-above-was-blue-and-earth-beneath-was-green-the-river-glistened/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [I give boring people something to discuss over corn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-bender/i-give-boring-people-something-to-discuss-over-corn/) [Aimee Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-bender/) > [Written in support of abolishing the Corn Laws, it became Elliott's most famous poem. The Peoples Anthem When wilt thou save the people Oh,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ebenezer-elliott/written-in-support-of-abolishing-the-corn-laws-it-became-elliott-s/) [Ebenezer Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ebenezer-elliott/) > [Our typical Western diet is full of inflammatory fats - saturated fats, trans fats, too many omega-6, inflammatory, processed vegetable oils like soy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/our-typical-western-diet-is-full-of-inflammatory-fats-saturated-fats/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Just as Americans have discovered the hidden energy costs in a multitude of products-in refrigerating a steak, for example, on its way to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-adler/just-as-americans-have-discovered-the-hidden-energy-costs-in-a/) Jerry Adler > [“Before the corn comes up you can see a long way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shon-hopwood/before-the-corn-comes-up-you-can-see-a-long-way/) Shon Hopwood Browse all 491 Corn quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I asked a nurse for dental floss and was told that I am not allowed dental floss. Apparently dental floss can be used for several functions besides the maintenance of healthy gums. These apparently include self-harm. When instructed that I was not permitted dental floss because of “risks it raises associated with suicide” I envisioned a noose made entirely of floss. Realizing such a noose would require a dramatic amount of floss to effectively uphold any human person, I brought it to the attention of a nurse. “I don’t believe that even the most practiced engineers could fashion any functioning noose out of a single container of floss,” I say. “People use it to cut themselves,” she explained. “Oh,” I replied. I had just about come to terms with the no-floss rule until the hospital, in a flagrant display of disrespect for its patients, chose to serve us corn on the cob for lunch. “Are you aware that we are not allowed dental floss?” I yelled at the nurse bringing me the corn. 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