--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The standards for what is \"normal\" have…" description: "\"“The standards for what is \"normal\" have become so formalized and yet so restrictive that people need a break from that horrible feeling of never being..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/062/emily-rapp-48724_change_the-standards-for-what-is-normal-have-be_2042098.jpg" --- # The standards for what is "normal" have become so… ![“The standards for what is "normal" have become so formalized and yet so restrictive that people need a break from that horrible feeling of never being able to measure up to whatever it is they think will make them acceptable to other people and therefore to themselves. People get sick with this…” quote by Emily Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/062/emily-rapp-48724_change_the-standards-for-what-is-normal-have-be_2042098.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/062/emily-rapp-48724_change_the-standards-for-what-is-normal-have-be_2042098.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/062/emily-rapp-48724_change_the-standards-for-what-is-normal-have-be_2042098.jpg) > ““The standards for what is "normal" have become so formalized and yet so restrictive that people need a break from that horrible feeling of never being able to measure up to whatever it is they think will make them acceptable to other people and therefore to themselves. People get sick with this idea of change; I have been sick with it. We search for transformation in retreats, juice fasts, drugs and alcohol, obsessive exercise, extreme sports, sex. We are all trying to escape our existence, hoping that a better version of us is waiting just behind that promotion, that perfect relationship, that award or accolade, that musical performance, that dress size, that raucous night at a party, that hot night with a new lover. Everyone needs to be pursuing something, right? Otherwise, who are we? How about, quite simply, people? How about human?”” [Emily Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-rapp/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques how society’s rigid standards of normalcy create relentless pressure to improve, leading people to chase endless transformations through extreme means, yet never feeling truly acceptable. **In simple terms:** Society forces us to constantly try to be better, causing anxiety and unhealthy coping. Key Takeaway Recognize and reject unrealistic standards; embrace authentic self. Themes self‑esteem societal pressure mental health authenticity Mood anxious reflective hopeful Type philosophical motivational critical. When to use this quote - career advancement - relationships - fitness - creative pursuits - social media usage Key Concepts Perfectionism identity existential anxiety Questions to Reflect On - What standards are you unconsciously trying to meet? - How can you define worth beyond external achievements? A Different Perspective The pursuit of change can become an addiction, masking deeper issues of self‑acceptance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Drugs and alcohol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drugs-and-alcohol/) [Extreme sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extreme-sports/) [Musical performance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/musical-performance/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [New Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-love/) [Perfect relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect-relationship/) [Restrictive People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/restrictive-people-3806398/) [Standards Normal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/standards-normal-3806399/) [Transformation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transformation/) [Transformation Retreats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transformation-retreats-3806400/) ## Related quotes > [Typography is to literature as musical performance is to composition: an essential act of interpretation, full of endless opportunities for insight or obtuseness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bringhurst/typography-is-to-literature-as-musical-performance-is-to-composition/) [Robert Bringhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bringhurst/) > [Free improvisation, in addition to being a highly skilled musical craft, is open to use by almost anyone-beginners, children, and non-musicians. The skill and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bailey/free-improvisation-in-addition-to-being-a-highly-skilled-musical-2/) [Derek Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bailey/) > [If anyone has conducted a Beethoven performance, and then doesn't have to go to an osteopath, then there's something wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-rattle/if-anyone-has-conducted-a-beethoven-performance-and-then-doesn-t-have/) [Simon Rattle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-rattle/) > [“If the Apostle justly prohibits the use of unknown tongues in the church, much less would he have tolerated these artificial musical performances, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-beza/if-the-apostle-justly-prohibits-the-use-of-unknown-tongues-in-the/) [Theodore Beza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-beza/) > [Michael Jackson changed the format and history of music. His videos were films. He was the first who floated on the stage and changed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicky-jam/michael-jackson-changed-the-format-and-history-of-music-his-videos/) [Nicky Jam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicky-jam/) > [“Passersby looked at us curiously. In the porch, Mr. Whitman held the church door open for us. “Hurry up, please,” he said. “We don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerstin-gier/passersby-looked-at-us-curiously-in-the-porch-mr-whitman-held-the/) [Kerstin Gier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerstin-gier/) > [“The alienating effects of wealth and modernity on the human experience start virtually at birth and never let up. Infants in hunter-gatherer societies are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/the-alienating-effects-of-wealth-and-modernity-on-the-human/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [Wine is inspiring and adds greatly to the joy of living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/wine-is-inspiring-and-adds-greatly-to-the-joy-of-living/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [In terms of brain development, musical performance is every bit as important educationally as reading or writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/in-terms-of-brain-development-musical-performance-is-every-bit-as/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) > [The musical performances do more than enrich the movie; they complete it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-o-scott/the-musical-performances-do-more-than-enrich-the-movie-they-complete/) [A. O. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-o-scott/) > [“Every now and then, I need a little spark of inspiration. It could be from reading (a novel, poetry, story, news article, a blog)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-proto/every-now-and-then-i-need-a-little-spark-of-inspiration-it-could-be/) [Sandra Proto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-proto/) > [Free improvisation, in addition to being a highly skilled musical craft, is open to use by almost anyone--beginners, children, and non-musicians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bailey/free-improvisation-in-addition-to-being-a-highly-skilled-musical/) [Derek Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bailey/) > [In the circle where I was raised, I knew of no one knowledgeable in the visual arts, no one who regularly attended musical performances,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-hazzard/in-the-circle-where-i-was-raised-i-knew-of-no-one-knowledgeable-in/) [Shirley Hazzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-hazzard/) > [Clearly, the pleasures wines afford are transitory - but so are those of the ballet, or of a musical performance. Wine is inspiring and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/clearly-the-pleasures-wines-afford-are-transitory-but-so-are-those-of/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [I think 'SNL' is so well-known for its musical performances, as well, and people really breaking into America through a really great performance on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbra/i-think-snl-is-so-well-known-for-its-musical-performances-as-well-and/) [Kimbra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbra/) ## More by Emily Rapp > [ “Ronan taught me that children do not exist to honor their parents; their parents exist to honor them. \[...\] Ronan was mine but he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-rapp/ronan-taught-me-that-children-do-not-exist-to-honor-their-parents/) [Emily Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-rapp/) > [“Why are we so afraid of the body? Is it because it's a mess, unpredictable, mortal, unreliable? We take pains to perfect it, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-rapp/why-are-we-so-afraid-of-the-body-is-it-because-it-s-a-mess/) [Emily Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-rapp/) > [“And although I no longer identified with the stringency or dogma of organized Christian religion, I remained drawn to the compassion and sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-rapp/and-although-i-no-longer-identified-with-the-stringency-or-dogma-of/) [Emily Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-rapp/) > [“Tucked inside the moments of this great sadness - this feeling of being punctured, scrambling and stricken - were also moments of the brightest,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-rapp/tucked-inside-the-moments-of-this-great-sadness-this-feeling-of-being/) [Emily Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-rapp/) > [“You can, for just a moment, fuse grief like a bone, but the memory of the ability to bend lingers inside, like an itch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-rapp/you-can-for-just-a-moment-fuse-grief-like-a-bone-but-the-memory-of/) [Emily Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-rapp/) > [“Grief weighs nothing but you still have to drag it around.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-rapp/grief-weighs-nothing-but-you-still-have-to-drag-it-around/) [Emily Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-rapp/) > [If we remembered everyday that we could lose someone at any moment, we would love them more fiercely and freely, and without fear- not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-rapp/if-we-remembered-everyday-that-we-could-lose-someone-at-any-moment-we/) [Emily Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-rapp/) [Explore all 8 Emily Rapp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-rapp/) ## 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": "“The standards for what is \"normal\" have become so formalized and yet so restrictive that people need a break from that horrible feeling of never being able to measure up to whatever it is they think will make them acceptable to other people and therefore to themselves. People get sick with this idea of change; I have been sick with it. We search for transformation in retreats, juice fasts, drugs and alcohol, obsessive exercise, extreme sports, sex. We are all trying to escape our existence, hoping that a better version of us is waiting just behind that promotion, that perfect relationship, that award or accolade, that musical performance, that dress size, that raucous night at a party, that hot night with a new lover. Everyone needs to be pursuing something, right? Otherwise, who are we? How about, quite simply, people? How about human?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Emily Rapp" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-rapp/the-standards-for-what-is-normal-have-become-so-formalized-and-yet-so/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Change" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-rapp/the-standards-for-what-is-normal-have-become-so-formalized-and-yet-so/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/062/emily-rapp-48724_change_the-standards-for-what-is-normal-have-be_2042098.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/062/emily-rapp-48724_change_the-standards-for-what-is-normal-have-be_2042098.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/062/emily-rapp-48724_change_the-standards-for-what-is-normal-have-be_2042098.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The standards for what is \"normal\" have become so formalized and yet so restrictive that people need a break…” — Emily Rapp", "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": "Emily Rapp", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-rapp/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The standards for what is \"normal\"...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-rapp/the-standards-for-what-is-normal-have-become-so-formalized-and-yet-so/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-rapp/the-standards-for-what-is-normal-have-become-so-formalized-and-yet-so/#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 } } ] } ```