--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I grew up in a household where we didn't…" description: "\"I grew up in a household where we didn't really talk about our feelings, and where the only reason you went to a doctor was because you'd accidentally ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03d/jodi-picoult-45_chains_i-grew-up-in-a-household-where-we-didn-t_1029778.jpg" --- # I grew up in a household where we didn't really talk about… ![“I grew up in a household where we didn't really talk about our feelings, and where the only reason you went to a doctor was because you'd accidentally cut off a limb with a chain saw.” quote by Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03d/jodi-picoult-45_chains_i-grew-up-in-a-household-where-we-didn-t_1029778.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03d/jodi-picoult-45_chains_i-grew-up-in-a-household-where-we-didn-t_1029778.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03d/jodi-picoult-45_chains_i-grew-up-in-a-household-where-we-didn-t_1029778.jpg) > “I grew up in a household where we didn't really talk about our feelings, and where the only reason you went to a doctor was because you'd accidentally cut off a limb with a chain saw.” [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A childhood lacking emotional openness can shape how we handle vulnerability and seek help later in life. **In simple terms:** Emotional silence in family affects later openness. Key Takeaway Recognize and express feelings early. Themes family dynamics emotional health communication vulnerability Mood reflective somber Type personal reflective When to use this quote - parenting - therapy - self‑reflection - relationship building Key Concepts psychology attachment theory Questions to Reflect On - How did your upbringing affect your emotional expression? - What steps can you take to foster openness now? A Different Perspective Emotional openness may be limited by cultural norms. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chains/) [Doctors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctors/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) ## Related quotes > [A surgeon will cut off a limb in order to protect the body from disease. And a commander-in-chief should pull out of a war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-huffington/a-surgeon-will-cut-off-a-limb-in-order-to-protect-the-body-from/) [Michael Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-huffington/) > [I like to play basketball. Sometimes if someone takes that away from you, you've got to get in your feelings for a reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-gobert/i-like-to-play-basketball-sometimes-if-someone-takes-that-away-from/) [Rudy Gobert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-gobert/) > [“They exchanged information about their feelings for the same reason they exchanged information about their actions when they were hunting and fighting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-exchanged-information-about-their-feelings-for-the-same-reason/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If every decision would reflect our feelings as well as our reason, the world would be a better place to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-polis-schutz/if-every-decision-would-reflect-our-feelings-as-well-as-our-reason/) [Susan Polis Schutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-polis-schutz/) > [It is always better to maintain communication with an individual rather than harbouring ill feelings against them for any reason. This helps not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/it-is-always-better-to-maintain-communication-with-an-individual/) Mak\_786 > [Mankind are governed more by their feelings than by reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/mankind-are-governed-more-by-their-feelings-than-by-reason/) [Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/) > [You're unwilling to go out on a limb because it just might break underneath you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/you-re-unwilling-to-go-out-on-a-limb-because-it-just-might-break/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [By the time we went to Doctor Simon I think Barney had been totally disabled for at least six months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-hill/by-the-time-we-went-to-doctor-simon-i-think-barney-had-been-totally/) [Betty Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-hill/) > [I went to the doctor on the advice of some people that work closely with me and found out that I was suffering from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-toney/i-went-to-the-doctor-on-the-advice-of-some-people-that-work-closely/) [James Toney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-toney/) > [I went to my doctor and asked for something for persistent wind. He gave me a kite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-dawson/i-went-to-my-doctor-and-asked-for-something-for-persistent-wind-he/) [Les Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-dawson/) > [Went to the doctor today and hear she is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/went-to-the-doctor-today-and-hear-she-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I had a big lump in my throat, I could see it and I didn't do anything about it. Eventually, I went to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peaches/i-had-a-big-lump-in-my-throat-i-could-see-it-and-i-didn-t-do-anything/) [Peaches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peaches/) > [It started last year, during the summer. I went to the doctor and they found out it was kidney stones, so they had surgery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-phillips/it-started-last-year-during-the-summer-i-went-to-the-doctor-and-they/) [Phillip Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-phillips/) > [I realized that I had a serious problem with depression, and I went to a doctor and he gave me some medication.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-summer/i-realized-that-i-had-a-serious-problem-with-depression-and-i-went-to/) [Donna Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-summer/) > [“She escaped from the schools when she turned eighteen. And she went on to be a Doctor, because the only way to fight what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-bobet/she-escaped-from-the-schools-when-she-turned-eighteen-and-she-went-on/) [Leah Bobet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-bobet/) ## More by Jodi Picoult > [You get through it, you just never get over it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/you-get-through-it-you-just-never-get-over-it/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Let me guess," Eric says, "You never meant for it to happen." "Hell, yes, I did. I've wanted her since you two started dating."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/let-me-guess-eric-says-you-never-meant-for-it-to-happen-hell-yes-i/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“It’s the difference between dancing along the eggshell crust of acquaintance and diving into the messy center of a relationship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/it-s-the-difference-between-dancing-along-the-eggshell-crust-of/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Because hate's just the flip side of love. Like heads and tails on a dime. If you don't know what it feels like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/because-hate-s-just-the-flip-side-of-love-like-heads-and-tails-on-a/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Some women are meant to change the world, while others are meant to hold it together. And then there are those of us who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/some-women-are-meant-to-change-the-world-while-others-are-meant-to/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [I love feeling loved. I don't love knowing that I will always come in second place. I love the fact that at least sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-love-feeling-loved-i-don-t-love-knowing-that-i-will-always-come-in/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Music is the language of memory”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/music-is-the-language-of-memory/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [But there is a different between mending someone who's broken and finding someone who makes you complete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/but-there-is-a-different-between-mending-someone-who-s-broken-and/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“sometimes words are not big enough to contain all the feelings you are trying to pour into them. My”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/sometimes-words-are-not-big-enough-to-contain-all-the-feelings-you/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“The age wasn't as important as the milestones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-age-wasn-t-as-important-as-the-milestones/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [The night is falling down around us. Meteors rain like fireworks, quick rips in the seam of the dark... Every second, another streak of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-night-is-falling-down-around-us-meteors-rain-like-fireworks-quick/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“When she had packed all the artifacts that made up their personal history into liquor store boxes, the house became strictly a feminine place.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/when-she-had-packed-all-the-artifacts-that-made-up-their-personal/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/maybe-who-we-are-isn-t-so-much-about-what-we-do-but-rather-what-we-re/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Here's what I hadn't realized : the mother you haven't seen for almost 36 years isn't your mother. She is a stranger. Sharing DNA…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/here-s-what-i-hadn-t-realized-the-mother-you-haven-t-seen-for-almost/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [My brother believed in all sorts of mythical creatures: pixies, dragons, werewolves, honest men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/my-brother-believed-in-all-sorts-of-mythical-creatures-pixies-dragons/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) [Explore all 2,062 Jodi Picoult quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## More Chains quotes > [Unchecked, the new tolerance will sooner or later put many people in chains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/unchecked-the-new-tolerance-will-sooner-or-later-put-many-people-in/) [D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/) > [Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somewhere-somebody-must-have-some-sense-men-must-see-that-force/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [The Chains of conformity click in tiresomely monotonous unison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-sweet/the-chains-of-conformity-click-in-tiresomely-monotonous-unison/) [Leonard Sweet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-sweet/) > [The dark ages still reign over all humanity, and the depth and persistence of this domination are only now becoming clear. This Dark Ages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/the-dark-ages-still-reign-over-all-humanity-and-the-depth-and/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) > [I don't have a huge amount of gear, but on the software side, I have a number of plug-in chains that act as abstracted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-hopkins/i-don-t-have-a-huge-amount-of-gear-but-on-the-software-side-i-have-a/) [Jon Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-hopkins/) > [We don't have a farm-to-table food safety system. I keep saying this. It came as a big surprise to the FDA that tomatoes were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-nestle/we-don-t-have-a-farm-to-table-food-safety-system-i-keep-saying-this/) [Marion Nestle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-nestle/) > [So many times we come to Jesus in worship and ask Him for things that He already IS and has already done... What a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-nockels/so-many-times-we-come-to-jesus-in-worship-and-ask-him-for-things-that/) Christy Nockels > [How can I set free anyone who doesn't have the guts to stand up alone and declare his own freedom? I think it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/how-can-i-set-free-anyone-who-doesn-t-have-the-guts-to-stand-up-alone/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) > [I'm bigger than you! I'm higher on the food chain - get in my belly!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-myers/i-m-bigger-than-you-i-m-higher-on-the-food-chain-get-in-my-belly/) [Mike Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-myers/) > [The chains will fall off freely, no more worries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dl-watson/the-chains-will-fall-off-freely-no-more-worries/) DL WATSON > [I am ever mindful of the legacy of my grandfather, the founder of this Kingdom, who had said to me that he perceived his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-hussein-i/i-am-ever-mindful-of-the-legacy-of-my-grandfather-the-founder-of-this/) [King Hussein I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-hussein-i/) > [Think about it: we went into slavery pagans; we came out Christians. We went into slavery pieces of property; we came out American citizens.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/think-about-it-we-went-into-slavery-pagans-we-came-out-christians-we/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [To one who is accustomed to thinking a lot, every new thought that he hears or reads about immediately appears as a link in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/to-one-who-is-accustomed-to-thinking-a-lot-every-new-thought-that-he/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Man's ethics must not end with man, but should extend to the universe. He must regain the consciousness of the great Chain of Life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/man-s-ethics-must-not-end-with-man-but-should-extend-to-the-universe/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [To sigh, yet feel no pain; To weep, yet scarce know why; To sport an hour with Beauty's chain, Then throw it idly by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/to-sigh-yet-feel-no-pain-to-weep-yet-scarce-know-why-to-sport-an-hour/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) [Browse all 1,639 Chains quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chains/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I grew up in a household where we didn't really talk about our feelings, and where the only reason you went to a doctor was because you'd accidentally cut off a limb with a chain saw.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jodi Picoult" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-grew-up-in-a-household-where-we-didn-t-really-talk-about-our/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chains" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-grew-up-in-a-household-where-we-didn-t-really-talk-about-our/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03d/jodi-picoult-45_chains_i-grew-up-in-a-household-where-we-didn-t_1029778.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03d/jodi-picoult-45_chains_i-grew-up-in-a-household-where-we-didn-t_1029778.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03d/jodi-picoult-45_chains_i-grew-up-in-a-household-where-we-didn-t_1029778.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I grew up in a household where we didn't really talk about our feelings, and where the only reason you went…” — Jodi Picoult", "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": "Jodi Picoult", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I grew up in a household...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-grew-up-in-a-household-where-we-didn-t-really-talk-about-our/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-grew-up-in-a-household-where-we-didn-t-really-talk-about-our/#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 } } ] } ```