--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Lacy truly believed that when you asked a…" description: "\"“Lacy truly believed that when you asked a patient How do you feel?, what was wrong wasn’t nearly as important as what was right.”\" — Jodi Picoult" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a8/jodi-picoult-45_patience_lacy-truly-believed-that-when-you-asked_154447.jpg" --- # Lacy truly believed that when you asked a patient How do… ![“Lacy truly believed that when you asked a patient How do you feel?, what was wrong wasn’t nearly as important as what was right.” quote by Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a8/jodi-picoult-45_patience_lacy-truly-believed-that-when-you-asked_154447.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a8/jodi-picoult-45_patience_lacy-truly-believed-that-when-you-asked_154447.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a8/jodi-picoult-45_patience_lacy-truly-believed-that-when-you-asked_154447.jpg) > ““Lacy truly believed that when you asked a patient How do you feel?, what was wrong wasn’t nearly as important as what was right.”” [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. Focusing on a patient’s strengths reveals more than their problems. **In simple terms:** Right side matters more than wrong side. Key Takeaway Prioritize positive aspects in care. Themes healthcare strengths patient focus Mood empathetic supportive Type clinical inspirational When to use this quote - clinical practice - mental health - well‑being programs Key Concepts positive psychology holistic treatment Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance strengths and problems? - What techniques help identify patient strengths? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on positives may ignore serious issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) ## Related quotes > [Doc just asked a patient, "So besides being pregnant, do you have any other medical problems?" ...didn't realize pregnancy was a "problem."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/doc-just-asked-a-patient-so-besides-being-pregnant-do-you-have-any/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The physician had asked the patient to read aloud a paragraph from the statutes of Trinity College, Dublin. ‘It shall be in the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/the-physician-had-asked-the-patient-to-read-aloud-a-paragraph-from/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [“Once, Lacy had been present at the birth of an infant that was missing half its heart. The family had known their child would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/once-lacy-had-been-present-at-the-birth-of-an-infant-that-was-missing/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [As Lacy waited for her turn to speak on Peter's behalf, she thought back to the first time she realized she could hate her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/as-lacy-waited-for-her-turn-to-speak-on-peter-s-behalf-she-thought/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [When you look into your baby’s eyes,” Lacy said softly, “you see everything you hope they can be…not everything you wish they won’t become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/when-you-look-into-your-baby-s-eyes-lacy-said-softly-you-see/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“She had smiled her way through the births and had offered the new mothers the support and the medical care that they needed, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/she-had-smiled-her-way-through-the-births-and-had-offered-the-new/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Lacy took the box she’d brought up from the basement and placed each item inside. Here was the crime scene: look at what was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/lacy-took-the-box-she-d-brought-up-from-the-basement-and-placed-each/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“In reality, Lacy realized, this dividing line between her and Peter had been there for years. If you kept your chin up, you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/in-reality-lacy-realized-this-dividing-line-between-her-and-peter-had/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [The thing with cancer is that it's usually the chemo rather than the disease itself that makes the patient feel so ill, particularly at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hoggart/the-thing-with-cancer-is-that-it-s-usually-the-chemo-rather-than-the/) [Amy Hoggart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hoggart/) > [When somebody is that patient, you have to feel grateful, and then you want to hurt them. Does that make any sense?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/when-somebody-is-that-patient-you-have-to-feel-grateful-and-then-you/) [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) > [“It is too disturbing for the patient to feel sexually attracted to his mother; in a last-ditch effort, the resistance disguises the feelings as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-a-mitchell/it-is-too-disturbing-for-the-patient-to-feel-sexually-attracted-to/) [Stephen A. Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-a-mitchell/) > [I try to be patient. I feel like the point of art is to go down within yourself and to pop up into other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-morrison/i-try-to-be-patient-i-feel-like-the-point-of-art-is-to-go-down-within/) [Travis Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-morrison/) > [For over 25 years, Lacy Clay has been a powerful voice for working families and a tireless advocate for the people of St. Louis.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-nixon/for-over-25-years-lacy-clay-has-been-a-powerful-voice-for-working/) [Jay Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-nixon/) > [The lacy fight was a career defining fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-calzaghe/the-lacy-fight-was-a-career-defining-fight/) [Joe Calzaghe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-calzaghe/) > [“I found a lacy red bra she left behind that fell by her bedside. Not to seem too Edward Cullen but I brought it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-strycharz/i-found-a-lacy-red-bra-she-left-behind-that-fell-by-her-bedside-not/) Nicole Strycharz ## 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 Patience quotes > [Many patients imagine that they have tried everything. True, they have used many remedies, but they have never had the cause of their infirmity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-d-palmer/many-patients-imagine-that-they-have-tried-everything-true-they-have/) [Daniel D. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-d-palmer/) > [Dating someone on the opposite end of the happy spectrum teaches you an incredible amount of patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/dating-someone-on-the-opposite-end-of-the-happy-spectrum-teaches-you/) [Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/) > [I am fairly tired--bored beyond endurance--by the world we live in, and its ideals, and am ready to say so, not violently, but kindly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/i-am-fairly-tired-bored-beyond-endurance-by-the-world-we-live-in-and/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [The faster you go, the shorter you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-faster-you-go-the-shorter-you-are/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [We're on the road 300 days a year. There's no recovery time. It's a test of your physical and mental endurance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-phoenix/we-re-on-the-road-300-days-a-year-there-s-no-recovery-time-it-s-a/) [Beth Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-phoenix/) > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [“Here is my procedure for a saliva test: Prepare 7 strips of pH paper. Take a baseline pH reading. Have the patient drink 10cc…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ameer-rosic/here-is-my-procedure-for-a-saliva-test-prepare-7-strips-of-ph-paper/) Ameer Rosic > [“There is no time for patience - there is no time for diplomacy - there is no time for policies, legislations and meaningless paperwork.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/there-is-no-time-for-patience-there-is-no-time-for-diplomacy-there-is/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Grace is the wonderful spirit that imbues every fiber of our being when we practice the fruits of the spirit: kindness, patience, understanding, forgiveness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-cayce/grace-is-the-wonderful-spirit-that-imbues-every-fiber-of-our-being/) [Edgar Cayce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-cayce/) > [“Prayer of an Anonymous Abbess: Lord, thou knowest better than myself that I am growing older and will soon be old. Keep me from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/prayer-of-an-anonymous-abbess-lord-thou-knowest-better-than-myself/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every patient carries her or his own doctor inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/every-patient-carries-her-or-his-own-doctor-inside/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [Character never quits; and with patience and persistence; Dreams do come true!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-maravich/character-never-quits-and-with-patience-and-persistence-dreams-do/) [Pete Maravich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-maravich/) > [I don't know about writing. It's quite lonely. You have to have a lot of patience with yourself. I don't know if I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-wilson/i-don-t-know-about-writing-it-s-quite-lonely-you-have-to-have-a-lot/) [Ruth Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-wilson/) > [There are few husbands whom the wife cannot win in the long run, by patience and love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-of-valois/there-are-few-husbands-whom-the-wife-cannot-win-in-the-long-run-by/) [Margaret of Valois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-of-valois/) > [God has perfect timing...Never early...never late...It takes a little patience...It takes a lot of faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-has-perfect-timing-never-early-never-late-it-takes-a-little/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 7,997 Patience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Lacy truly believed that when you asked a patient How do you feel?, what was wrong wasn’t nearly as important as what was right.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jodi Picoult" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/lacy-truly-believed-that-when-you-asked-a-patient-how-do-you-feel/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Patience" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/lacy-truly-believed-that-when-you-asked-a-patient-how-do-you-feel/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a8/jodi-picoult-45_patience_lacy-truly-believed-that-when-you-asked_154447.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a8/jodi-picoult-45_patience_lacy-truly-believed-that-when-you-asked_154447.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a8/jodi-picoult-45_patience_lacy-truly-believed-that-when-you-asked_154447.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Lacy truly believed that when you asked a patient How do you feel?, what was wrong wasn’t nearly as…” — 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": "“Lacy truly believed that when you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/lacy-truly-believed-that-when-you-asked-a-patient-how-do-you-feel/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/lacy-truly-believed-that-when-you-asked-a-patient-how-do-you-feel/#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 } } ] } ```