--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is a curious thing that happens…" description: "\"There is a curious thing that happens with the passage of time: a calcification of character... Change isn't always for the worst; the shell that forms..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/jodi-picoult-45_change_there-is-a-curious-thing-that-happens-wi_2661684.jpg" --- # There is a curious thing that happens with the passage of… ![“There is a curious thing that happens with the passage of time: a calcification of character... Change isn't always for the worst; the shell that forms around a piece of sand looks to some people like an irritation, and to others, like a pearl.” quote by Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/jodi-picoult-45_change_there-is-a-curious-thing-that-happens-wi_2661684.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/jodi-picoult-45_change_there-is-a-curious-thing-that-happens-wi_2661684.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/jodi-picoult-45_change_there-is-a-curious-thing-that-happens-wi_2661684.jpg) > “There is a curious thing that happens with the passage of time: a calcification of character... Change isn't always for the worst; the shell that forms around a piece of sand looks to some people like an irritation, and to others, like a pearl.” [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. Time can harden character, forming protective layers that may be seen as irritations or valuable pearls, depending on perspective. **In simple terms:** Character calcifies over time, becoming either irritant or pearl. Key Takeaway Recognize and reshape hardened traits into strengths. Themes growth time character Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal development - leadership - mental health - creative writing Key Concepts psychology metaphor Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of yourself feel hardened? - How can you transform irritation into value? A Different Perspective Hardening may lead to rigidity, resisting necessary change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Character change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-change/) [Irritation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irritation/) [Passage of time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passage-of-time/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Change isn't always for the worst; the shell that forms around a piece of sand looks to some people like an irritation., and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/change-isn-t-always-for-the-worst-the-shell-that-forms-around-a-piece/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“the shell that forms around a piece of sand looks to some people like an irritation, and to others, like a pearl.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-shell-that-forms-around-a-piece-of-sand-looks-to-some-people-like/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Calcification is the hardening of body tissues by calcium salts or deposits. Although calcification itself is not considered a disease, it has been shown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wolfe/calcification-is-the-hardening-of-body-tissues-by-calcium-salts-or/) [David Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wolfe/) > [I can never get over when you're on the beach how beautiful the sand looks and the water washes it away and straightens it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-can-never-get-over-when-you-re-on-the-beach-how-beautiful-the-sand/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [Sacredness grew like a pearl, sometimes around the most unlikely bits of grit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-m-stirling/sacredness-grew-like-a-pearl-sometimes-around-the-most-unlikely-bits/) [S.M. Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-m-stirling/) > [I don't worry too much about the script, I just ad lib, like Pearl Bailey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahalia-jackson/i-don-t-worry-too-much-about-the-script-i-just-ad-lib-like-pearl/) [Mahalia Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahalia-jackson/) > [True joy of nature is when every drop of water shines like a pearl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anamika-mishra/true-joy-of-nature-is-when-every-drop-of-water-shines-like-a-pearl/) [Anamika Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anamika-mishra/) > [Fats - very funny man, but every note that he played was like a pearl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-taylor/fats-very-funny-man-but-every-note-that-he-played-was-like-a-pearl/) [Cecil Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-taylor/) > [“In the sea of my emotions, his presence is like a pearl in the oyster. Very hard to locate, yet very precious and still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehek-bassi/in-the-sea-of-my-emotions-his-presence-is-like-a-pearl-in-the-oyster/) [Mehek Bassi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehek-bassi/) > [“Pearl was hurring around my apartment, sniffing everything, including Rich Beaumont and Patty Giacomin, which neither of them like much. "Can you get Pearl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/pearl-was-hurring-around-my-apartment-sniffing-everything-including/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [Men have to have heroes, but no man can ever be as big as the need, and so a legend grows around a grain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/men-have-to-have-heroes-but-no-man-can-ever-be-as-big-as-the-need-and/) [Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/) > [You don't have to see 'X' to like 'Pearl,' it enriches it if you do. And you don't have to see 'Pearl' to like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ti-west/you-don-t-have-to-see-x-to-like-pearl-it-enriches-it-if-you-do-and/) [Ti West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ti-west/) > [“A burned-out face trying not to break open at the horror he has seen. The way they look at you, those poor broken men;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sean-greer/a-burned-out-face-trying-not-to-break-open-at-the-horror-he-has-seen/) [Andrew Sean Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sean-greer/) > [Does love always form, like a pearl, around the hardened bits of life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sean-greer/does-love-always-form-like-a-pearl-around-the-hardened-bits-of-life/) [Andrew Sean Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sean-greer/) > [“Great art, I've always felt, is like a pearl; thousands of layers of creativity and sensibility built up around an inner core of money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-j-parker/great-art-i-ve-always-felt-is-like-a-pearl-thousands-of-layers-of/) [K.J. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-j-parker/) ## 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 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 > [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": "There is a curious thing that happens with the passage of time: a calcification of character... 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