--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wasn't normal, and no matter how hard I…" description: "\"“I wasn't normal, and no matter how hard I tried, I was never going to be. And though I didn't hear it at the time, a small part of me exclaimed \"Good!..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b1/john-goode-11213_time_i-wasn-t-normal-and-no-matter-how-hard-i_2118924.jpg" --- # I wasn't normal, and no matter how hard I tried, I was… ![“I wasn't normal, and no matter how hard I tried, I was never going to be. And though I didn't hear it at the time, a small part of me exclaimed "Good!” quote by John Goode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b1/john-goode-11213_time_i-wasn-t-normal-and-no-matter-how-hard-i_2118924.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b1/john-goode-11213_time_i-wasn-t-normal-and-no-matter-how-hard-i_2118924.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b1/john-goode-11213_time_i-wasn-t-normal-and-no-matter-how-hard-i_2118924.jpg) > ““I wasn't normal, and no matter how hard I tried, I was never going to be. And though I didn't hear it at the time, a small part of me exclaimed "Good!”” [John Goode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goode/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Feeling abnormal and striving for acceptance leads to an inner celebration of uniqueness despite external pressures. **In simple terms:** Feeling different can become a source of pride. Key Takeaway Embrace your uniqueness. Themes self‑acceptance identity resilience growth Mood introspective hopeful empathetic Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - therapy sessions - creative writing - support groups Key Concepts personal narrative inner dialogue social pressure Questions to Reflect On - What does “good” mean in this context? - How can we support those feeling abnormal? A Different Perspective The quote may romanticize struggle without addressing systemic barriers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“At that moment I saw my duty. ‘I will assist.’ I exclaimed, ‘this good divine in his struggle to uphold those domestic virtues without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-nathan/at-that-moment-i-saw-my-duty-i-will-assist-i-exclaimed-this-good/) [Robert Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-nathan/) > [“He's going to think I tried too had." "He's going to be too busy looking at you to think of anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myra-mcentire/he-s-going-to-think-i-tried-too-had-he-s-going-to-be-too-busy-looking/) [Myra McEntire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myra-mcentire/) > [I took a fortnight off. But I'm not a great believer in breaks. I don't want to be rattling around inside my own head.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigella-lawson/i-took-a-fortnight-off-but-i-m-not-a-great-believer-in-breaks-i-don-t/) [Nigella Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigella-lawson/) > [I tried going veggie once, but it lasted about four hours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-cox/i-tried-going-veggie-once-but-it-lasted-about-four-hours/) [Sara Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-cox/) > [My parents separated it, and that let me know that TV life wasn't my normal life; that was my job and my hobby.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahj-mowry/my-parents-separated-it-and-that-let-me-know-that-tv-life-wasn-t-my/) [Tahj Mowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahj-mowry/) > ["With my desire and drive, I definitely wasn't normal. Normal people can be happy with a regular life. I was different. I felt there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-schwarzenegger/with-my-desire-and-drive-i-definitely-wasn-t-normal-normal-people-can/) [Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-schwarzenegger/) > [“Harry Potter wasn’t a normal boy. As a matter of fact, he was as not normal as it is possible to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling/harry-potter-wasn-t-a-normal-boy-as-a-matter-of-fact-he-was-as-not/) [J.K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling/) > [I wasn't a normal child. No boybands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-morgan/i-wasn-t-a-normal-child-no-boybands/) [Diane Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-morgan/) > [I obviously wasn't a normal tennis story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-tiafoe/i-obviously-wasn-t-a-normal-tennis-story/) [Frances Tiafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-tiafoe/) > [“She'd let me in, and for the first time, I actually wanted to do the same, to tell someone the truth. That I wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lynn-barnes/she-d-let-me-in-and-for-the-first-time-i-actually-wanted-to-do-the/) [Jennifer Lynn Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lynn-barnes/) > [“Ugh. Why did I have to have so many thoughts? Why couldn't I just be a normal girl and bask in the glow of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawkins/ugh-why-did-i-have-to-have-so-many-thoughts-why-couldn-t-i-just-be-a/) [Rachel Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawkins/) > [I sort of knew I was a bit of a drama queen. I always threw tantrums, so I knew I wasn't a normal child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millie-bobby-brown/i-sort-of-knew-i-was-a-bit-of-a-drama-queen-i-always-threw-tantrums/) [Millie Bobby Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millie-bobby-brown/) > [I was beginning to understand something about normality. Normality wasn't normal. It couldn't be. If normality were normal, everybody could leave it alone. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/i-was-beginning-to-understand-something-about-normality-normality/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [Normality wasn't normal. It couldn't be. If normality were normal, everybody could leave it alone. They could sit back and let normality manifest itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/normality-wasn-t-normal-it-couldn-t-be-if-normality-were-normal/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [I didn't know anything was wrong with me when I was growing up. I thought everyone went to occupational and speech therapy, I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rj-mitte/i-didn-t-know-anything-was-wrong-with-me-when-i-was-growing-up-i/) [RJ Mitte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rj-mitte/) ## More by John Goode > [“It takes more courage than one would expect to sit in a car you know you're going to wreck and even more to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goode/it-takes-more-courage-than-one-would-expect-to-sit-in-a-car-you-know/) [John Goode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goode/) > [“... life sucks, and I am pretty sure Fate hates me. But there is nothing I can do about any of that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goode/life-sucks-and-i-am-pretty-sure-fate-hates-me-but-there-is-nothing-i/) [John Goode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goode/) > [“For Kyle, thinking can just end up being destructive. It’s like he was always playing chess in his mind against himself for stakes that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goode/for-kyle-thinking-can-just-end-up-being-destructive-it-s-like-he-was/) [John Goode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goode/) > [“NO ONE starts a trip thinking that they might crash. Even though there is always a possibility, no one in their right mind ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goode/no-one-starts-a-trip-thinking-that-they-might-crash-even-though-there/) [John Goode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goode/) > [“I mean, sure, maybe the princess did indeed date the criminal, but how exactly did they make that work?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goode/i-mean-sure-maybe-the-princess-did-indeed-date-the-criminal-but-how/) [John Goode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goode/) > [“I was seventeen and on the edge of an eighteen that seemed terrifying to a young man not sure of his sexuality. I knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goode/i-was-seventeen-and-on-the-edge-of-an-eighteen-that-seemed-terrifying/) [John Goode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goode/) > [“Every time I had dared to hope for something in my life, it seemed that fate, like a small, angry child, went out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goode/every-time-i-had-dared-to-hope-for-something-in-my-life-it-seemed/) [John Goode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goode/) > [“I didn’t have a life before you. All of that was… was just a waste of time.” I put my hand over his heart.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goode/i-didn-t-have-a-life-before-you-all-of-that-was-was-just-a-waste-of/) [John Goode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goode/) > [“If she understood the difference between referring to me as "the gay guy" and using my name, the knowledge was lost between her vapid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goode/if-she-understood-the-difference-between-referring-to-me-as-the-gay/) [John Goode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goode/) > [“So I sat there and thought about faking a heart attack so I could skip school for a few months. I mean, they wouldn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goode/so-i-sat-there-and-thought-about-faking-a-heart-attack-so-i-could/) [John Goode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goode/) > [“Like my own personal sun, he was not only too radiant to look at directly, I also found myself more and more drawn into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goode/like-my-own-personal-sun-he-was-not-only-too-radiant-to-look-at/) [John Goode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goode/) > [“I even went to the source of all wisdom, I went and knelt at the great Queen of Drag’s feet and asked her how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goode/i-even-went-to-the-source-of-all-wisdom-i-went-and-knelt-at-the-great/) [John Goode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goode/) > [“The more it changes, the more it's the same thing. But overall, things have changed. I say changed and not "changed for the better"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goode/the-more-it-changes-the-more-it-s-the-same-thing-but-overall-things/) [John Goode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goode/) > [“My parents were high school sweethearts, which is a term that means “too stupid to use a condom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goode/my-parents-were-high-school-sweethearts-which-is-a-term-that-means/) [John Goode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goode/) > [“I swore to myself I would never be that guy, the guy who loses his shit for the first pretty face he sees. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goode/i-swore-to-myself-i-would-never-be-that-guy-the-guy-who-loses-his/) [John Goode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goode/) [Explore all 61 John Goode quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goode/) ## More Time quotes > ['Mad TV' is one of my most favorite shows of all time and is a huge part of my obsession with sketch comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/mad-tv-is-one-of-my-most-favorite-shows-of-all-time-and-is-a-huge/) [Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/) > [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“William didn't look like he'd be difficult about anything - he was thin and sandy-haired and already wore eyeglasses like his father. Most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-c-wrede/william-didn-t-look-like-he-d-be-difficult-about-anything-he-was-thin/) [Patricia C. Wrede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-c-wrede/) > [Intel has a very complete process that I go through any time I want to sell that ensures I have no insider information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-krzanich/intel-has-a-very-complete-process-that-i-go-through-any-time-i-want/) [Brian Krzanich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-krzanich/) > [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [I feel like the future is unwritten. So many of the things that we write now haven't been about educating people on the environment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flansburgh/i-feel-like-the-future-is-unwritten-so-many-of-the-things-that-we/) [John Flansburgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flansburgh/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/) Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974 > [“You put together two things that have not been put together before. And the world is changed. People may not notice at the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/you-put-together-two-things-that-have-not-been-put-together-before/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“It was about damn time something happened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/it-was-about-damn-time-something-happened/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) [Browse all 215,255 Time quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I wasn't normal, and no matter how hard I tried, I was never going to be. And though I didn't hear it at the time, a small part of me exclaimed \"Good!”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Goode" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goode/i-wasn-t-normal-and-no-matter-how-hard-i-tried-i-was-never-going-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Time" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goode/i-wasn-t-normal-and-no-matter-how-hard-i-tried-i-was-never-going-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b1/john-goode-11213_time_i-wasn-t-normal-and-no-matter-how-hard-i_2118924.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b1/john-goode-11213_time_i-wasn-t-normal-and-no-matter-how-hard-i_2118924.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b1/john-goode-11213_time_i-wasn-t-normal-and-no-matter-how-hard-i_2118924.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I wasn't normal, and no matter how hard I tried, I was never going to be. And though I didn't hear it at the…” — John Goode", "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": "John Goode", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goode/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I wasn't normal, and no matter...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goode/i-wasn-t-normal-and-no-matter-how-hard-i-tried-i-was-never-going-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goode/i-wasn-t-normal-and-no-matter-how-hard-i-tried-i-was-never-going-to/#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 } } ] } ```