--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Growing up, I had always been an avid…" description: "\"Growing up, I had always been an avid bookworm and a straight-A student. I approached my cancer the same way I approached writing my senior thesis in c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/suleika-jaouad-6310_bookworm_growing-up-i-had-always-been-an-avid-boo_3227726.jpg" --- # Growing up, I had always been an avid bookworm and a… ![“Growing up, I had always been an avid bookworm and a straight-A student. I approached my cancer the same way I approached writing my senior thesis in college: I buried my head in research journals, interviewed experts and scoured the Internet for information.” quote by Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/suleika-jaouad-6310_bookworm_growing-up-i-had-always-been-an-avid-boo_3227726.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/suleika-jaouad-6310_bookworm_growing-up-i-had-always-been-an-avid-boo_3227726.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/suleika-jaouad-6310_bookworm_growing-up-i-had-always-been-an-avid-boo_3227726.jpg) > “Growing up, I had always been an avid bookworm and a straight-A student. I approached my cancer the same way I approached writing my senior thesis in college: I buried my head in research journals, interviewed experts and scoured the Internet for information.” [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She confronts cancer with the same disciplined research and dedication she applied to academics, turning illness into a scholarly pursuit. **In simple terms:** She tackled cancer like a research project. Key Takeaway Apply disciplined inquiry to challenges. Themes illness learning resilience Mood inspirational determined Type personal educational When to use this quote - medical decision‑making - academic projects - self‑education Key Concepts research methodology personal growth Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance analysis with emotional support? - What research skills help you face personal crises? A Different Perspective Treating disease as a problem to solve may overlook emotional needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Approached Cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approached-cancer-6093403/) [Approached Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approached-writing-5869340/) [Bookworm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bookworm/) [Bookworm Straight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bookworm-straight-6093404/) [Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Straight Student](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/straight-student-921377/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Somebody approached me about writing a biography on me, I told them they were too late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/somebody-approached-me-about-writing-a-biography-on-me-i-told-them/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [I was taken out of school by my dad when I was 11 and lived in Mexico City, then later in Paris. I went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-heizer/i-was-taken-out-of-school-by-my-dad-when-i-was-11-and-lived-in-mexico/) [Michael Heizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-heizer/) > [I'm much more of a kid now than I was when I was a kid. I was the kind of kid who was valedictorian,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-gugino/i-m-much-more-of-a-kid-now-than-i-was-when-i-was-a-kid-i-was-the-kind/) [Carla Gugino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-gugino/) > [I'm 23 but I got a brain like I'm 32 man, switched the numbers around. Smart kid too, straight-A student, I was just a class clown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrien-broner/i-m-23-but-i-got-a-brain-like-i-m-32-man-switched-the-numbers-around/) [Adrien Broner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrien-broner/) > [By the time I got to George Washington University, I had been a straight-A student in high school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvonne-orji/by-the-time-i-got-to-george-washington-university-i-had-been-a/) [Yvonne Orji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvonne-orji/) > [I was the straight-A student but sort of a little bit of debating my parents all the time, trying to find when they weren't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-kalanick/i-was-the-straight-a-student-but-sort-of-a-little-bit-of-debating-my/) [Travis Kalanick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-kalanick/) > [I had no choice but to work hard. I was a straight-A student, went to college, and I loved business. I never thought I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-rivera/i-had-no-choice-but-to-work-hard-i-was-a-straight-a-student-went-to-2/) [Jenni Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-rivera/) > [“I'm not a straight-A student at all. I'm really more of a B student.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-longford/i-m-not-a-straight-a-student-at-all-i-m-really-more-of-a-b-student/) [Taylor Longford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-longford/) > [I was a little fat pudgy kid with big thick glasses, and I was quiet and never said a word, you know - teachers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-fairchild/i-was-a-little-fat-pudgy-kid-with-big-thick-glasses-and-i-was-quiet/) [Morgan Fairchild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-fairchild/) > [In the daytime, I was expected to be the straight-A student. I was expected to be college bound. I was expected to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/in-the-daytime-i-was-expected-to-be-the-straight-a-student-i-was/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [Negativity sells. I have been labelled a rebel. If I had been one, would I have got married at 23? Would I have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sania-mirza/negativity-sells-i-have-been-labelled-a-rebel-if-i-had-been-one-would/) [Sania Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sania-mirza/) > [I was a straight-A student, baby!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-estefan/i-was-a-straight-a-student-baby/) [Gloria Estefan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-estefan/) > [I know, as an overachiever straight-A student in school, I always responded to smart, strong, women represented on screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-scagliotti/i-know-as-an-overachiever-straight-a-student-in-school-i-always/) [Allison Scagliotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-scagliotti/) > [“How are you? Did you ever go to Brazil? What do you eat in a day? Are you off the pills? Did you find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kristian-flores/how-are-you-did-you-ever-go-to-brazil-what-do-you-eat-in-a-day-are/) [Karl Kristian Flores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kristian-flores/) > [I had no choice but to work hard. I was a straight-A student, went to college, and I loved business. I never thought I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-rivera/i-had-no-choice-but-to-work-hard-i-was-a-straight-a-student-went-to/) [Jenni Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-rivera/) ## More by Suleika Jaouad > [With a Catholic mother and a Muslim father, I've always had a great interest in religion, but I've never practiced one myself. After I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/with-a-catholic-mother-and-a-muslim-father-i-ve-always-had-a-great/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [It felt like 10 years, but I was actually in treatment for three-and-a-half years. I finally finished in April. Two years ago, I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/it-felt-like-10-years-but-i-was-actually-in-treatment-for-three-and-a/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [There are days when I even long for the paralegal job that once upon a time made me so miserable. It wasn't the perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/there-are-days-when-i-even-long-for-the-paralegal-job-that-once-upon/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [When I finally returned home after my five-week hospitalization, I could feel the stares of strangers on my bald head and thinning eyebrows. Everywhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/when-i-finally-returned-home-after-my-five-week-hospitalization-i/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [The bone marrow transplant procedure itself can be dangerous, but it is swift, which makes it feel strangely anti-climactic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/the-bone-marrow-transplant-procedure-itself-can-be-dangerous-but-it/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [Even amid the shock of my diagnosis, I held onto the hope that I'd be able to make the most of my down time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/even-amid-the-shock-of-my-diagnosis-i-held-onto-the-hope-that-i-d-be/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [I'll never go so far to call cancer a gift. It's a really terrible disease. It's taken the lives of so many of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/i-ll-never-go-so-far-to-call-cancer-a-gift-it-s-a-really-terrible/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [I think often when we talk about things like cancer, the kind of final act at the end of the story comes with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/i-think-often-when-we-talk-about-things-like-cancer-the-kind-of-final/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [Before my diagnosis with leukemia, two years ago at the age of 22, I'd always excelled at making resolutions. But I was never as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/before-my-diagnosis-with-leukemia-two-years-ago-at-the-age-of-22-i-d/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [Like a lot of other young people, I never thought about health insurance until I got sick. I was 22, and my adult life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/like-a-lot-of-other-young-people-i-never-thought-about-health/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [And there came a point in my treatment where I couldn't see that end in sight. And that was the most challenging, I think,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/and-there-came-a-point-in-my-treatment-where-i-couldn-t-see-that-end/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [But no conversation between doctor and patient can magically turn an uninsured patient into an insured one. Doctors are just as helpless as patients…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/but-no-conversation-between-doctor-and-patient-can-magically-turn-an/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [Cancer magnifies the in-betweenness of young adulthood: You're not a child anymore, yet you're not fully ready to live in the adult world, either.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/cancer-magnifies-the-in-betweenness-of-young-adulthood-you-re-not-a/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [I get along well with my medical team and I have a tremendous amount of respect for them. But the idea of discussing my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/i-get-along-well-with-my-medical-team-and-i-have-a-tremendous-amount/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [For the better half of my early 20s, I was Bubble Girl. When I found out I had leukemia at 22 my world suddenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/for-the-better-half-of-my-early-20s-i-was-bubble-girl-when-i-found/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) [Explore all 99 Suleika Jaouad quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) ## More Bookworm quotes > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [“Never underestimate a bookworm”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-klein/never-underestimate-a-bookworm/) [Louisa Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-klein/) > [“The bookworm of great libraries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-bookworm-of-great-libraries/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“When she was reading she wasn’t the quiet Sullivan twin, she wasn’t the one no one ever noticed. She became a princess in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-andre/when-she-was-reading-she-wasn-t-the-quiet-sullivan-twin-she-wasn-t/) [Bella Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-andre/) > [I was a bookworm in school, and in those days it was easy to get books. Bigger cities had book shops.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruskin-bond/i-was-a-bookworm-in-school-and-in-those-days-it-was-easy-to-get-books/) [Ruskin Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruskin-bond/) > [When I was in my 20s, I was a bookworm - spent 12 hours of the day in the library. How I met George,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-bush/when-i-was-in-my-20s-i-was-a-bookworm-spent-12-hours-of-the-day-in/) [Laura Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-bush/) > [“There's a story behind every Bookworm"!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-lang/there-s-a-story-behind-every-bookworm/) [Annie Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-lang/) > [“There had been a time when words had been the only place he could find solace. No book ever lost patience with him or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-bardugo/there-had-been-a-time-when-words-had-been-the-only-place-he-could/) [Leigh Bardugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-bardugo/) > [ “\[..\] you dirty little bookworm.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/you-dirty-little-bookworm/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [“A common misconception among youngsters attending school is that their teachers were child prodigies. Who else but a bookworm, prowling libraries and disdaining the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-brody/a-common-misconception-among-youngsters-attending-school-is-that/) [Steve Brody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-brody/) > [“The best and most exciting kind of love is the one that's so close to the heart and so real in the mind yet,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/movingnotion/the-best-and-most-exciting-kind-of-love-is-the-one-that-s-so-close-to/) [Movingnotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/movingnotion/) > [“You're such a bookworm," Fenn said, shaking his head as he counted the books in my hand. "No," I corrected "I just want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-knoebel/you-re-such-a-bookworm-fenn-said-shaking-his-head-as-he-counted-the/) [Candace Knoebel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-knoebel/) > [“«A book can't take the place of a man!» «I disagree. A book can give you most things a relationship can. It can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-morgan/a-book-can-t-take-the-place-of-a-man-i-disagree-a-book-can-give-you/) [Sarah Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-morgan/) > [“Reality doesn’t always give us the life that we desire, but we can always find what we desire between the pages of books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adelise-m-cullens/reality-doesn-t-always-give-us-the-life-that-we-desire-but-we-can/) [Adelise M. Cullens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adelise-m-cullens/) > [I haven't read enough books to consider myself a bookworm, but I enjoy reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-rowsell/i-haven-t-read-enough-books-to-consider-myself-a-bookworm-but-i-enjoy/) [Ellie Rowsell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-rowsell/) [Browse all 126 Bookworm quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bookworm/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Growing up, I had always been an avid bookworm and a straight-A student. 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