--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Or maybe I was just a girl, interrupted" description: "\"“Or maybe I was just a girl, interrupted”\" — Susanna Kaysen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/503/susanna-kaysen-3041_girl-interrupted_or-maybe-i-was-just-a-girl-interrupted-9_928983.png" --- # Or maybe I was just a girl, interrupted ![“Or maybe I was just a girl, interrupted” quote by Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/503/susanna-kaysen-3041_girl-interrupted_or-maybe-i-was-just-a-girl-interrupted-9_928983.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/503/susanna-kaysen-3041_girl-interrupted_or-maybe-i-was-just-a-girl-interrupted-9_928983.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/503/susanna-kaysen-3041_girl-interrupted_or-maybe-i-was-just-a-girl-interrupted-9_928983.png) > ““Or maybe I was just a girl, interrupted”” [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She reflects on feeling like a disrupted or unfinished narrative. **In simple terms:** Feeling incomplete or interrupted. Key Takeaway Acknowledge interruptions, seek continuity. Themes identity mental health disruption self‑reflection Mood reflective empathetic Type literary psychological When to use this quote - therapy sessions - personal journaling - creative projects - support groups Key Concepts Narrative identity psychology of trauma existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What parts of your story feel unfinished? - How can you integrate interruptions into your narrative? A Different Perspective Focusing on disruption may overlook growth opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Girl interrupted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl-interrupted/) [Interrupted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interrupted/) [Just Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-girl/) [Maybe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maybe/) [Maybe Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maybe-just/) ## Related quotes > [“I walked past the lady in yellow robes and the maid bringing her a letter, past the soldier with a magnificent hat and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/i-walked-past-the-lady-in-yellow-robes-and-the-maid-bringing-her-a/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [Being crasy doesn't mean to be broken...It is you and me amplified", Girl, Interrupted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/being-crasy-doesn-t-mean-to-be-broken-it-is-you-and-me-amplified-girl/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [This time I read the title of the painting: Girl Interrupted at Her Music. Interrupted at her music: as my life had been, interrupted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/this-time-i-read-the-title-of-the-painting-girl-interrupted-at-her/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [I go to acting class, and in acting class, I'm not the girl that brings in romantic comedies; I'm the girl that wants to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-mckeon/i-go-to-acting-class-and-in-acting-class-i-m-not-the-girl-that-brings/) [Lindsey McKeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-mckeon/) > [Guns aren't lawful; nooses give; gas smells awful. So you might as well live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/guns-aren-t-lawful-nooses-give-gas-smells-awful-so-you-might-as-well/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [Crazy isn't being broken, or swallowing a dark secret. It's you or me, amplified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/crazy-isn-t-being-broken-or-swallowing-a-dark-secret-it-s-you-or-me-2/) [Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/) > [I really liked 'Walk The Line,' and I really liked 'Girl Interrupted,' and I really liked '3:10 To Yuma.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-shuler-donner/i-really-liked-walk-the-line-and-i-really-liked-girl-interrupted-and/) [Lauren Shuler Donner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-shuler-donner/) > [I was at the basketball practise and said to a girl : -Are you for a one-on-one… She interrupted me... -Yes,of course... I interrupted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jurges-alushi/i-was-at-the-basketball-practise-and-said-to-a-girl-are-you-for-a-one/) [Jurges Alushi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jurges-alushi/) > [Maybe I'm just the girl who never does anything worth anyone's time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaylyn/maybe-i-m-just-the-girl-who-never-does-anything-worth-anyone-s-time/) [Kaylyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaylyn/) > [The debate was wearing me out. Once you've posed that question, it won't go away. I think many people kill themselves simply to stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/the-debate-was-wearing-me-out-once-you-ve-posed-that-question-it-won/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [The girl at her music sits in another sort of light,the fitful,overcast light of lie,by which we see ourselves and others only imprefectly, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/the-girl-at-her-music-sits-in-another-sort-of-light-the-fitful/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [The only way to stay sane is to go a little crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/the-only-way-to-stay-sane-is-to-go-a-little-crazy/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [This behavior may...counteract feelings of'numbness'and depersonalization that aries duriing periods of extreme stress.-153 Girl,Interrupted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/this-behavior-may-counteract-feelings-of-numbness-and/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [Have you ever confused a dream with life? Or stolen something when you have the cash? Have you ever been blue? Or thought your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/have-you-ever-confused-a-dream-with-life-or-stolen-something-when-you/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [I had an inspiration once. I woke up one morning and I knew that it was my task to swallow fifty asprin.It was my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/i-had-an-inspiration-once-i-woke-up-one-morning-and-i-knew-that-it/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) ## More by Susanna Kaysen > [I had an inspiration once. I woke up one morning and I knew that it was my task to swallow fifty asprin.It was my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/i-had-an-inspiration-once-i-woke-up-one-morning-and-i-knew-that-it/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [I don't have a whole bunch of literary connections. I don't write reviews or attend writer's conferences. I'm kind of shy and don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/i-don-t-have-a-whole-bunch-of-literary-connections-i-don-t-write/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [Light like this does not exist, but we wish it did. We wish the sun could make us young and beautiful, we wish our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/light-like-this-does-not-exist-but-we-wish-it-did-we-wish-the-sun/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [If I could have any job in the world I'd be a professional Cinderella.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/if-i-could-have-any-job-in-the-world-i-d-be-a-professional-cinderella/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [Lunatics are similar to designated hitters. Often an entire family is crazy, but since an entire family can't go into the hospital, one person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/lunatics-are-similar-to-designated-hitters-often-an-entire-family-is/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [It's one of the reasons I became a writer, to be able to smoke in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/it-s-one-of-the-reasons-i-became-a-writer-to-be-able-to-smoke-in-peace/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [It's a fairly accurate portrait of me at eighteen, minus a few quirks like reckless driving and eating binges. It's accurate but it isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/it-s-a-fairly-accurate-portrait-of-me-at-eighteen-minus-a-few-quirks/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [For many of us, the hospital was as much a refuge as it was a prison. Though we were cut off from the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/for-many-of-us-the-hospital-was-as-much-a-refuge-as-it-was-a-prison/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [Freedom was the price of privacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/freedom-was-the-price-of-privacy/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [“People ask, How did you get in there? What they really want to know is if they are likely to end up in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/people-ask-how-did-you-get-in-there-what-they-really-want-to-know-is/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [It was my misfortune-or salvation-to be at all times perfectly conscious of my misperceptions of reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/it-was-my-misfortune-or-salvation-to-be-at-all-times-perfectly/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [Scar tissue has no character. It's not like skin. It doesn't show age or illness or pallor or tan. It has no pores, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/scar-tissue-has-no-character-it-s-not-like-skin-it-doesn-t-show-age/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [When women are angry at men, they call them heartless. When men are angry at women, they call them crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/when-women-are-angry-at-men-they-call-them-heartless-when-men-are/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [ Disease \[is\] as one of our languages. Doctors understand what disease has to say about itself. It's up to the person with the disease… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/disease-is-as-one-of-our-languages-doctors-understand-what-disease/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [“Asa had a sharp understanding of the future--that is, a time when this would be past. Time was rushing through and around him, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/asa-had-a-sharp-understanding-of-the-future-that-is-a-time-when-this/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) [Explore all 137 Susanna Kaysen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) ## More Girl interrupted quotes > [I had an inspiration once. I woke up one morning and I knew that it was my task to swallow fifty asprin.It was my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/i-had-an-inspiration-once-i-woke-up-one-morning-and-i-knew-that-it/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [I go to acting class, and in acting class, I'm not the girl that brings in romantic comedies; I'm the girl that wants to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-mckeon/i-go-to-acting-class-and-in-acting-class-i-m-not-the-girl-that-brings/) [Lindsey McKeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-mckeon/) > [“I'm afraid it's not nonsense," Genghis said, shaking his turbaned head and continuing his story. "As I was saying before the little girl interrupted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemony-snicket/i-m-afraid-it-s-not-nonsense-genghis-said-shaking-his-turbaned-head/) [Lemony Snicket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemony-snicket/) > [Have you ever confused a dream with life? Or stolen something when you have the cash? Have you ever been blue? Or thought your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/have-you-ever-confused-a-dream-with-life-or-stolen-something-when-you/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [Guns aren't lawful; nooses give; gas smells awful. So you might as well live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/guns-aren-t-lawful-nooses-give-gas-smells-awful-so-you-might-as-well/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [This behavior may...counteract feelings of'numbness'and depersonalization that aries duriing periods of extreme stress.-153 Girl,Interrupted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/this-behavior-may-counteract-feelings-of-numbness-and/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [“Maybe everyone out there is a liar. And maybe the whole world is stupid and ignorant, but I’d rather be in it. I’d rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/girl-interrupted/maybe-everyone-out-there-is-a-liar-and-maybe-the-whole-world-is/) [girl interrupted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/girl-interrupted/) > [The only way to stay sane is to go a little crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/the-only-way-to-stay-sane-is-to-go-a-little-crazy/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [The girl at her music sits in another sort of light,the fitful,overcast light of lie,by which we see ourselves and others only imprefectly, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/the-girl-at-her-music-sits-in-another-sort-of-light-the-fitful/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [The debate was wearing me out. Once you've posed that question, it won't go away. I think many people kill themselves simply to stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/the-debate-was-wearing-me-out-once-you-ve-posed-that-question-it-won/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [It's important to cultivate detachment. One way to do this is to practice imagining yourself dead, or in the process of dying. If there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/it-s-important-to-cultivate-detachment-one-way-to-do-this-is-to/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [I was at the basketball practise and said to a girl : -Are you for a one-on-one… She interrupted me... -Yes,of course... I interrupted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jurges-alushi/i-was-at-the-basketball-practise-and-said-to-a-girl-are-you-for-a-one/) [Jurges Alushi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jurges-alushi/) > [I really liked 'Walk The Line,' and I really liked 'Girl Interrupted,' and I really liked '3:10 To Yuma.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-shuler-donner/i-really-liked-walk-the-line-and-i-really-liked-girl-interrupted-and/) [Lauren Shuler Donner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-shuler-donner/) > [Crazy isn't being broken, or swallowing a dark secret. It's you or me, amplified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/crazy-isn-t-being-broken-or-swallowing-a-dark-secret-it-s-you-or-me-2/) [Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/) > [This time I read the title of the painting: Girl Interrupted at Her Music. Interrupted at her music: as my life had been, interrupted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/this-time-i-read-the-title-of-the-painting-girl-interrupted-at-her/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) [Browse all 21 Girl interrupted quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl-interrupted/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Or maybe I was just a girl, interrupted”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Susanna Kaysen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/or-maybe-i-was-just-a-girl-interrupted/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Girl interrupted" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/or-maybe-i-was-just-a-girl-interrupted/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/503/susanna-kaysen-3041_girl-interrupted_or-maybe-i-was-just-a-girl-interrupted-9_928983.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/503/susanna-kaysen-3041_girl-interrupted_or-maybe-i-was-just-a-girl-interrupted-9_928983.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/503/susanna-kaysen-3041_girl-interrupted_or-maybe-i-was-just-a-girl-interrupted-9_928983.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Or maybe I was just a girl, interrupted” — Susanna Kaysen", "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": "Susanna Kaysen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Or maybe I was just a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/or-maybe-i-was-just-a-girl-interrupted/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/or-maybe-i-was-just-a-girl-interrupted/#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 } } ] } ```