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Quote by Mary Pipher

“I wish I could have just skipped elementary school and junior high. Outside school, I loved talking to people and learning from them. I would spend time visiting with old people in their gardens and on their porches. I liked to play with little kids and chat with patients who came to my mother's office. Almost every day, I learned things about the natural world and animals, and I read more books on weekends and during the summer than I could possibly read at school. I believe I would have learned more if I had just been left alone to educate myself.”

Quote by Mary Pipher

Work

Seeking Peace: Chronicles of the Worst Buddhist in the World

This book delves into the life and experiences of a character who is labeled as the worst Buddhist in the world, yet his quest for peace and enlightenment becomes the focal point of the story. more

Author

Mary Pipher
Mary Pipher

Mary Pipher is an American psychologist known for her in-depth research on adolescent mental health. Her books, such as 'Reviving Ophelia' and 'Reading Mother Goose', delve into the psychological world and growth experiences of adolescents. more

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“School was starting to feel like yet another cycle, albeit a constructive one. At first, I told myself, once I get into college, once I get a good job, once I get popular, once I get ripped, or recognized, then I’ll be happy. But after each accomplishment, I only experienced temporary satisfaction. Each time, I would reassess, set higher goals, and work harder, saying, once I meet this goal, then I’ll be happy. Once I get a career in my field, once I find the right woman and make a family, then my life will have meaning. I worked rigorously. When I finally accomplished my goals, I felt proud and excited, but it never lasted long.”

“In many first world countries, school systems teach several explanations for life on earth, and they present each of them as theories, not fact. Evolution is one of the many theories and so is creationism. They present the evidence for both belief systems, as well as the areas in which the evidence is lacking. And they investigate all the reasons why both theories are viable explanations for life on earth. My education was different. I learned that evolution was the only viable explanation and I came away with the impression that it was the ultimate truth that I needed to sculpt my reality around.”

“In fairness, though, no child likes to have his life rearranged from one school year to the next. Change is difficult for anyone, but even more so for an insecure adolescent. At that age, most kids are embarrassed just to be alive. With emotional antennae raised, they are acutely aware of their social standing at all times. Like an air traffic controller monitoring blips on a screen, a teenager is constantly tracking his small place in a big world, asking himself: Am I accepted by my peers? Do they like me? Am I ugly? How's my hair? Will I be popular?”

“This new sense of personal awareness also comes with many added social accessories (batteries included). Adolescent insecurity can be a devastating plague for a youngster, especially ones whose bodies are growing faster than their emotional and social maturity. One misstep can spell disaster from which recovery is next to impossible. Drop your books in the hall once between classes. Trip going up the school steps. Let a facial blemish emerge on the wrong day. Your voice cracks in class while asking a question. Suffer through the accusation of liking someone of the opposite sex. And pray hard that you don't wear the wrong clothes to your first dance. All these near-fatal mishaps can mark you forever in your classmates' eyes, socially branding you with a label that sticks like super-glue throughout your grade-school career. Most adults can recall childhood classmates from their childhood who failed to make the grade socially. Even today, though a former classmate may be a physician, she is still remembered for the time she cried and ran off stage during the school talent show. Or the successful businessman is forever known as the boy who wet his pants and had to go home early from school. We can still name the girl who always sat out during recess games because she was athletically uncoordinated.”

“A valuable lesson I'd impart to my ninth-grade self: "Resist the urge to cloak your true self in a veneer of pain-disguised confidence. Such a mask, though it might seem protective, can inadvertently distance you from the very individuals you cherish deeply. This path could ultimately pave the way towards feelings of desolation and despondency. Remember, embracing vulnerability is an inherent aspect of our human essence, a trait that can serve as a shield against the clutches of depression and the echoing ache of solitude.”