16 Quotes About Love and Life from Normal People by Sally Rooney
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First published in 2018, Normal People was Sally Rooney’s debut novel. Its popularity established her an exceptional contemporary writer, captivating audiences with its problematic protagonists, Marianne and Connell.
As endearing as they are frustrating, the story follows the pair as they navigate early adulthood in a way that many readers find relatable. It was even adapted into a television series with Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones in 2020.
Here are 15 quotes from Normal People, focusing on two themes: love and life.
Quotes about love
“I’m not a religious person but I do sometimes think God made you for me”
“All these years, they've been like two little plants sharing the same plot of soil, growing around one another, contorting to make room, taking certain unlikely positions.”
“Being alone with her is like opening a door away from normal life and then closing it behind him.”
“That's the only part of himself he wants to protect, the part that exists inside her.”
“He has sincerely wanted to die, but he has never sincerely wanted Marianne to forget about him.”
“Most people go through their whole lives, without ever really feeling that close with anyone.”
Quotes about life
“Life offers up these moments of joy despite everything.”
“Life is the thing you bring with you inside your own head.”
“Generally I find men are a lot more concerned with limiting the freedoms of women than exercising personal freedom for themselves.”
“I don't know what's wrong with me,' says Marianne. 'I don't know why I can't be like normal people.”
“Connell wished he knew how other people conducted their private lives, so that he could copy from example.”
“It's funny the decisions you make because you like someone, he says, and then your whole life is different. I think we're at that weird age where life can change a lot from small decisions.”
“It feels powerful to him to put an experience down in words, like he's trapping it in a jar and it can never fully leave him.”
“Lately he’s consumed by a sense that he is in fact two separate people, and soon he will have to choose which person to be on a full-time basis, and leave the other person behind.”
“No one can be independent of other people completely, so why not give up the attempt, she thought, go running in the other direction, depend on people for everything, allow them to depend on you, why not.”
“She has never believed herself fit to be loved by any person. But now she has a new life, of which this is the first moment, and even after many years have passed she will still think: Yes, that was it, the beginning of my life.”
Can’t remember what the book’s about? Here’s the synopsis:
“Connell and Marianne grew up in the same small town in the west of Ireland, but the similarities end there. In school, Connell is popular and well-liked, while Marianne is a loner. But when the two strike up a conversation - awkward but electrifying - something life-changing begins.
Normal People is a story of mutual fascination, friendship and love. It takes us from that first conversation to the years beyond, in the company of two people who try to stay apart but find they can't.”
You can buy a copy on Amazon here.
Do you have a favourite quote from Normal People? Leave a comment and let me know!
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