“The Silent Patient” book is an absolute page-turner, and I was hooked from start to finish. I’m eagerly waiting for the moment I can sit down and write a thorough review, but first, I need to go through all the annotation tabs (and trust me, there are quite a few). But I can just tell you this much: all the hype and fame this book receives are absolutely valid. Beyond the thrilling story, this book is a treasure trove of touching quotes, thoughts, and insights on therapy, love, and life in general. I must admit, reading this book has kindled a newfound appreciation for therapy in me.
In this article, I’ve handpicked some quotes/thoughts from “The Silent Patient” book that deeply moved me. Read on!
Quotes on Therapy, Abuse & Hate
- “But that’s how therapy works. A patient delegates his unacceptable feelings to his therapist: and she holds everything he is afraid to feel, and she feels it for him. And then, ever so slowly, she feeds his feelings back to him” Page: 20
- “Murderous rage, homicidal rage, is not born in the present. It originates in the land before memory, in the world of early childhood, with abuse and mistreatment at a young age, which builds up a charge over the years, until it explodes — often at the wrong target ” Page: 44
- “In order to be a good therapist, you must be receptive to your patients’ feelings — but you must not hold on to them — they are not yours — they do not belong to you” Page: 83
- “A baby cannot hate the mother, without the mother first hating the baby. As babies, we are innocent sponges, blank slates — with only the most basic needs present: to eat, shit, love and be loved” Page: 141
Quotes on Love
- “Choosing a lover is not like choosing a therapist. We need to ask ourselves, is this someone who will be honest with me, listen to criticism, admit making mistakes, and not promise the impossible?” Page: 108
- “About love. About how we often mistake love for fireworks — for drama and dysfunction. But real love is very quiet, very still. It’s boring, if seen from the perspective of a high drama. Love is deep and calm — and constant” Page: 109
- “Love that doesn’t include honesty doesn’t deserve to be called love” Page: 112
- “A man never abandons a woman like that. Not if he loves her” Page: 164
Quotes on Pain, Trust & More
- “We’re all crazy, I believe, just in different ways” Page: 22
- “There’s so much pain everywhere, and we just close our eyes to it. The truth is we’re all scared. We’re terrified of each other” Page: 68
- “If only I had imagined it all — then I could forget it, the way you forget a dream — I could wake up and it would fade away. Instead I was trapped in this endless nightmare of mistrust, suspicion, paranoia” Page: 152
- “Perhaps some of us are simply born evil; and despite our best efforts, we remain that way” Page: 336
