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Quotes

Christine Musello

The most-loved lines from Christine Musello, drawn from 1 book in the library.

“Emotional neglect is often remembered as absence, not incident.”

The book's central power is giving language to what did not happen: the questions no one asked, the comfort no one offered, and the feelings no one helped you understand.

— Running on Empty
“If you learned to ignore feelings, achievement can become a very polished hiding place.”

Webb separates competence from emotional health. You can be responsible, successful, and still undernourished in the inner places that need attention.

— Running on Empty
“Feelings are not commands. They are signals.”

Running on Empty makes emotions less threatening by treating them as information about needs, values, limits, and losses.

— Running on Empty
“Validation comes before problem-solving.”

The missing developmental step is often not advice. It is someone saying, 'That makes sense,' before asking what should happen next.

— Running on Empty
“Self-care starts with self-attention.”

The repair is quiet and repetitive: pause long enough to notice what you feel, name it accurately, and respond as if it matters.

— Running on Empty
“You do not have to accuse the past to stop repeating it.”

The book's best tone is practical rather than punitive. It asks you to understand the pattern, then build the skills you were not given.

— Running on Empty