I have a theory because I was being beaten up a lot by people outside of school, it was almost like if I could make myself sick enough they'd take sympathy on me.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I hadn't stopped fearing the chance of passing on an illness, but that fear had become balanced by the observation that being ill wasn't the same as being beaten.
It was just you had to be strong, and if you weren't strong you're a victim and you're not going to make it. That was the reality when I was growing up.
The secret of learning to be sick is this: Illness doesn't make you less of what you were. You are still you.
I was a pretty delicate kid. Anything that was going around I'd get it and I'd generally get it much worse than other people, so I spent a lot of time out of school.
I have always had school sickness, as others have seasickness. I cried when it was time to go back to school long after I was old enough to be ashamed of such behavior.
If I think I'm going to get into trouble I always say that I'm sick.
If you start to think of your physical and moral condition, you usually find that you are sick.
If you be sick, your own thoughts make you sick.
Yeah, I was a delinquent. It was when I was in the ninth grade. I was doing stupid stuff, and the cops came into the class. I was humiliated more than anything.
I believe that all the important people in my life prior to 1982 were victimized by my illness.