"I would like to go to University and be like a normal 20 year old"
About this Quote
The line’s power comes from its deliberate blandness. “University” isn’t framed as ambition or self-improvement; it’s a prop for normalcy, a shorthand for a world where you’re judged on essays and friendships, not headlines and courtroom narratives. “Normal 20 year old” is even more loaded: it asks the listener to accept that there is a default setting for youth, and that she deserves to be returned to it. That’s the subtextual bargain on offer. Don’t see me as a symbol, a defendant, a monster, a cause. See me as a peer.
Context matters because Woodward’s name became globally legible through a sensational case and the media frenzy that followed. In that environment, the self becomes a public object; every gesture is interpreted as performance. This quote works because it preempts interpretation by shrinking the frame. It doesn’t argue innocence or litigate facts. It appeals to a cultural instinct we rarely admit we have: the desire to stop watching someone else’s worst chapter and let them fade back into the crowd.
It’s also quietly accusatory. If she has to request “normal,” someone took it away.
Quote Details
| Topic | Student |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Woodward, Louise. (2026, January 17). I would like to go to University and be like a normal 20 year old. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-would-like-to-go-to-university-and-be-like-a-77130/
Chicago Style
Woodward, Louise. "I would like to go to University and be like a normal 20 year old." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-would-like-to-go-to-university-and-be-like-a-77130/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I would like to go to University and be like a normal 20 year old." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-would-like-to-go-to-university-and-be-like-a-77130/. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.




