--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Philip Larkin used to cheer himself up by…" description: "\"Philip Larkin used to cheer himself up by looking in the mirror and saying the line from Rebecca, 'I am Mrs de Winter now!\" — Alan Bennett" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/alan-bennett-1922_cheer_philip-larkin-used-to-cheer-himself-up-b_2406860.jpg" --- # Philip Larkin used to cheer himself up by looking in the… ![“Philip Larkin used to cheer himself up by looking in the mirror and saying the line from Rebecca, 'I am Mrs de Winter now!” quote by Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/alan-bennett-1922_cheer_philip-larkin-used-to-cheer-himself-up-b_2406860.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/alan-bennett-1922_cheer_philip-larkin-used-to-cheer-himself-up-b_2406860.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/alan-bennett-1922_cheer_philip-larkin-used-to-cheer-himself-up-b_2406860.jpg) > “Philip Larkin used to cheer himself up by looking in the mirror and saying the line from Rebecca, 'I am Mrs de Winter now!” [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Larkin coped by affirming his identity through a literary reference, using humor to uplift himself. **In simple terms:** He used a famous line to boost his self‑esteem. Key Takeaway Use humor and literature to improve mood. Themes self‑esteem humor literature coping Mood lighthearted introspective Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - daily stress - creative writing - therapy sessions - personal reflection Key Concepts psychology literary reference self‑help Questions to Reflect On - How can we find personal affirmations that resonate? - When is humor an effective coping tool? A Different Perspective Humor may not work for everyone or could mask deeper issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheer/) [Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/) [Larkin Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/larkin-used-6045387/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Looking in the mirror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking-in-the-mirror/) [Looking Mirror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking-mirror-397003/) [Mirror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirror/) [Mirror Saying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirror-saying-1354550/) [Mirrors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirrors/) [Mrs Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mrs-winter-742712/) [Philip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philip/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philip-larkin-1219840/) [Rebecca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rebecca/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winter/) ## Related quotes > [I'm standing here looking in the mirror. Saying 'damn' to myself. I should have known the day would come. That she would find somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-kelly-2/i-m-standing-here-looking-in-the-mirror-saying-damn-to-myself-i/) [R Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-kelly-2/) > [“My Dear Mrs Winter. (I had half a mind when I dipped my pen in the ink, to address you by your old natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/my-dear-mrs-winter-i-had-half-a-mind-when-i-dipped-my-pen-in-the-ink/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Mrs. de Winter: Mrs. Danvers must be furious with me. Maxim de Winter: Oh, hang Mrs. Danvers! Why on earth should you be frightened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/mrs-de-winter-mrs-danvers-must-be-furious-with-me-maxim-de-winter-oh/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [DCI Horner's advice to Jack Spratt: "Remember, m'boy," his old boss had said, eyes twinkling, "that if anyone tries to get the better of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/dci-horner-s-advice-to-jack-spratt-remember-m-boy-his-old-boss-had/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [You have an idea in your mind of how the first show will be. Since I was 15 years old in front of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie-faulkner/you-have-an-idea-in-your-mind-of-how-the-first-show-will-be-since-i/) [Richie Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie-faulkner/) > [End your day by privately looking directly into your eyes in the mirror and saying, 'I love you'. Do this for thirty days and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-victor-hansen/end-your-day-by-privately-looking-directly-into-your-eyes-in-the/) [Mark Victor Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-victor-hansen/) > [I remember reading one blog site where one blogger said I looked like a professional wrestler on the track. I was a big boy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-gatlin/i-remember-reading-one-blog-site-where-one-blogger-said-i-looked-like/) [Justin Gatlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-gatlin/) > [“I remember the moment I realized I was free, looking in a mirror and saying, “I choose my motherfucking self.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-union/i-remember-the-moment-i-realized-i-was-free-looking-in-a-mirror-and/) [Gabrielle Union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-union/) > [I like Philip Larkin an awful lot; I really like his view on life, and I really connect to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/domhnall-gleeson/i-like-philip-larkin-an-awful-lot-i-really-like-his-view-on-life-and/) [Domhnall Gleeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/domhnall-gleeson/) > [It's unthinkable not to love -you'd have a severe nervous breakdown. Or you'd have to be Philip Larkin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/it-s-unthinkable-not-to-love-you-d-have-a-severe-nervous-breakdown-or/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [ Speaking of \[Philip\] Larkin, in his poem about the First World War he wrote something like, "Never such innocence, before or since, that turned… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/speaking-of-philip-larkin-in-his-poem-about-the-first-world-war-he/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [When I come to England, I don't claim England; I don't own it. I feel a great kinship because of the literature and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/when-i-come-to-england-i-don-t-claim-england-i-don-t-own-it-i-feel-a/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [Philip Larkin has a tough honesty and sense of humor that I find irresistible, as a contemporary poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-morgan/philip-larkin-has-a-tough-honesty-and-sense-of-humor-that-i-find/) [Robert Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-morgan/) > [I did a load of medicine cabinets a long time ago and I named them after Sex Pistols songs. I suppose I must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-hirst/i-did-a-load-of-medicine-cabinets-a-long-time-ago-and-i-named-them/) [Damien Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-hirst/) > [Since the majority of me Rejects the majority of you, Debating ends forthwith, and we Divide.'' Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/since-the-majority-of-me-rejects-the-majority-of-you-debating-ends-2/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) ## More by Alan Bennett > [“The closest she got to pretence was politeness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/the-closest-she-got-to-pretence-was-politeness/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [An article on playwrights in the Daily Mail , listed according to Hard Left, Soft Left, Hard Right, Soft Right and Centre. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/an-article-on-playwrights-in-the-daily-mail-listed-according-to-hard/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [I'm not good at precise, coherent argument. But plays are suited to incoherent argument, put into the mouths of fallible people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/i-m-not-good-at-precise-coherent-argument-but-plays-are-suited-to/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [The thing I think about is that once you've done it, you then start to think about what you're going to do next. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/the-thing-i-think-about-is-that-once-you-ve-done-it-you-then-start-to/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [At the drabber moments of my life (swilling some excrement from the steps, for instance, or rooting with a bent coat-hanger down a blocked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/at-the-drabber-moments-of-my-life-swilling-some-excrement-from-the/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [There are more microbes per person than the entire population of the world. Imagine that. Per person. This means that if the time scale…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/there-are-more-microbes-per-person-than-the-entire-population-of-the/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [I'm more socialist certainly than New Labour - I'm very old Labour, really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/i-m-more-socialist-certainly-than-new-labour-i-m-very-old-labour/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [Why do we not care to acknowledge them? The cattle, the body count. We still don't like to admit the war was even partly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/why-do-we-not-care-to-acknowledge-them-the-cattle-the-body-count-we/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [Were we closer to the ground as children, or is the grass emptier now?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/were-we-closer-to-the-ground-as-children-or-is-the-grass-emptier-now/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [But most men regard their life as a poem that women threaten. They may not have two spondees to rub together but they still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/but-most-men-regard-their-life-as-a-poem-that-women-threaten-they-may/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [“BURGESS How do you like Moscow? CORAL Loathe it, darling. I cannot understand what those Three Sisters were on about. It gives the play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/burgess-how-do-you-like-moscow-coral-loathe-it-darling-i-cannot/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [The best moments in reading are when you come across something - a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things - which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/the-best-moments-in-reading-are-when-you-come-across-something-a/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [Your whole life is on the other side of the glass. And there is nobody watching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/your-whole-life-is-on-the-other-side-of-the-glass-and-there-is-nobody/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [The appeal of reading, she thought, lay in its indifference: there was something undeferring about literature. Books did not care who was reading them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/the-appeal-of-reading-she-thought-lay-in-its-indifference-there-was/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [“How do I define history? It's just one fucking thing after another”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/how-do-i-define-history-it-s-just-one-fucking-thing-after-another/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) [Explore all 188 Alan Bennett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) ## More Cheer quotes > [Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/laughing-laughing-laughing-laughing-it-is-the-jester-a-voice-from-the/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [Hardy thinks they're cheering for him. I'm not going to tell him differently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-hoeppner/hardy-thinks-they-re-cheering-for-him-i-m-not-going-to-tell-him/) [Terry Hoeppner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-hoeppner/) > [When I step into the batters box. The fans, the noise, the cheers, they all disappear. For that moment, the world is just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/when-i-step-into-the-batters-box-the-fans-the-noise-the-cheers-they/) [Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/) > [When the American people saw the LA riots and crowds of Blacks cheering O.J. Simpson (who was acquitted by the almost all Black jury),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duke/when-the-american-people-saw-the-la-riots-and-crowds-of-blacks/) [David Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duke/) > [I'm neurotic in the sense that I can have a crowd of 300 people cheering you, applauding you, standing O, but one guy come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-white/i-m-neurotic-in-the-sense-that-i-can-have-a-crowd-of-300-people/) [Wayne White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-white/) > [All the people in Korea are cheering me like I'm a gold medalist or something, so I have a responsibility to my country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/psy/all-the-people-in-korea-are-cheering-me-like-i-m-a-gold-medalist-or/) [PSY](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/psy/) > [“Kurt smiled a shy smile. "You're just trying to cheer me up," he said. "Course I am," Andy said. "You deserve to be full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/kurt-smiled-a-shy-smile-you-re-just-trying-to-cheer-me-up-he-said/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [Be of good cheer. Do not think of today's failures, but of the success that may come tomorrow. You have set yourselves a difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/be-of-good-cheer-do-not-think-of-today-s-failures-but-of-the-success/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [I am, beneath everything else, a fan. I was fixed in this mode as a young boy and am awed by people who take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/i-am-beneath-everything-else-a-fan-i-was-fixed-in-this-mode-as-a/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [ People had been so attached to the Diane \[Cheers\] character that audiences and producers found it difficult to think of me in any other… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-long/people-had-been-so-attached-to-the-diane-cheers-character-that/) [Shelley Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-long/) > [I decided very early that I was going to be a reporter, that I would not cheer for the team. I don't denigrate people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-harwell/i-decided-very-early-that-i-was-going-to-be-a-reporter-that-i-would/) [Ernie Harwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-harwell/) > [It's fun, and a laugh for you... you can boo me and feel happy about yourself because you're part of the crowd that did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-goodes/it-s-fun-and-a-laugh-for-you-you-can-boo-me-and-feel-happy-about/) [Adam Goodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-goodes/) > [Poetical taste is the only magician whose wand is not broken. No hand, except its own, can dissolve the fabric of beauty in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/poetical-taste-is-the-only-magician-whose-wand-is-not-broken-no-hand/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [This is no time to be precious about locating the exact individuals directly involved in this particular terrorist attack… We know who the homicidal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/this-is-no-time-to-be-precious-about-locating-the-exact-individuals/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [Cheer up, you're never alone! There is probably at least 1 bug in your room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/cheer-up-you-re-never-alone-there-is-probably-at-least-1-bug-in-your/) [Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/) [Browse all 1,099 Cheer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Philip Larkin used to cheer himself up by looking in the mirror and saying the line from Rebecca, 'I am Mrs de Winter now!", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Bennett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/philip-larkin-used-to-cheer-himself-up-by-looking-in-the-mirror-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cheer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/philip-larkin-used-to-cheer-himself-up-by-looking-in-the-mirror-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/alan-bennett-1922_cheer_philip-larkin-used-to-cheer-himself-up-b_2406860.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/alan-bennett-1922_cheer_philip-larkin-used-to-cheer-himself-up-b_2406860.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/alan-bennett-1922_cheer_philip-larkin-used-to-cheer-himself-up-b_2406860.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Philip Larkin used to cheer himself up by looking in the mirror and saying the line from Rebecca, 'I am Mrs…” — Alan Bennett", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alan Bennett", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Philip Larkin used to cheer himself...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/philip-larkin-used-to-cheer-himself-up-by-looking-in-the-mirror-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/philip-larkin-used-to-cheer-himself-up-by-looking-in-the-mirror-and/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```