---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am an excellent driver. In my mind…"
description: "\"“I am an excellent driver. In my mind. When nobody's watching. I could drive circles around you. And even East Los Viva. However, there is the small is..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f6/andrea-portes-17650_driver_i-am-an-excellent-driver-in-my-mind-when_2799577.jpg"
---

#  I am an excellent driver. In my mind. When nobody's…

![“I am an excellent driver. In my mind. When nobody's watching. I could drive circles around you. And even East Los Viva. However, there is the small issue that in the human realm, when I am driving an actual vehicle, which is rare, and there is someone in the passenger seat, which is even rarer - I…” quote by Andrea Portes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f6/andrea-portes-17650_driver_i-am-an-excellent-driver-in-my-mind-when_2799577.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f6/andrea-portes-17650_driver_i-am-an-excellent-driver-in-my-mind-when_2799577.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f6/andrea-portes-17650_driver_i-am-an-excellent-driver-in-my-mind-when_2799577.jpg)

> ““I am an excellent driver. In my mind. When nobody's watching. I could drive circles around you. And even East Los Viva. However, there is the small issue that in the human realm, when I am driving an actual vehicle, which is rare, and there is someone in the passenger seat, which is even rarer - I have a tendency to get nervous. And a bit neurotic. Okay, fine, let's just face it. I am a terrible driver.””

[Andrea Portes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-portes/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker boasts confidence in imagined driving but admits anxiety and poor performance when actually driving with a passenger, revealing a gap between self‑image and reality.

**In simple terms:** Imagined skill vs real nervousness while driving with a passenger.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and practice to reduce driving anxiety.

Themes

confidence anxiety self‑perception skill gaps

Mood

nervous reflective honest

Type

personal self‑reflective

When to use this quote

- driving lessons
- carpooling
- solo trips
- traffic school

Key Concepts

psychology self‑awareness performance anxiety

Questions to Reflect On

- How does imagined competence affect real performance?
- What steps can you take to build real driving confidence?

A Different Perspective

Confidence may not translate to competence without practice.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Driver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/driver/) [Driver Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/driver-mind-685461/) [Driving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/driving/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Nervous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nervous/) [Passenger seat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passenger-seat/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Tendency Nervous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tendency-nervous-3440661/)

## Related quotes

> [The racing driver's mind has to have the ability to have amazing anticipation, coordination, and reflex. Because of the speed the car goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emerson-fittipaldi/the-racing-driver-s-mind-has-to-have-the-ability-to-have-amazing/)

[Emerson Fittipaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emerson-fittipaldi/)

> [Sometimes people ask you as a Formula 1 driver whether your mind wanders to other things. Well, when you're in the car in real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-coulthard/sometimes-people-ask-you-as-a-formula-1-driver-whether-your-mind/)

[David Coulthard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-coulthard/)

> [Nissan is designing a car that will read the driver's mind. I already know what I'm going to do. I want a car that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/nissan-is-designing-a-car-that-will-read-the-driver-s-mind-i-already/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [You are the driver of your mind, so take charge and keep it busy with your instructions by telling it where you want it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/you-are-the-driver-of-your-mind-so-take-charge-and-keep-it-busy-with/)

[Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/)

> [For us, driving is not what we are looking for, but being in the driver's seat of our only destiny. That means ending guardianship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manal-al-sharif/for-us-driving-is-not-what-we-are-looking-for-but-being-in-the-driver/)

[Manal al-Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manal-al-sharif/)

> [I love driving, but sometimes, I'm not too good at it because I spend too much time looking in the rearview mirror if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-olsen/i-love-driving-but-sometimes-i-m-not-too-good-at-it-because-i-spend/)

[Ashley Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-olsen/)

> [When somebody doesn't use common sense, I get frustrated. When I'm driving down the highway and someone is in the left-hand lane, and they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-horschel/when-somebody-doesn-t-use-common-sense-i-get-frustrated-when-i-m/)

[Billy Horschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-horschel/)

> [A driver is a king on a vinyl bucket-seat throne, changing direction with the turn of a wheel, changing the climate with a flick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-h-malcolm/a-driver-is-a-king-on-a-vinyl-bucket-seat-throne-changing-direction/)

[Andrew H Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-h-malcolm/)

> [I'm not a bad driver. And I never will be because I took lessons when I was quite a boy. I never had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-murdoch/i-m-not-a-bad-driver-and-i-never-will-be-because-i-took-lessons-when/)

[Richard Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-murdoch/)

> [“The Aftermath When the fierce pure pleasure has clawed through, ripped open my tent of separateness, I lay in my lover's arms, weeping and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-bass/the-aftermath-when-the-fierce-pure-pleasure-has-clawed-through-ripped/)

[Ellen Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-bass/)

> [“i will always be the person who went to the grocery store in cigarette-burned pajamas every day for five months i will always be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-espinoza/i-will-always-be-the-person-who-went-to-the-grocery-store-in/)

[Joshua Espinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-espinoza/)

> [“The Beatles insisted he let it be, let it be. Stephen ejected the tape from his eight-track and threw it on the floor of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/the-beatles-insisted-he-let-it-be-let-it-be-stephen-ejected-the-tape/)

[Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/)

> [“Lila sat in the passenger seat and I sat in the driver’s side of Aires’ 1965 Corvette. She’d come home with me to act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-mcgarry/lila-sat-in-the-passenger-seat-and-i-sat-in-the-driver-s-side-of/)

[Katie McGarry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-mcgarry/)

> [I'm somebody who doesn't feel the need to be in the driver's seat all the time. I appreciate the perspective of being in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-ward/i-m-somebody-who-doesn-t-feel-the-need-to-be-in-the-driver-s-seat-all/)

[M. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-ward/)

> [“It would be a stretch to say that I have completely abandoned my left-directed thinking. It is impossible to change that dramatically in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-guidoccio/it-would-be-a-stretch-to-say-that-i-have-completely-abandoned-my-left/)

[Joanne Guidoccio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-guidoccio/)

## More by Andrea Portes

> [“I bet she thought she was getting into a fight with a vanilla wafer on roller skates but little did she know she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-portes/i-bet-she-thought-she-was-getting-into-a-fight-with-a-vanilla-wafer/)

[Andrea Portes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-portes/)

> [“If you threw Elvis and a scarecrow in a blender, topped the whole thing off with Seagram's 7 and pressed dice, you would make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-portes/if-you-threw-elvis-and-a-scarecrow-in-a-blender-topped-the-whole/)

[Andrea Portes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-portes/)

> [“One hundred and thirteen seconds." "I am in extreme dislike ..." Gasp. "... of this process at the present moment." Gasp. "And also, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-portes/one-hundred-and-thirteen-seconds-i-am-in-extreme-dislike-gasp-of-this/)

[Andrea Portes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-portes/)

> [“I look like vanilla pudding so nobody knows that on the inside I am spider soup.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-portes/i-look-like-vanilla-pudding-so-nobody-knows-that-on-the-inside-i-am/)

[Andrea Portes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-portes/)

> [“And when I have that feeling, that feeling like I need a handout, desperate, I want to pull my skin off and turn into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-portes/and-when-i-have-that-feeling-that-feeling-like-i-need-a-handout/)

[Andrea Portes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-portes/)

> [“When I get back to my dorm room, there it is, staring at me from above my bed. The Vladimir Putin calendar. Ha! I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-portes/when-i-get-back-to-my-dorm-room-there-it-is-staring-at-me-from-above/)

[Andrea Portes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-portes/)

> [“Well, I'm sorry. Again. For like the millionth time. If there's anything I can do ... I'd offer to pay for your dry cleaning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-portes/well-i-m-sorry-again-for-like-the-millionth-time-if-there-s-anything/)

[Andrea Portes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-portes/)

> [“I'm not sure why anyone on the face of the planet would want to use a bow and arrow. I mean, it seems like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-portes/i-m-not-sure-why-anyone-on-the-face-of-the-planet-would-want-to-use-a/)

[Andrea Portes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-portes/)

> [“Don't worry. We do not have to talk about. We are Russian. We do not talk about feelings all the time and no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-portes/don-t-worry-we-do-not-have-to-talk-about-we-are-russian-we-do-not/)

[Andrea Portes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-portes/)

> [“There were babies, and toddlers, and five-year-old boys in Batman shirts. There was even a little girl dressed as Elsa. For no reason. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-portes/there-were-babies-and-toddlers-and-five-year-old-boys-in-batman/)

[Andrea Portes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-portes/)

> [“I look out past the corn and the wheat and wonder how many sets of bones are buried, unspoken, keeping their stories to themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-portes/i-look-out-past-the-corn-and-the-wheat-and-wonder-how-many-sets-of/)

[Andrea Portes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-portes/)

> [“Second, I will venture to Café Treplev, which is a hidden, wooden, book-lined restaurant that looks more like someone's personal library I would like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-portes/second-i-will-venture-to-caf-treplev-which-is-a-hidden-wooden-book/)

[Andrea Portes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-portes/)

> [“Okay, I have a follow-up question." Madden exhales. "Yes." "Is this car worth a lot in your human money?" "Paige, there's nothing around. Okay?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-portes/okay-i-have-a-follow-up-question-madden-exhales-yes-is-this-car-worth/)

[Andrea Portes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-portes/)

> [“You know why you keep losing, 'cause, guess what, you're a fucking loser.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-portes/you-know-why-you-keep-losing-cause-guess-what-you-re-a-fucking-loser/)

[Andrea Portes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-portes/)

> [“But somewhere in America, between the freeways and the Food-4-Less, between the filling stations and the 5-o-'clock news, behind the blue blinking light coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-portes/but-somewhere-in-america-between-the-freeways-and-the-food-4-less/)

[Andrea Portes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-portes/)

[Explore all 36 Andrea Portes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-portes/)

## More Driver quotes

> [All the questions, all the speculation, No. 2 driver and so on, it doesn't get to me. It doesn't matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valtteri-bottas/all-the-questions-all-the-speculation-no-2-driver-and-so-on-it-doesn/)

[Valtteri Bottas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valtteri-bottas/)

> [You know, before I would think, my cab driver hates me. Now I think my limo driver hates me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-romano/you-know-before-i-would-think-my-cab-driver-hates-me-now-i-think-my/)

[Ray Romano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-romano/)

> [If I had to pick favourite parts of Interlagos, I would say the first and last corners. The first corner is really technical and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-grosjean/if-i-had-to-pick-favourite-parts-of-interlagos-i-would-say-the-first/)

[Romain Grosjean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-grosjean/)

> [“But this bus was a bit too full. The driver only appeared to control the glass and metal around him. In reality, he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-spaid/but-this-bus-was-a-bit-too-full-the-driver-only-appeared-to-control/)

[Graham Spaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-spaid/)

> [I'd be a race car driver. I love fast cars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-angelo-russell/i-d-be-a-race-car-driver-i-love-fast-cars/)

[D'Angelo Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-angelo-russell/)

> [I think our sport is much better off with a successful female driver in NASCAR.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denny-hamlin/i-think-our-sport-is-much-better-off-with-a-successful-female-driver/)

[Denny Hamlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denny-hamlin/)

> [Kimi is a great driver like Fernando, but together, they could be a time bomb for Ferrari.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-eric-vergne/kimi-is-a-great-driver-like-fernando-but-together-they-could-be-a/)

[Jean-Eric Vergne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-eric-vergne/)

> [It's been 23 years since the last Swede in Formula One, so for me to be the next F1 driver at all these races…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-ericsson/it-s-been-23-years-since-the-last-swede-in-formula-one-so-for-me-to/)

[Marcus Ericsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-ericsson/)

> [People say I'm bad at a lot of things. One I agree with is that I'm a bad driver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-hansen/people-say-i-m-bad-at-a-lot-of-things-one-i-agree-with-is-that-i-m-a/)

[Alan Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-hansen/)

> [I am a control freak back seat driver; a map reading co-pilot who directs every turn of the wheel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carr/i-am-a-control-freak-back-seat-driver-a-map-reading-co-pilot-who/)

[Liz Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carr/)

> [“The most insightful thing I ever heard, was overheard. I was waiting for a rail replacement bus in Hackney Wick. These two old women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-brand/the-most-insightful-thing-i-ever-heard-was-overheard-i-was-waiting/)

[Russell Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-brand/)

> [Some drivers are like that. When they get a bit angry, they can perform better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-verstappen/some-drivers-are-like-that-when-they-get-a-bit-angry-they-can-perform/)

[Max Verstappen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-verstappen/)

> [When you live with someone on the bus, for four days a week, you really have to get along.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-lambert/when-you-live-with-someone-on-the-bus-for-four-days-a-week-you-really/)

[Miranda Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-lambert/)

> [The larger the disaster, the more necessary it is to have the government as the principal driver of recovery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-redlener/the-larger-the-disaster-the-more-necessary-it-is-to-have-the/)

[Irwin Redlener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-redlener/)

> [From 1965 to 1974, I served the best possible apprenticeship for an actor. I learned firsthand how a truck driver lives, what a bartender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-dennehy/from-1965-to-1974-i-served-the-best-possible-apprenticeship-for-an/)

[Brian Dennehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-dennehy/)

[Browse all 848 Driver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/driver/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I am an excellent driver. In my mind. When nobody's watching. I could drive circles around you. And even East Los Viva. However, there is the small issue that in the human realm, when I am driving an actual vehicle, which is rare, and there is someone in the passenger seat, which is even rarer - I have a tendency to get nervous. And a bit neurotic. Okay, fine, let's just face it. I am a terrible driver.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Andrea Portes"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-portes/i-am-an-excellent-driver-in-my-mind-when-nobody-s-watching-i-could/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Driver"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-portes/i-am-an-excellent-driver-in-my-mind-when-nobody-s-watching-i-could/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f6/andrea-portes-17650_driver_i-am-an-excellent-driver-in-my-mind-when_2799577.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f6/andrea-portes-17650_driver_i-am-an-excellent-driver-in-my-mind-when_2799577.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f6/andrea-portes-17650_driver_i-am-an-excellent-driver-in-my-mind-when_2799577.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I am an excellent driver. In my mind. When nobody's watching. I could drive circles around you. And even…” — Andrea Portes",
                "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": "Andrea Portes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-portes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I am an excellent driver. In...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-portes/i-am-an-excellent-driver-in-my-mind-when-nobody-s-watching-i-could/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-portes/i-am-an-excellent-driver-in-my-mind-when-nobody-s-watching-i-could/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
