--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All these people keep waxing sentimental…" description: "\"All these people keep waxing sentimental about how fabulously well I am doing as a mother, how competent I am, but I feel inside like when you're first..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/anne-lamott-188_feel_all-these-people-keep-waxing-sentimental_708165.png" --- # All these people keep waxing sentimental about how… ![“All these people keep waxing sentimental about how fabulously well I am doing as a mother, how competent I am, but I feel inside like when you're first learning to put nail polish on your right hand with your left. You can do it, but it doesn't look all that great around the cuticles.” quote by Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/anne-lamott-188_feel_all-these-people-keep-waxing-sentimental_708165.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/anne-lamott-188_feel_all-these-people-keep-waxing-sentimental_708165.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/002/anne-lamott-188_feel_all-these-people-keep-waxing-sentimental_708165.png) > “All these people keep waxing sentimental about how fabulously well I am doing as a mother, how competent I am, but I feel inside like when you're first learning to put nail polish on your right hand with your left. You can do it, but it doesn't look all that great around the cuticles.” [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## 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 feels inadequate as a mother despite external praise, likening it to a clumsy, imperfect task. **In simple terms:** Feeling inadequate despite praise. Key Takeaway Accept imperfection, seek support. Themes parenthood self‑doubt expectations Mood vulnerable reflective Type personal emotional When to use this quote - new mother - work‑life balance - seeking mentorship Key Concepts impostor syndrome identity self‑compassion Questions to Reflect On - How can you reframe self‑criticism? - What support would help you feel more confident? A Different Perspective Perception of competence may be biased by internal critic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doing Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-mother-349606/) [Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel/) [Feel Inside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-inside/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Nail polish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nail-polish/) [Nails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nails/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Polish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/polish/) [Right hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-hand/) [Sentimental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentimental/) [Waxing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waxing/) [Waxing Sentimental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waxing-sentimental-5591335/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [You can do it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you-can-do-it/) ## Related quotes > [I like the bad-boy types. 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The nail polish I used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-hood/i-was-a-daughterless-mother-i-had-nowhere-to-put-the-things-a-mother/) [Ann Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-hood/) > [Nude nail polish wins hands down over intricate nail art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-madekwe/nude-nail-polish-wins-hands-down-over-intricate-nail-art/) [Ashley Madekwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-madekwe/) > [I wondered about Mrs. Winterbottom and what she meant about living a tiny life. If she didn't like all that baking and cleaning and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-creech/i-wondered-about-mrs-winterbottom-and-what-she-meant-about-living-a/) [Sharon Creech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-creech/) > [...there were two kinds of women: those who wear nail polish and those who don't. 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What I resist is not the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/and-yet-i-do-believe-there-is-ultimately-meaning-in-the-chaos-and/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Raising a child, whether or not it is yours, is like Nautilus of the heart and soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/raising-a-child-whether-or-not-it-is-yours-is-like-nautilus-of-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I heard a preacher say recently that hope is a revolutionary patience; let me add that so is being a writer. Hope begins in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-heard-a-preacher-say-recently-that-hope-is-a-revolutionary-patience/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-think-perfectionism-is-based-on-the-obsessive-belief-that-if-you/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [All criticism hurts me. I'm so in the wrong business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/all-criticism-hurts-me-i-m-so-in-the-wrong-business/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [We are going to die, as is everyone we adore - I hate this! But the question is, how do we live as women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/we-are-going-to-die-as-is-everyone-we-adore-i-hate-this-but-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You will go through your life thinking there was a day in second grade that you must have missed, when the grown-ups came in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-will-go-through-your-life-thinking-there-was-a-day-in-second/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You begin to string words together like beads to tell a story. You are desperate to communicate, to edify or entertain, to preserve moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-begin-to-string-words-together-like-beads-to-tell-a-story-you-are/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You lose the known package of your nice organized self almost instantly here. 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And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) [Adam Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ant/) > [I feel as though I've fooled the world into thinking I'm an adult and now they're letting me procreate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/i-feel-as-though-i-ve-fooled-the-world-into-thinking-i-m-an-adult-and/) [George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/) > [I feel like I could eat the world raw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/i-feel-like-i-could-eat-the-world-raw/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [I like to wear bodysuits and things that make me feel really active and athletic and also really sensual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hawley-weld/i-like-to-wear-bodysuits-and-things-that-make-me-feel-really-active/) [Sophie Hawley-Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hawley-weld/) > [You can't force people to feel in a certain way, and the sooner you understand that,the better. 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