--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Everyone is screwed up, broken, clingy…" description: "\"Everyone is screwed up, broken, clingy, and scared, even the people who seem to have it more or less together. They are much more like you than you wou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bad/anne-lamott-188_believe_everyone-is-screwed-up-broken-clingy-and_1763245.png" --- # Everyone is screwed up, broken, clingy, and scared, even… ![“Everyone is screwed up, broken, clingy, and scared, even the people who seem to have it more or less together. They are much more like you than you would believe. So try not to compare your insides to their outsides.” quote by Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bad/anne-lamott-188_believe_everyone-is-screwed-up-broken-clingy-and_1763245.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bad/anne-lamott-188_believe_everyone-is-screwed-up-broken-clingy-and_1763245.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bad/anne-lamott-188_believe_everyone-is-screwed-up-broken-clingy-and_1763245.png) > “Everyone is screwed up, broken, clingy, and scared, even the people who seem to have it more or less together. They are much more like you than you would believe. So try not to compare your insides to their outsides.” [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. People often appear composed outwardly while internally struggling; comparison of inner turmoil to external appearances is misleading. **In simple terms:** Everyone hides inner struggles behind a calm exterior. Key Takeaway Stop comparing your inner feelings to others' outward looks. Themes self-acceptance comparison vulnerability Mood reflective empathetic Type advice motivational When to use this quote - social media use - personal relationships - therapy sessions - workplace interactions Key Concepts psychology authenticity self-esteem Questions to Reflect On - How does comparing yourself to others affect your self-worth? - What steps can you take to focus on your own growth? A Different Perspective People may mask deeper issues, making true comparison difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Broken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken/) [Broken Clingy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken-clingy-1711422/) [Clingy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clingy/) [Clingy Scared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clingy-scared-1711421/) [Compare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compare/) [Compare Insides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compare-insides-1098897/) [Like you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-you/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Scared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scared/) [Scared People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scared-people/) [Screwed up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screwed-up/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/together/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) ## Related quotes > [Everyone is screwed up, broken, clingy, and scared, even the people who seem to have it more or less together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/everyone-is-screwed-up-broken-clingy-and-scared-even-the-people-who-2/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Everyone is screwed up, broken, clingy, and scared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/everyone-is-screwed-up-broken-clingy-and-scared/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Never compare your insides to everyone else's outsides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/never-compare-your-insides-to-everyone-else-s-outsides/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [I think a lot of people compare their insides to other people’s outsides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/i-think-a-lot-of-people-compare-their-insides-to-other-people-s/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) > [“Never compare your insides to someone else's outsides.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/never-compare-your-insides-to-someone-else-s-outsides/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [I realised that to compare your insides with other people's outsides leads to unhappiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-brigstocke/i-realised-that-to-compare-your-insides-with-other-people-s-outsides/) [Marcus Brigstocke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-brigstocke/) > [Sometimes I think God loves the ones who most desperately ache and are most desperately lost - his or her wildest, most messed-up children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/sometimes-i-think-god-loves-the-ones-who-most-desperately-ache-and/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Sometimes, no matter how screwed up things seem, I feel like we're all at a wedding. But you can't just come out and say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/sometimes-no-matter-how-screwed-up-things-seem-i-feel-like-we-re-all/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [I'm independent. If a guy is too clingy or needy, I actually get afraid of hurting him - and I can't deal with that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-greene/i-m-independent-if-a-guy-is-too-clingy-or-needy-i-actually-get-afraid/) [Ashley Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-greene/) > [My mother said I was a clingy kid until I was about four. I also remember that from the age of eight she and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/my-mother-said-i-was-a-clingy-kid-until-i-was-about-four-i-also/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [This is making me crazy. I hate relying on other people to save me, I hate being clingy, I hate it, and every time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-crusie/this-is-making-me-crazy-i-hate-relying-on-other-people-to-save-me-i/) [Jennifer Crusie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-crusie/) > [“In spite of her superficial independence, her fundamental need was to cling. All her life was an attempt to disprove it; and so proved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/in-spite-of-her-superficial-independence-her-fundamental-need-was-to/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [“This is particularly true of those who "love too much" and those who tend to lose themselves in their relationships. Sometimes our love becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-engel/this-is-particularly-true-of-those-who-love-too-much-and-those-who/) [Beverly Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-engel/) > [Are you a peice of Saran Wrap? No Well then why are you acting so clingy?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisi-harrison/are-you-a-peice-of-saran-wrap-no-well-then-why-are-you-acting-so/) [Lisi Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisi-harrison/) > [As an early-and-often chronicler of Chicago-on-the-Potomac, I am amazed at the stubborn and clingy persistence of President Barack Obama's snowblowers in the media. See…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-malkin/as-an-early-and-often-chronicler-of-chicago-on-the-potomac-i-am/) [Michelle Malkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-malkin/) ## More by Anne Lamott > [What an incredible drug fear is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/what-an-incredible-drug-fear-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [I guess he'll have to figure out someday that he is supposed to have this dark side, that it is part of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-guess-he-ll-have-to-figure-out-someday-that-he-is-supposed-to-have/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [It's funny where we look for salvation, and where we actually find it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/it-s-funny-where-we-look-for-salvation-and-where-we-actually-find-it/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess over everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breathe at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/why-couldn-t-jesus-command-us-to-obsess-over-everything-to-try-to/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Publication is not all that it is cracked up to be. But writing is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/publication-is-not-all-that-it-is-cracked-up-to-be-but-writing-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Your problem is how you are going to spend this one odd and precious life you have been issued. Whether you're going to spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/your-problem-is-how-you-are-going-to-spend-this-one-odd-and-precious/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [And yet, I do believe there is ultimately meaning in the chaos, and also in the doldrums. 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. Overeating is one way back, the way it is at funerals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-lose-the-known-package-of-your-nice-organized-self-almost/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) [Explore all 976 Anne Lamott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. 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Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) [Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Everyone is screwed up, broken, clingy, and scared, even the people who seem to have it more or less together. They are much more like you than you would believe. 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