--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm sorry.\" \"Sorry? For what?\" He…" description: "\"“I'm sorry.\" \"Sorry? For what?\" He straightened and moved a bit closer, sounding honestly puzzled. \"I am not much of a conversationalist, I'm afraid. I..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be1/candace-camp-46656_commonplace_i-m-sorry-sorry-for-what-he-straightened_2799210.jpg" --- # I'm sorry." "Sorry? For what?" He straightened and moved a… ![“I'm sorry." "Sorry? For what?" He straightened and moved a bit closer, sounding honestly puzzled. "I am not much of a conversationalist, I'm afraid. I am not used to - to any of this. You must find this terribly..." "Terribly what?" "Boring." She faced him squarely then, for she refused to shy…” quote by Candace Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be1/candace-camp-46656_commonplace_i-m-sorry-sorry-for-what-he-straightened_2799210.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be1/candace-camp-46656_commonplace_i-m-sorry-sorry-for-what-he-straightened_2799210.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be1/candace-camp-46656_commonplace_i-m-sorry-sorry-for-what-he-straightened_2799210.jpg) > ““I'm sorry." "Sorry? For what?" He straightened and moved a bit closer, sounding honestly puzzled. "I am not much of a conversationalist, I'm afraid. I am not used to - to any of this. You must find this terribly..." "Terribly what?" "Boring." She faced him squarely then, for she refused to shy away from difficulties. He let out a short bark of laughter. "Boring? My dear Miss Bainbridge, boring is definitely something you are not." "I don't know how you can say that," she retorted somewhat crossly. "There is really no need for you to be polite. I haven't said any of the things I should. I have been blunt and no doubt impolite. I have never danced before with any man I haven't known since I could toddle. And now I cannot even come up with the most commonplace remark." His chuckle was low and warm \[...\]. "Oh, you know what I mean." Really the man was maddening. "You shouldn't laugh at someone who is admitting their grievous social ineptitude." "What else should I do?" His teeth glinted in the darkness. "Let me assure you that I have danced with a great many girls whom I have not known since childhood. And I have heard a great many commonplace remarks. It is, quite frankly, a relief to enjoy the quiet and cool of the garden without hearing that the weather is quite nice this evening or that the breeze is most refreshing or that the party is so enjoyable.”” [Candace Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-camp/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A socially awkward person reveals their discomfort with small talk, while the other offers reassurance and humor, highlighting the tension between authenticity and social expectations. **In simple terms:** Awkwardness meets humor in conversation. Key Takeaway Embrace honest awkwardness. Themes social anxiety humor authenticity Mood anxious playful reflective Type dialogue conversational literary When to use this quote - first dates - networking events - family gatherings - workplace introductions Key Concepts self‑acceptance communication vulnerability Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance honesty with politeness? - Can humor ease social discomfort? A Different Perspective Humor may mask deeper insecurities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Great man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-man/) [Impolite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impolite/) [Party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/party/) [Weather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weather/) ## Related quotes > [“I yawned, which is my cover for everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-dubois/i-yawned-which-is-my-cover-for-everything/) [Jennifer Dubois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-dubois/) > [“And that day, I probably walked right by them out of class, not really knowing either of them or having any idea who they'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-c-pierson/and-that-day-i-probably-walked-right-by-them-out-of-class-not-really/) [D.C. Pierson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-c-pierson/) > [“You’re saying your mother engaged in unprotected sex outside her primary relationship?’ ‘With some other student,’ replied Rosie. ‘While she was dating my’ –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graeme-simsion/you-re-saying-your-mother-engaged-in-unprotected-sex-outside-her/) [Graeme Simsion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graeme-simsion/) > [“I argued that she wasn't even alive when My Little Pony originally aired, but she retorted that she wasn't alive now, either, and there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aprilynne-pike/i-argued-that-she-wasn-t-even-alive-when-my-little-pony-originally/) [Aprilynne Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aprilynne-pike/) > [“No, I wanna go kick puppies," she retorted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-kenner/no-i-wanna-go-kick-puppies-she-retorted/) [Julie Kenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-kenner/) > [“Daemon laughed "I'm only at the service of one person in particular" My cheeks flamed as I scooted my chair over. "You are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/daemon-laughed-i-m-only-at-the-service-of-one-person-in-particular-my/) [Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/) > [“How do you feel right now?" "I hurt like hell." "You'll feel worse tomorrow." "So?" "So, better get a jump on this while you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/how-do-you-feel-right-now-i-hurt-like-hell-you-ll-feel-worse-tomorrow/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [“You are always dragging me down,' said I to my Body. 'Dragging \_you\_ down!' replied my Body. 'Well I like that! Who taught me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/you-are-always-dragging-me-down-said-i-to-my-body-dragging-you-down/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“You're not wearing that ," he informed me. "Yes,I am." "No,you're not." "Yes,I am." "You'll look ridiculous." "I beg your pardon?" I said, affronted.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cayla-kluver/you-re-not-wearing-that-he-informed-me-yes-i-am-no-you-re-not-yes-i/) [Cayla Kluver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cayla-kluver/) > [If you don't take it, I'm going to throw it away," Alex cheerfully retorted. "I don't want to know what time it is. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/if-you-don-t-take-it-i-m-going-to-throw-it-away-alex-cheerfully/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [I should go. Stewart’s waitin’ for me. Says he wants to teach me how to use a sword properly.’ Riley hooted. ‘Can I watch?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jana-oliver/i-should-go-stewart-s-waitin-for-me-says-he-wants-to-teach-me-how-to/) [Jana Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jana-oliver/) > [“It wasn’t a mistake. I’m scared, but I don’t regret it.” “Why are you scared?” “How could I not be?” I retorted as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santino-hassell/it-wasn-t-a-mistake-i-m-scared-but-i-don-t-regret-it-why-are-you/) [Santino Hassell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santino-hassell/) > [Not sure," he retorted; "you call yourself a journalist, and admit there is a subject under Heaven of which you are not sure!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-k-jerome/not-sure-he-retorted-you-call-yourself-a-journalist-and-admit-there/) [Jerome K. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-k-jerome/) > [“Movie. What's my favorite kind of movie?” “Is there a point to this?” “Please, Lucy. What's my favorite movie?” “Horror. Why?” “No reason,” I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaitlin-scott/movie-what-s-my-favorite-kind-of-movie-is-there-a-point-to-this/) [Kaitlin Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaitlin-scott/) > [“Fine.” “Fine,” he retorted. Meridian grunted and her tail slapped the wall again. Time dragged on, yet there was no place Edgard would rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorelei-james/fine-fine-he-retorted-meridian-grunted-and-her-tail-slapped-the-wall/) [Lorelei James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorelei-james/) ## More by Candace Camp > [The characters are always the focal point of a book for me, whether I'm writing or reading. I may enjoy a book that has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-camp/the-characters-are-always-the-focal-point-of-a-book-for-me-whether-i/) [Candace Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-camp/) > [I taught English and history, so my education for that really helped prepare me for writing historical fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-camp/i-taught-english-and-history-so-my-education-for-that-really-helped/) [Candace Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-camp/) > ['The Marrying Season' is the final book in the 'Legend of St. Dwynwen' series, and in each of the three books, a small village…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-camp/the-marrying-season-is-the-final-book-in-the-legend-of-st-dwynwen/) [Candace Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-camp/) > [My mother was a reporter, and though she quit when they had kids, she still loved it. She told me about the people at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-camp/my-mother-was-a-reporter-and-though-she-quit-when-they-had-kids-she/) [Candace Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-camp/) > [There are several authors who are also lawyers - and not only the ones who write legal thrillers. There are other attorneys who write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-camp/there-are-several-authors-who-are-also-lawyers-and-not-only-the-ones/) [Candace Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-camp/) > [“Love makes fools of us all, I fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-camp/love-makes-fools-of-us-all-i-fear/) [Candace Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-camp/) > [I visited England immediately after I finished writing 'The Marrying Season,' before any editing or revisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-camp/i-visited-england-immediately-after-i-finished-writing-the-marrying/) [Candace Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-camp/) [Explore all 8 Candace Camp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-camp/) ## More Commonplace quotes > [It was just the sort of yatch you'd expect a rock promoter to have. Mirrored ceilings, marble, Jacuzzis and leopard-skin everything, it made the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-anderson/it-was-just-the-sort-of-yatch-you-d-expect-a-rock-promoter-to-have/) [Pamela Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-anderson/) > [It would be a piece of ingenuousness to accuse the man of today of his lack of moral code. The accusation would leave him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/it-would-be-a-piece-of-ingenuousness-to-accuse-the-man-of-today-of/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [Finally, the scariest thing about abuse of any shape or form, is, in my opinion, not the abuse itself, but that if it continues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cumming/finally-the-scariest-thing-about-abuse-of-any-shape-or-form-is-in-my/) [Alan Cumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cumming/) > [Security is a component of everyday life that one spending time in Washington, D.C., gets accustomed to. Metal detectors, police vehicle barriers and heavily-armed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-crapo/security-is-a-component-of-everyday-life-that-one-spending-time-in/) [Mike Crapo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-crapo/) > [Funerals and weddings were commonplace, and nothing could have been so interesting to them as the coming of the end of the world ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-eggleston/funerals-and-weddings-were-commonplace-and-nothing-could-have-been-so/) [Edward Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-eggleston/) > [To be original is to discover the commonplace of a thousand years--to face at first the sneer that no one would have thought of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-stanley-lee/to-be-original-is-to-discover-the-commonplace-of-a-thousand-years-to/) [Gerald Stanley Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-stanley-lee/) > [Ever since childhood I have scorned the commonplace limits so often set upon human ambition. Possessions, outward success, publicity, luxury - to me these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/ever-since-childhood-i-have-scorned-the-commonplace-limits-so-often/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [After all, the commonplaces are the great poetic truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/after-all-the-commonplaces-are-the-great-poetic-truths/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [“In a sense nothing is commonplace, for everything exists visibly by means of light and color, and light and color are the most fundamental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-parkhurst-the-painter-in-oil/in-a-sense-nothing-is-commonplace-for-everything-exists-visibly-by/) David Parkhurst The Painter In Oil > [Great geniuses have the shortest biographies. Their cousins can tell you nothing about them. They lived in their writings, and sotheir house and street…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/great-geniuses-have-the-shortest-biographies-their-cousins-can-tell/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The profession of music is lacking in horse sense, not only because the commonplace variety of horse is absent from its operations, but because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-partch/the-profession-of-music-is-lacking-in-horse-sense-not-only-because/) [Harry Partch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-partch/) > [Lying, stealing, and cheating are commonplace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/lying-stealing-and-cheating-are-commonplace/) [Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/) > [Which are the people who have influenced us most? Not the ones who thought they did, but those who had not the remotest notion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/which-are-the-people-who-have-influenced-us-most-not-the-ones-who/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [We look for visions of heaven and we never dream that all the time God is in the commonplace things and people around us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/we-look-for-visions-of-heaven-and-we-never-dream-that-all-the-time/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [Science is wonderful at destroying metaphysical answers, but incapable of providing substitute ones. Science takes away foundations without providing a replacement. Whether we want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-putnam/science-is-wonderful-at-destroying-metaphysical-answers-but-incapable/) [Hilary Putnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-putnam/) Browse all 344 Commonplace quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I'm sorry.\" \"Sorry? For what?\" He straightened and moved a bit closer, sounding honestly puzzled. \"I am not much of a conversationalist, I'm afraid. I am not used to - to any of this. You must find this terribly...\" \"Terribly what?\" \"Boring.\" She faced him squarely then, for she refused to shy away from difficulties. He let out a short bark of laughter. \"Boring? My dear Miss Bainbridge, boring is definitely something you are not.\" \"I don't know how you can say that,\" she retorted somewhat crossly. \"There is really no need for you to be polite. I haven't said any of the things I should. I have been blunt and no doubt impolite. I have never danced before with any man I haven't known since I could toddle. And now I cannot even come up with the most commonplace remark.\" His chuckle was low and warm [...]. \"Oh, you know what I mean.\" Really the man was maddening. \"You shouldn't laugh at someone who is admitting their grievous social ineptitude.\" \"What else should I do?\" His teeth glinted in the darkness. \"Let me assure you that I have danced with a great many girls whom I have not known since childhood. And I have heard a great many commonplace remarks. It is, quite frankly, a relief to enjoy the quiet and cool of the garden without hearing that the weather is quite nice this evening or that the breeze is most refreshing or that the party is so enjoyable.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Candace Camp" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-camp/i-m-sorry-sorry-for-what-he-straightened-and-moved-a-bit-closer/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Commonplace" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-camp/i-m-sorry-sorry-for-what-he-straightened-and-moved-a-bit-closer/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be1/candace-camp-46656_commonplace_i-m-sorry-sorry-for-what-he-straightened_2799210.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be1/candace-camp-46656_commonplace_i-m-sorry-sorry-for-what-he-straightened_2799210.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be1/candace-camp-46656_commonplace_i-m-sorry-sorry-for-what-he-straightened_2799210.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm sorry.\" \"Sorry? For what?\" He straightened and moved a bit closer, sounding honestly puzzled. \"I am not…” — Candace Camp", "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": "Candace Camp", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-camp/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I'm sorry.\" \"Sorry? For what?\" He...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-camp/i-m-sorry-sorry-for-what-he-straightened-and-moved-a-bit-closer/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-camp/i-m-sorry-sorry-for-what-he-straightened-and-moved-a-bit-closer/#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 } } ] } ```