--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was born an emotional tampon in a…" description: "\"I was born an emotional tampon in a cauldron of dysfunction.\" — Dana Gould" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b69/dana-gould-1290_born_i-was-born-an-emotional-tampon-in-a-caul_2520841.png" --- # I was born an emotional tampon in a cauldron of dysfunction. ![“I was born an emotional tampon in a cauldron of dysfunction.” quote by Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b69/dana-gould-1290_born_i-was-born-an-emotional-tampon-in-a-caul_2520841.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b69/dana-gould-1290_born_i-was-born-an-emotional-tampon-in-a-caul_2520841.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b69/dana-gould-1290_born_i-was-born-an-emotional-tampon-in-a-caul_2520841.png) > “I was born an emotional tampon in a cauldron of dysfunction.” [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A self‑deprecating metaphor describing a chaotic upbringing and emotional instability. **In simple terms:** I grew up in a dysfunctional, emotionally painful environment. Key Takeaway Recognize and heal past trauma. Themes family mental health humor Mood reflective humorous Type comedic personal When to use this quote - therapy sessions - family gatherings - stand‑up performance - support groups Key Concepts dysfunction emotional neglect self‑deprecation Questions to Reflect On - What coping mechanisms helped you? - How can humor aid healing? A Different Perspective Humor may mask seriousness of trauma. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/) [Born Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born-emotional-1247674/) [Cauldrons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cauldrons/) [Dysfunction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dysfunction/) [Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional/) [Emotional Tampon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional-tampon-1247673/) [Tampon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tampon-901339/) [Tampon Cauldron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tampon-cauldron-1247675/) [Tampons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tampons/) ## Related quotes > [ I got hit up for a tampon commercial and so I asked \[JD and Jo\] if they had anything. Jo sent that over and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-hanna/i-got-hit-up-for-a-tampon-commercial-and-so-i-asked-jd-and-jo-if-they/) [Kathleen Hanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-hanna/) > [..."I can always stuff you back in the bottle and shove a tampon in the top instead of a stopper, and all the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/i-can-always-stuff-you-back-in-the-bottle-and-shove-a-tampon-in-the/) [Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/) > [That's actually pretty tame, but the fact that it was coming from this unexpected adorable little 17-year-old, I thought I'd be getting a letter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/that-s-actually-pretty-tame-but-the-fact-that-it-was-coming-from-this/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [Rochelle," she calls out, still looking at me. "Is there anyone down at the desk? I need something." I'm too startled to move. Is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mccormick/rochelle-she-calls-out-still-looking-at-me-is-there-anyone-down-at/) [Patricia McCormick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mccormick/) > [ I almost wish we would've filmed a whole fake tampon commercial around \["I'm With Her"\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-hanna/i-almost-wish-we-would-ve-filmed-a-whole-fake-tampon-commercial/) [Kathleen Hanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-hanna/) > [The plumber he says, never flush a tampon. This is great information, cost me half a weeks pay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/the-plumber-he-says-never-flush-a-tampon-this-is-great-information/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [Okay, I'm in the tampon aisle, but I don't see it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gierach/okay-i-m-in-the-tampon-aisle-but-i-don-t-see-it/) [John Gierach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gierach/) > [I hate thin people; 'Oh, does the tampon make me look fat?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-hate-thin-people-oh-does-the-tampon-make-me-look-fat/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [People often ask why comedy is harder for women, and the reason is because a tampon will sometimes fall out when you're on stage.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-eclair/people-often-ask-why-comedy-is-harder-for-women-and-the-reason-is/) [Jenny Eclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-eclair/) > [Take your f\*\*\*ing tampon out and tell me what you have to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahm-emanuel/take-your-f-ing-tampon-out-and-tell-me-what-you-have-to-say/) [Rahm Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahm-emanuel/) > [“Who lit the fuse on your tampon?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-monroe/who-lit-the-fuse-on-your-tampon/) [Sophie Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-monroe/) > [“E.L. James. Best damn author of our time, if you ask me. She really nailed it with that tampon scene. Pure enlightenment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-elle/e-l-james-best-damn-author-of-our-time-if-you-ask-me-she-really/) [Christina Elle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-elle/) > ['I can always relate to tampon commercials'...said no girl ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-can-always-relate-to-tampon-commercials-said-no-girl-ever/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Yo mama so fat she uses a mattress for a tampon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yo-mama-so-fat-she-uses-a-mattress-for-a-tampon/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Wanker had the manners of a used tampon.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-j-shen/wanker-had-the-manners-of-a-used-tampon/) [L.J. Shen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-j-shen/) ## More by Dana Gould > [As hard as I try to live with some degree of faith in my life, I just can't believe that the full moon can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/as-hard-as-i-try-to-live-with-some-degree-of-faith-in-my-life-i-just/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) > [The older I get, the more I look like my favorite shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/the-older-i-get-the-more-i-look-like-my-favorite-shoes/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) > [Somewhere, there's someone who's masturbation ritual ends with them setting up ventriloquist dummies facing the bed. I mean, someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/somewhere-there-s-someone-who-s-masturbation-ritual-ends-with-them/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) > [I feel very uncomfortable when I eat in restaurants. I'm obnoxiously polite with the waiters: 'I just want a tuna sandwich. I'll go get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/i-feel-very-uncomfortable-when-i-eat-in-restaurants-i-m-obnoxiously/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) > [Cowboy boots with a suit? You're a rough, tough businessman. Chaps with a bow tie? You're in the rough, tough man business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/cowboy-boots-with-a-suit-you-re-a-rough-tough-businessman-chaps-with/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) > [Despite a primitive brain, the octopus possesses an intricate system that helps it decide which tentacle to masturbate with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/despite-a-primitive-brain-the-octopus-possesses-an-intricate-system/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) > [I got mugged about six months ago. The oddest thing about the entire situation, though, was that I wasn't afraid, which is strange because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/i-got-mugged-about-six-months-ago-the-oddest-thing-about-the-entire/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) > [I'm the Forrest Gump of comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/i-m-the-forrest-gump-of-comedy/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) > [It's gonna be awesome! A suspected pedophile dunks my kids head in a bucket so when she dies she can live in an invisible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/it-s-gonna-be-awesome-a-suspected-pedophile-dunks-my-kids-head-in-a/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) > [If I ever go into a coma, one of you has to promise to come by occasionally and tweeze my unibrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/if-i-ever-go-into-a-coma-one-of-you-has-to-promise-to-come-by/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) > [They say that God is in the details. Then again, they also say that the Devil is in the details. Boy, talk about awkward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/they-say-that-god-is-in-the-details-then-again-they-also-say-that-the/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) > [I have one phobia, snakes. And by snakes I mean intimacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/i-have-one-phobia-snakes-and-by-snakes-i-mean-intimacy/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) > [My whole approach to marriage is simple: my wife will do something that drives me insane, I won't say anything, and then, later, I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/my-whole-approach-to-marriage-is-simple-my-wife-will-do-something/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) > [Wrote a science fiction novel about a man who wins an argument with his wife, but it was rejected for being too farfetched.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/wrote-a-science-fiction-novel-about-a-man-who-wins-an-argument-with/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) > [If life begins at conception, but you can be born again later, only to live on eternally after death, what's the big deal about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/if-life-begins-at-conception-but-you-can-be-born-again-later-only-to/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) [Explore all 260 Dana Gould quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) ## More Born quotes > [My mother says I didn't open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/my-mother-says-i-didn-t-open-my-eyes-for-eight-days-after-i-was-born/) [Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [The real world out there isn't nearly as nice as some people prefer it to be, so don't swallow everything your high-born teachers tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-real-world-out-there-isn-t-nearly-as-nice-as-some-people-prefer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Anybody looking for a quiet life has picked the wrong century to born in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anybody-looking-for-a-quiet-life-has-picked-the-wrong-century-to-born/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [I know that in the rap game you've got a lot of people, that come from poverty, was born in poverty and if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-connor/i-know-that-in-the-rap-game-you-ve-got-a-lot-of-people-that-come-from/) [Jon Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-connor/) > [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/) [Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Must I go bound while you go free Must I love a manwho doesn't love me Must I be born with so little art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/must-i-go-bound-while-you-go-free-must-i-love-a-manwho-doesn-t-love/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I'm not against gay people. I have a relative who is also gay. We can't help it if they were born that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-pacquiao/i-m-not-against-gay-people-i-have-a-relative-who-is-also-gay-we-can-t/) [Manny Pacquiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-pacquiao/) > [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [For the glory born of Goodness Never dies, And its flag is not half-masted In the skies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-harte/for-the-glory-born-of-goodness-never-dies-and-its-flag-is-not-half/) [Bret Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-harte/) > [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/) [Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/) > [If you can believe it, Hollywood wanted to change my birthdate. I was born after Valentine's Day, so they wanted to change it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-romero/if-you-can-believe-it-hollywood-wanted-to-change-my-birthdate-i-was/) [Cesar Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-romero/) [Browse all 11,606 Born quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was born an emotional tampon in a cauldron of dysfunction.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dana Gould" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/i-was-born-an-emotional-tampon-in-a-cauldron-of-dysfunction/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Born" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/i-was-born-an-emotional-tampon-in-a-cauldron-of-dysfunction/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b69/dana-gould-1290_born_i-was-born-an-emotional-tampon-in-a-caul_2520841.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b69/dana-gould-1290_born_i-was-born-an-emotional-tampon-in-a-caul_2520841.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b69/dana-gould-1290_born_i-was-born-an-emotional-tampon-in-a-caul_2520841.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was born an emotional tampon in a cauldron of dysfunction.” — Dana Gould", "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": "Dana Gould", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was born an emotional tampon...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/i-was-born-an-emotional-tampon-in-a-cauldron-of-dysfunction/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/i-was-born-an-emotional-tampon-in-a-cauldron-of-dysfunction/#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 } } ] } ```