--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And when is it ever convincing, the…" description: "\"And when is it ever convincing, the belief others have in your abilities? You know perfectly well they can't see the mess inside you.\" — Elizabeth Hay" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/686/elizabeth-hay-22753_ability_and-when-is-it-ever-convincing-the-belie_1361230.png" --- # And when is it ever convincing, the belief others have in… ![“And when is it ever convincing, the belief others have in your abilities? You know perfectly well they can't see the mess inside you.” quote by Elizabeth Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/686/elizabeth-hay-22753_ability_and-when-is-it-ever-convincing-the-belie_1361230.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/686/elizabeth-hay-22753_ability_and-when-is-it-ever-convincing-the-belie_1361230.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/686/elizabeth-hay-22753_ability_and-when-is-it-ever-convincing-the-belie_1361230.png) > “And when is it ever convincing, the belief others have in your abilities? You know perfectly well they can't see the mess inside you.” [Elizabeth Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hay/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑confidence is undermined when others judge you without seeing your inner struggles. **In simple terms:** External validation is unreliable when you feel flawed inside. Key Takeaway Seek inner validation rather than relying on others. Themes self‑esteem perception authenticity Mood introspective encouraging Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - job interview - performance review - creative presentation - personal relationships Key Concepts psychology self‑concept Questions to Reflect On - How do you assess your own abilities independent of others? - What steps can you take to reconcile inner doubts with external expectations? A Different Perspective People may misinterpret confidence; authenticity can be misread. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abilities Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abilities-know-271748/) [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Belief Abilities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-abilities-4659262/) [Convincing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convincing/) [Convincing Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convincing-belief-4659261/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Mess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mess/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [Magic, if that was the right word, often rises and falls on your own belief in your abilities. I've seen very powerful people completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/magic-if-that-was-the-right-word-often-rises-and-falls-on-your-own/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Never lose your undying belief in yourself and your abilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mirai-nagasu/never-lose-your-undying-belief-in-yourself-and-your-abilities/) [Mirai Nagasu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mirai-nagasu/) > [There comes a time in the UFC when you've had enough fights, you have enough experience that you're confident in your abilities and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hooker/there-comes-a-time-in-the-ufc-when-you-ve-had-enough-fights-you-have/) [Dan Hooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hooker/) > [I'm a confident person in knowing my abilities, but also know, I'm kind of a realist, I know when I suck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mookie-betts/i-m-a-confident-person-in-knowing-my-abilities-but-also-know-i-m-kind/) [Mookie Betts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mookie-betts/) > [I'm very confident in my skills and my abilities. 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I've read convincing interpretations of my work, and sometimes I've noticed something that I wasn't aware of, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-sherman/i-don-t-analyze-what-i-m-doing-i-ve-read-convincing-interpretations/) [Cindy Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-sherman/) > [How they say that we not fly, how they say that we not working. They just need convincing like Malcom Little fore he converted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wale/how-they-say-that-we-not-fly-how-they-say-that-we-not-working-they/) [Wale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wale/) ## More by Elizabeth Hay > [“You see the same plain landscape day after day, and then one day, perhaps it's the play of light or the time of year,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hay/you-see-the-same-plain-landscape-day-after-day-and-then-one-day/) [Elizabeth Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hay/) > [“What we lose is any sense that life is alive, she thought. The days follow one after the other and everything passes us by.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hay/what-we-lose-is-any-sense-that-life-is-alive-she-thought-the-days/) [Elizabeth Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hay/) > [“You're brave to have driven all this way." Gwen considered for a moment whether this made her brave. In truth, she was always afraid,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hay/you-re-brave-to-have-driven-all-this-way-gwen-considered-for-a-moment/) [Elizabeth Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hay/) > [“Forgiveness, she was thinking, was in some terrible, overeager way, a lack of curiosity. It was a big, powerful hose that washed everything away.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hay/forgiveness-she-was-thinking-was-in-some-terrible-overeager-way-a/) [Elizabeth Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hay/) > [“Jim enjoyed watching people take sides. It increased the drama and he loved the drama. 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"Someone," she said… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hay/oh-harry-gwen-said-i-wish-i-were-a-different-kind-of-person-what-kind/) [Elizabeth Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hay/) > [You stand next to the sea and you're in touch with all your longings and all your losses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hay/you-stand-next-to-the-sea-and-you-re-in-touch-with-all-your-longings/) [Elizabeth Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hay/) > [A child lies like a grey pebble on the shore until a certain teacher picks him up and dips him in water, and suddenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hay/a-child-lies-like-a-grey-pebble-on-the-shore-until-a-certain-teacher/) [Elizabeth Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hay/) > [“That's always the question. How to defend yourself without being nasty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hay/that-s-always-the-question-how-to-defend-yourself-without-being-nasty/) [Elizabeth Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hay/) > [“You stay loyal to what increasingly disappoints you. It happens all the time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hay/you-stay-loyal-to-what-increasingly-disappoints-you-it-happens-all/) [Elizabeth Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hay/) > [“This is the way of long and empty roads: nearly forgotten things surface and singing voices improve.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hay/this-is-the-way-of-long-and-empty-roads-nearly-forgotten-things/) [Elizabeth Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hay/) > [“I usually describe my father as a man given to impenetrable solitude. If I turn the phrase I can apply it to Johnny. Impenetrable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hay/i-usually-describe-my-father-as-a-man-given-to-impenetrable-solitude/) [Elizabeth Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hay/) > [“And then he only had eyes for the pie. Watch any man, he could be ninety years old and drooling spit, but at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hay/and-then-he-only-had-eyes-for-the-pie-watch-any-man-he-could-be/) [Elizabeth Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hay/) [Explore all 27 Elizabeth Hay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hay/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. 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Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. 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Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/) [Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/) [Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "And when is it ever convincing, the belief others have in your abilities? 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