---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was a pretty terrible lawyer. A really…"
description: "\"I was a pretty terrible lawyer. A really, really terrible lawyer.\" — Elizabeth Strout"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/549/elizabeth-strout-1799_lawyer_i-was-a-pretty-terrible-lawyer-a-really_1140606.png"
---

#  I was a pretty terrible lawyer. A really, really terrible…

![“I was a pretty terrible lawyer. A really, really terrible lawyer.” quote by Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/549/elizabeth-strout-1799_lawyer_i-was-a-pretty-terrible-lawyer-a-really_1140606.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/549/elizabeth-strout-1799_lawyer_i-was-a-pretty-terrible-lawyer-a-really_1140606.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/549/elizabeth-strout-1799_lawyer_i-was-a-pretty-terrible-lawyer-a-really_1140606.png)

> “I was a pretty terrible lawyer. A really, really terrible lawyer.”

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

She acknowledges being a very poor lawyer, reflecting humility and self-awareness

**In simple terms:** She admits she was a bad lawyer

Key Takeaway

Recognize and learn from personal shortcomings

Themes

humility self-awareness growth

Mood

reflective humorous

Type

personal inspirational

When to use this quote

- Career reflection
- skill improvement
- seeking feedback

Key Concepts

Self-assessment professional development humility

Questions to Reflect On

- What steps can you take to improve your skills?
- How does humility affect professional growth?

A Different Perspective

Self-criticism may hinder confidence if not balanced with progress

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Lawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lawyer/) [Lawyer Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lawyer-really-995517/) [Pretty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretty/) [Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really/) [Really Terrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-terrible-1838413/) [Terrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible/) [Terrible Lawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible-lawyer-3177502/)

## Related quotes

> [“Emotions are reserved for juries and, in that case, a good lawyer can really lay them on when the time is right, better than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-eade/emotions-are-reserved-for-juries-and-in-that-case-a-good-lawyer-can/)

[Kenneth Eade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-eade/)

> [Well, I really don't want to be a high-powered corporate lawyer. I'm really passionate about painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-gardner/well-i-really-don-t-want-to-be-a-high-powered-corporate-lawyer-i-m/)

[Chris Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-gardner/)

> [I think that people are generally really terrible at being ambassadors of their own work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-gould/i-think-that-people-are-generally-really-terrible-at-being/)

[Emily Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-gould/)

> [With all the awards I've won, you'd think that I'd at least be able to make a living. It's a really terrible situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-burstyn/with-all-the-awards-i-ve-won-you-d-think-that-i-d-at-least-be-able-to/)

[Ellen Burstyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-burstyn/)

> [“The really terrible thing is that everyone has his reasons.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-renoir/the-really-terrible-thing-is-that-everyone-has-his-reasons/)

[Jean Renoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-renoir/)

> [I would never inflict my bassoon on anybody really other than the long suffering audiences that come to the concerts of The Really Terrible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/i-would-never-inflict-my-bassoon-on-anybody-really-other-than-the/)

[Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/)

> [Living in hope is a really terrible thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/living-in-hope-is-a-really-terrible-thing/)

[Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/)

> [Certainly I had a really terrible time with 'Emotionally Weird.' When I finished it, I thought, 'I can't write any more.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/certainly-i-had-a-really-terrible-time-with-emotionally-weird-when-i/)

[Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/)

> [I have a really terrible sense of direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/i-have-a-really-terrible-sense-of-direction/)

[Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/)

> [I realized that I was a really, really terrible actor. I was like, "I'd better be myself."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-anner/i-realized-that-i-was-a-really-really-terrible-actor-i-was-like-i-d/)

[Zach Anner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-anner/)

> [ \[Being a celebrity\] In a word, it's terrible. In two words...Really terrible. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grumpy-cat/being-a-celebrity-in-a-word-it-s-terrible-in-two-words-really-terrible/)

[Grumpy Cat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grumpy-cat/)

> [I have a really terrible memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ijustine/i-have-a-really-terrible-memory/)

[iJustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ijustine/)

> [I did a lot of terrible TV shows and was really terrible in them, and I've done terrible films I was terrible in, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/i-did-a-lot-of-terrible-tv-shows-and-was-really-terrible-in-them-and/)

[George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/)

> [I really was a terrible actor. I did it for years in my twenties because it was like being at university again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/i-really-was-a-terrible-actor-i-did-it-for-years-in-my-twenties/)

[David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/)

> [I think that lawyers are terrible at admitting that they're wrong. And not just admitting it; also realizing it. Most lawyers are very successful,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-think-that-lawyers-are-terrible-at-admitting-that-they-re-wrong-and/)

[Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/)

## More by Elizabeth Strout

> [By the time they were pulling into the parking lot of the A&amp;P, the mood was fading, the moment gone. Amy could feel it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/by-the-time-they-were-pulling-into-the-parking-lot-of-the-a-p-the/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [“what young people did not know. They did not know that lumpy, aged, and wrinkled bodies were as needy as their own young, firm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/what-young-people-did-not-know-they-did-not-know-that-lumpy-aged-and/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [“I said on the phone to my mother, “I think I’m going to write the story of the Burgess kids.” “It’s a good one,”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/i-said-on-the-phone-to-my-mother-i-think-i-m-going-to-write-the-story/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [“And she learned - freshly, scorchingly - of the privacy of sorrow. It was as though she had been escorted through a door into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/and-she-learned-freshly-scorchingly-of-the-privacy-of-sorrow-it-was/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [“He looked at the books, and she wanted to say, 'Stop that,' as though he were reading her diary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/he-looked-at-the-books-and-she-wanted-to-say-stop-that-as-though-he/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [“The year that followed - was it the happiest year of his own life? He often thought so, even knowing that such a thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/the-year-that-followed-was-it-the-happiest-year-of-his-own-life-he/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [I have to pay attention to what I have felt and observed, then push these responses to an extreme while keeping the story within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/i-have-to-pay-attention-to-what-i-have-felt-and-observed-then-push/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [“She could hear in the darkness of her car how his breathing was quicker now; and her own was, too. She wanted to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/she-could-hear-in-the-darkness-of-her-car-how-his-breathing-was/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [“Abdikarim shook his head in his darkened room, sweat coming from his face down onto his neck. “No, he cuts my heart. You didn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/abdikarim-shook-his-head-in-his-darkened-room-sweat-coming-from-his/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [“she’d have been throwing out clamshells, most likely.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/she-d-have-been-throwing-out-clamshells-most-likely/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [I like people a lot, but I am not comfortable in literary New York situations. There is deep anxiety and tension around success here.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/i-like-people-a-lot-but-i-am-not-comfortable-in-literary-new-york/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [The fact of the matter is I always have a really high sense of responsibility to the reader, whether it's a few readers that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/the-fact-of-the-matter-is-i-always-have-a-really-high-sense-of/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [“Why do you need everyone married?" Christopher has said to him angrily, when Henry has asked about his son's life. "Why can't you just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/why-do-you-need-everyone-married-christopher-has-said-to-him-angrily/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [“one of those things about getting older was knowing that so many moments weren’t just moments, they were gifts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/one-of-those-things-about-getting-older-was-knowing-that-so-many/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [I don't think of myself as a fast reader. I just read a lot. When someone else might think, 'I might do the dishes,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-a-fast-reader-i-just-read-a-lot-when/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

[Explore all 205 Elizabeth Strout quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

## More Lawyer quotes

> [Let us kill all lawyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/let-us-kill-all-lawyers/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [I've been screwed by as many women as I have by men, in terms of lawyers. But lawyers don't count. If you take lawyers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-love/i-ve-been-screwed-by-as-many-women-as-i-have-by-men-in-terms-of/)

[Courtney Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-love/)

> [Whoa. He had ghouls on speed dial. My lawyer kicks so much ass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hearne/whoa-he-had-ghouls-on-speed-dial-my-lawyer-kicks-so-much-ass/)

[Kevin Hearne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hearne/)

> [If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/if-lawyers-are-disbarred-and-clergymen-defrocked-doesn-t-it-follow/)

[Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/)

> [Laws are not masters but servants, and he rules them who obey them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/laws-are-not-masters-but-servants-and-he-rules-them-who-obey-them/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [If you wish to be a lawyer, attach no consequence to the place you are in, or the person you are with; but get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/if-you-wish-to-be-a-lawyer-attach-no-consequence-to-the-place-you-are/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [I always wanted to be a fireman, a cop, an Indian chief, a doctor, a lawyer. I always wanted to be all these things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/i-always-wanted-to-be-a-fireman-a-cop-an-indian-chief-a-doctor-a/)

[Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/)

> [The socially redeeming aspect of golf lies in the vast number of lawyers and bankers and managers who play it, and when you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/the-socially-redeeming-aspect-of-golf-lies-in-the-vast-number-of/)

[Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/)

> [I am somewhat influenced by the years that I've spent trying to actually get things done, whether it was reforming education in Arkansas or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-am-somewhat-influenced-by-the-years-that-i-ve-spent-trying-to/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [I was a student of law as my grandmother wanted me to be a lawyer. But my passion has always been movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aishwarya-r-dhanush/i-was-a-student-of-law-as-my-grandmother-wanted-me-to-be-a-lawyer-but/)

[Aishwarya R. Dhanush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aishwarya-r-dhanush/)

> [It is unfortunate to consider all lawyers as natural Satanists many are just dumb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-maslow/it-is-unfortunate-to-consider-all-lawyers-as-natural-satanists-many/)

[Abraham Maslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-maslow/)

> [This bill would allow an employee to bring a claim against an employer decades after the alleged initial act of discrimination occurred. Trial lawyers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-mckeon/this-bill-would-allow-an-employee-to-bring-a-claim-against-an/)

[Buck McKeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buck-mckeon/)

> [ \[Hazel\] hissed in frustration. 'I hate eidolons. I thought Piper made them promise to stay away.' 'Oh...' Frank said, like he'd just had his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/hazel-hissed-in-frustration-i-hate-eidolons-i-thought-piper-made-them/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

> [I am a pretty good lawyer, and I decided to close the office and to enter politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tzipi-livni/i-am-a-pretty-good-lawyer-and-i-decided-to-close-the-office-and-to/)

[Tzipi Livni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tzipi-livni/)

> [The study of history and philosophy, accompanied by some acquaintance with art and literature, should be for lawyers and engineers as well as for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/the-study-of-history-and-philosophy-accompanied-by-some-acquaintance/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

[Browse all 2,213 Lawyer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lawyer/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I was a pretty terrible lawyer. A really, really terrible lawyer.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Elizabeth Strout"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/i-was-a-pretty-terrible-lawyer-a-really-really-terrible-lawyer/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Lawyer"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/i-was-a-pretty-terrible-lawyer-a-really-really-terrible-lawyer/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/549/elizabeth-strout-1799_lawyer_i-was-a-pretty-terrible-lawyer-a-really_1140606.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/549/elizabeth-strout-1799_lawyer_i-was-a-pretty-terrible-lawyer-a-really_1140606.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/549/elizabeth-strout-1799_lawyer_i-was-a-pretty-terrible-lawyer-a-really_1140606.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I was a pretty terrible lawyer. A really, really terrible lawyer.” — Elizabeth Strout",
                "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": "Elizabeth Strout",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I was a pretty terrible lawyer....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/i-was-a-pretty-terrible-lawyer-a-really-really-terrible-lawyer/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/i-was-a-pretty-terrible-lawyer-a-really-really-terrible-lawyer/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
