--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So what I do now is to pre-empt that by…" description: "\"So what I do now is to pre-empt that by making the up into a virtue, and telling funny stories about how crap I am before people have a chance to notic..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/emily-mortimer-9413_about_so-what-i-do-now-is-to-pre-empt-that-by_2557550.png" --- # So what I do now is to pre-empt that by making the up into… ![“So what I do now is to pre-empt that by making the up into a virtue, and telling funny stories about how crap I am before people have a chance to notice it for themselves and think maybe I haven't realised.” quote by Emily Mortimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/emily-mortimer-9413_about_so-what-i-do-now-is-to-pre-empt-that-by_2557550.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/emily-mortimer-9413_about_so-what-i-do-now-is-to-pre-empt-that-by_2557550.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfc/emily-mortimer-9413_about_so-what-i-do-now-is-to-pre-empt-that-by_2557550.png) > “So what I do now is to pre-empt that by making the up into a virtue, and telling funny stories about how crap I am before people have a chance to notice it for themselves and think maybe I haven't realised.” [Emily Mortimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-mortimer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker pre‑emptively mocks themselves to control the narrative and defuse criticism before it arises. **In simple terms:** Self‑mockery is used to own flaws and avoid external judgment. Key Takeaway Use humor to own imperfections before others can critique. Themes self‑deprecation humor vulnerability defense authenticity Mood light‑hearted cautious Type strategic inspirational When to use this quote - stand‑up comedy - team meetings - personal branding - online content creation Key Concepts psychological safety social perception self‑presentation Questions to Reflect On - When does self‑mockery undermine credibility? - How can authenticity be balanced with professionalism? A Different Perspective Humor can backfire if perceived as lack of confidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) [Am](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/am/) [Before](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/before/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Crap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crap/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [How](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/how/) [I am](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-am/) [Making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making/) [Making Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-virtue-1576667/) [Maybe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maybe/) [Notice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notice/) [Now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/now/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Realised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realised/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Telling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling/) [Telling Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-funny-1576668/) [Themselves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/themselves/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) [Virtue Telling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue-telling-1576666/) ## Related quotes > [Billy Crystal knows how to make people laugh. 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