--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only time I flip out is when I'm not…" description: "\"The only time I flip out is when I'm not prepared. If I'm caught off guard, I can't help it; I start gasping for air.\" — Emma Stone" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cc/emma-stone-1673_air_the-only-time-i-flip-out-is-when-i-m-not_1630770.jpg" --- # The only time I flip out is when I'm not prepared. If I'm… ![“The only time I flip out is when I'm not prepared. If I'm caught off guard, I can't help it; I start gasping for air.” quote by Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cc/emma-stone-1673_air_the-only-time-i-flip-out-is-when-i-m-not_1630770.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cc/emma-stone-1673_air_the-only-time-i-flip-out-is-when-i-m-not_1630770.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cc/emma-stone-1673_air_the-only-time-i-flip-out-is-when-i-m-not_1630770.jpg) > “The only time I flip out is when I'm not prepared. If I'm caught off guard, I can't help it; I start gasping for air.” [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being unprepared triggers panic and loss of composure, causing a physical reaction of breathlessness. **In simple terms:** Unpreparedness causes panic and breathlessness. Key Takeaway Prepare thoroughly to stay calm. Themes anxiety preparedness self‑control Mood nervous determined Type motivational reflective When to use this quote - public speaking - live interviews - emergency situations - high‑stakes meetings Key Concepts psychology stress response performance Questions to Reflect On - How can you build resilience to sudden surprises? - What routines help you stay calm under pressure? A Different Perspective Even with preparation, unexpected events can still overwhelm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Nervous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nervous/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [The only way I know to be awesome at startups is to be obsessively focused and pegged to the floor of the deep end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sacca/the-only-way-i-know-to-be-awesome-at-startups-is-to-be-obsessively/) [Chris Sacca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sacca/) > [“She gazed back at him, her mouth open, gasping for air. Her white blouse rose and fell with each panting breath. She shook her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-dee/she-gazed-back-at-him-her-mouth-open-gasping-for-air-her-white-blouse/) [Bonnie Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-dee/) > [“As soon as Roland was gone,the cupboard door swung open, banging the back of her leg.Bill popped out,gasping for air loudly as if he'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-kate/as-soon-as-roland-was-gone-the-cupboard-door-swung-open-banging-the/) [Lauren Kate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-kate/) > [I want to be a fun mom. Not a gasping for air mom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariska-hargitay/i-want-to-be-a-fun-mom-not-a-gasping-for-air-mom/) [Mariska Hargitay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariska-hargitay/) > [Being without you feels like me gasping for air...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author-name/being-without-you-feels-like-me-gasping-for-air/) Author Name > [Life's fairly excruciating. Painful things happen. Every now and then, you drag yourself out of the stream and stand on the bank gasping for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-garner/life-s-fairly-excruciating-painful-things-happen-every-now-and-then/) [Helen Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-garner/) > [“There comes a moment in life where everything you ever believed in comes crashing down, leaving you gasping for air.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahd-alshammari/there-comes-a-moment-in-life-where-everything-you-ever-believed-in/) [Shahd Alshammari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahd-alshammari/) > [“As he was gasping for air he realized something. He was in deep shit. Haley was his life now. His woman. His heart. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-l-mathewson/as-he-was-gasping-for-air-he-realized-something-he-was-in-deep-shit/) [R.L. Mathewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-l-mathewson/) > [There's a problem that leaves you gasping for air. You look for some meaning, blank smiles are all that's there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bad-religion/there-s-a-problem-that-leaves-you-gasping-for-air-you-look-for-some/) [Bad Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bad-religion/) > [You find a lot out about people when they're blowing up, as we say, gasping for air, and if they can still hold conversations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/you-find-a-lot-out-about-people-when-they-re-blowing-up-as-we-say/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [Instead, we have found ourselves gasping for air in a sea of corruption, dysfunction, environmental degradation, waste, disenchantment and inequality—and the harder we compete,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/instead-we-have-found-ourselves-gasping-for-air-in-a-sea-of/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [Capitalism doesn't function when it starts to contract, and we can see that quite clearly right here in the eurozone. It's like pushing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-tompkins/capitalism-doesn-t-function-when-it-starts-to-contract-and-we-can-see/) [Douglas Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-tompkins/) > [“Now I understood a little what it meant to be frightened. It was like desperately gasping for air in a place without oxygen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sohn-won-pyung/now-i-understood-a-little-what-it-meant-to-be-frightened-it-was-like/) [Sohn Won-Pyung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sohn-won-pyung/) > [“How is it possible you have caught me off guard, he seemed to ask. Exactly where have I miscalculated the velocities, how have I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-vaughn/how-is-it-possible-you-have-caught-me-off-guard-he-seemed-to-ask/) Stephanie Vaughn > [When I was younger, I thought I had to shut myself off, work really hard to cry. I learned after a while that that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/when-i-was-younger-i-thought-i-had-to-shut-myself-off-work-really/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) ## More by Emma Stone > [For me, the political part of being an actor is very tough. To sit somewhere and tell somebody why you should feel this way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/for-me-the-political-part-of-being-an-actor-is-very-tough-to-sit/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) > [I challenge myself to take at least one fashion risk a day, otherwise I get stuck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/i-challenge-myself-to-take-at-least-one-fashion-risk-a-day-otherwise/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) > [Gambles are the most fun because it's part of being an actor or being a creative person. It's risky only in the vulnerable sense.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/gambles-are-the-most-fun-because-it-s-part-of-being-an-actor-or-being/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) > [I think Skeeter even says that when she calls up Miss Stein. "No one asked Mammy how she feels in Gone With The Wind."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/i-think-skeeter-even-says-that-when-she-calls-up-miss-stein-no-one/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) > [Censorship makes me really angry. I even hate it when people censor themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/censorship-makes-me-really-angry-i-even-hate-it-when-people-censor/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) > [I think the number one thing that I find important is the importance of honesty with your friends and your parents, if you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/i-think-the-number-one-thing-that-i-find-important-is-the-importance/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) > [I mean, I haven't been around very long. I can't expect everyone to have seen 'The House Bunny'. Oh God. I am having such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/i-mean-i-haven-t-been-around-very-long-i-can-t-expect-everyone-to/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) > [Even when your dream that you set out comes true, it's not always perfect, and there isn't always the kiss at the end, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/even-when-your-dream-that-you-set-out-comes-true-it-s-not-always/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) > [In general, I get nervous when I do print interviews because I know that whatever I say is going to be shown through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/in-general-i-get-nervous-when-i-do-print-interviews-because-i-know/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) > [I'm trying to just accept things, accept the beauty of things and the joy and positivity of things as they are in the moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/i-m-trying-to-just-accept-things-accept-the-beauty-of-things-and-the/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) > [Im a huge music fan. I usually say that if I had been born with a musical inclination it wouldve been great. The Beatles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/im-a-huge-music-fan-i-usually-say-that-if-i-had-been-born-with-a/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) > [I'm shockingly terrible at action movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/i-m-shockingly-terrible-at-action-movies/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) > [He's my favorite! He wrote and produced, and starred in and cast all of his movies! Can you imagine? I get really excited when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/he-s-my-favorite-he-wrote-and-produced-and-starred-in-and-cast-all-of/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) > [I'm actively working hard on learning to appreciate yourself no matter what. If what someone else says can easily derail you, it means your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/i-m-actively-working-hard-on-learning-to-appreciate-yourself-no/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) > [I guess the cool thing about the '80s is the kind of like adventure in terms of, you know, people were very willing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/i-guess-the-cool-thing-about-the-80s-is-the-kind-of-like-adventure-in/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) [Explore all 216 Emma Stone quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) ## More Air quotes > [I will be a tireless advocate for our District's defense priorities including Sheppard Air Force Base, Pantex, Bell Helicopter, universities conducting important research, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-jackson/i-will-be-a-tireless-advocate-for-our-district-s-defense-priorities/) [Ronny Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-jackson/) > [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 U.S. air, naval, missile, and ground forces were not in and around Korea, and if we were not treaty-bound to fight alongside South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/if-u-s-air-naval-missile-and-ground-forces-were-not-in-and-around/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [I'm a candle flame that sways in currents of air you can't see. You need to be the one who steadies me to burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/i-m-a-candle-flame-that-sways-in-currents-of-air-you-can-t-see-you/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [There was a little nook on Air Force Two that contained the vice presidential seal, and I would sort of wedge myself in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-biden/there-was-a-little-nook-on-air-force-two-that-contained-the-vice/) [Jill Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-biden/) > [Words are substance strange. Speak one and the air ripples into another's ears. Write one and the eye laps it up. But the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-beachy-quick/words-are-substance-strange-speak-one-and-the-air-ripples-into/) [Dan Beachy-Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-beachy-quick/) > [ \[A\]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/a-s-you-partake-of-the-world-s-bill-of-fare-that-s-darned-good-advice/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. The logical consequence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/washington-bureaucrats-have-classified-the-very-air-we-exhale-as-a/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [“It is unnatural to fear something natural.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/it-is-unnatural-to-fear-something-natural/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) Browse all 6,278 Air quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The only time I flip out is when I'm not prepared. If I'm caught off guard, I can't help it; I start gasping for air.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Emma Stone" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/the-only-time-i-flip-out-is-when-i-m-not-prepared-if-i-m-caught-off/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Air" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/the-only-time-i-flip-out-is-when-i-m-not-prepared-if-i-m-caught-off/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cc/emma-stone-1673_air_the-only-time-i-flip-out-is-when-i-m-not_1630770.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cc/emma-stone-1673_air_the-only-time-i-flip-out-is-when-i-m-not_1630770.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cc/emma-stone-1673_air_the-only-time-i-flip-out-is-when-i-m-not_1630770.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only time I flip out is when I'm not prepared. If I'm caught off guard, I can't help it; I start gasping…” — Emma Stone", "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": "Emma Stone", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The only time I flip out...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/the-only-time-i-flip-out-is-when-i-m-not-prepared-if-i-m-caught-off/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/the-only-time-i-flip-out-is-when-i-m-not-prepared-if-i-m-caught-off/#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 } } ] } ```