--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Inside, a mother superior, ethereal…" description: "\"“Inside, a mother superior, ethereal, delicate, who took me under her wing. She caressed me with her slender, soft hands, she sat next to me as if I we..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94b/fleur-jaeggy-106994_boarding-school_inside-a-mother-superior-ethereal-delica_129646.jpg" --- # Inside, a mother superior, ethereal, delicate, who took me… ![“Inside, a mother superior, ethereal, delicate, who took me under her wing. She caressed me with her slender, soft hands, she sat next to me as if I were a friend. One day she disappeared. In her place arrived a buxom Swiss from Canton Uri. It's common knowledge that a new leader will hate the…” quote by Fleur Jaeggy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94b/fleur-jaeggy-106994_boarding-school_inside-a-mother-superior-ethereal-delica_129646.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94b/fleur-jaeggy-106994_boarding-school_inside-a-mother-superior-ethereal-delica_129646.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94b/fleur-jaeggy-106994_boarding-school_inside-a-mother-superior-ethereal-delica_129646.jpg) > ““Inside, a mother superior, ethereal, delicate, who took me under her wing. She caressed me with her slender, soft hands, she sat next to me as if I were a friend. One day she disappeared. In her place arrived a buxom Swiss from Canton Uri. It's common knowledge that a new leader will hate the predecessors' favourites. A boarding school is like a harem.”” Fleur Jaeggy ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A new leader replaces a beloved figure, causing tension and rivalry within a closed community. **In simple terms:** Leaders change, causing conflict among followers. Key Takeaway Navigate transitions with empathy. Themes power mentorship change community jealousy Mood thoughtful empathetic Type narrative observational When to use this quote - boarding school life - leadership transitions - personal growth - conflict management Key Concepts authority succession group dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle new authority? - What can preserve positive relationships during change? A Different Perspective New leaders may repeat past mistakes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boarding school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boarding-school/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [“I still thought that to get something you had to go straight for your goal whereas it is only distractions, uncertainty, distance that bring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fleur-jaeggy/i-still-thought-that-to-get-something-you-had-to-go-straight-for-your/) Fleur Jaeggy > [“Who even had the right to place singlehood on the list of pathetic stuff in the Encyclopedia of life? I often feel much happier…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-s-white/who-even-had-the-right-to-place-singlehood-on-the-list-of-pathetic/) Rose S. White > [And we debate whether it's a - some woman's right to tear you out of there a piece at a time! C'mon! You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/and-we-debate-whether-it-s-a-some-woman-s-right-to-tear-you-out-of/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) > [“A family man from Siberia As a father was very inferior But one operation Revised the situation And now he's Mother Superior”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-milligan/a-family-man-from-siberia-as-a-father-was-very-inferior-but-one/) [Spike Milligan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-milligan/) > [Kissing Mother Superior, incompetent, hairball, poppy seeds, on the can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/kissing-mother-superior-incompetent-hairball-poppy-seeds-on-the-can/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [“Listen, Mike, I don’t know what happens in parochial schools—most of the guys survive the nuns and come out with a sense of humor—some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-fairstein/listen-mike-i-don-t-know-what-happens-in-parochial-schools-most-of/) [Linda Fairstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-fairstein/) > [“You have to find a mother inside yourself. We all do. Even if we already have a mother, we still have to find this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/you-have-to-find-a-mother-inside-yourself-we-all-do-even-if-we-2/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [Inside my mother's death / I lay and could not breathe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/inside-my-mother-s-death-i-lay-and-could-not-breathe/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [My upbringing is such that I feel my husband is superior to me and his mother even more superior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-gandhi/my-upbringing-is-such-that-i-feel-my-husband-is-superior-to-me-and/) [Sonia Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-gandhi/) > [You have to find a mother inside yourself. We all do. Even if we already have a mother, we still have to find this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/you-have-to-find-a-mother-inside-yourself-we-all-do-even-if-we/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [I'm the first to admit I've had a sheltered life. I grew up in the country and went to a boarding school. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rickitt/i-m-the-first-to-admit-i-ve-had-a-sheltered-life-i-grew-up-in-the/) [Adam Rickitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rickitt/) > [I went to a boarding school when I was 13, and it was a very arty school, so there was an opportunity for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-thompson/i-went-to-a-boarding-school-when-i-was-13-and-it-was-a-very-arty/) [Teddy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-thompson/) > [I was a boarding school product from the age of eight, and I hated it. Though I do have a theory that boarding school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mawer/i-was-a-boarding-school-product-from-the-age-of-eight-and-i-hated-it/) [Simon Mawer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mawer/) > [At age 10 or 12 he's going to boarding school in the Isle of Wight. The Isle of Wight is, of course, down at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-irons/at-age-10-or-12-he-s-going-to-boarding-school-in-the-isle-of-wight/) [Jeremy Irons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-irons/) > [“From the opening sentence, it is clear that we are in the presence of a writer with a distinctive voice and uncanny ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-doust/from-the-opening-sentence-it-is-clear-that-we-are-in-the-presence-of/) Jon Doust ## More by Fleur Jaeggy > [“I still thought that to get something you had to go straight for your goal whereas it is only distractions, uncertainty, distance that bring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fleur-jaeggy/i-still-thought-that-to-get-something-you-had-to-go-straight-for-your/) Fleur Jaeggy Explore all 2 Fleur Jaeggy quotes ## More Boarding school quotes > [“From the opening sentence, it is clear that we are in the presence of a writer with a distinctive voice and uncanny ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-doust/from-the-opening-sentence-it-is-clear-that-we-are-in-the-presence-of/) Jon Doust > [At age 10 or 12 he's going to boarding school in the Isle of Wight. The Isle of Wight is, of course, down at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-irons/at-age-10-or-12-he-s-going-to-boarding-school-in-the-isle-of-wight/) [Jeremy Irons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-irons/) > [I was a boarding school product from the age of eight, and I hated it. Though I do have a theory that boarding school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mawer/i-was-a-boarding-school-product-from-the-age-of-eight-and-i-hated-it/) [Simon Mawer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mawer/) > [I went to a boarding school when I was 13, and it was a very arty school, so there was an opportunity for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-thompson/i-went-to-a-boarding-school-when-i-was-13-and-it-was-a-very-arty/) [Teddy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-thompson/) > [I'm the first to admit I've had a sheltered life. I grew up in the country and went to a boarding school. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rickitt/i-m-the-first-to-admit-i-ve-had-a-sheltered-life-i-grew-up-in-the/) [Adam Rickitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rickitt/) > [My parents sent me from Venezuela to the Convent of Our Lady, a boarding school in Hastings, which was horrible - like Harry Potter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-busquets/my-parents-sent-me-from-venezuela-to-the-convent-of-our-lady-a/) [Carmen Busquets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-busquets/) > [You know I went to the Hunt Schools, a boarding school in Princeton, and I've heard so many Rhodes scholars have gone to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myron-rolle/you-know-i-went-to-the-hunt-schools-a-boarding-school-in-princeton/) [Myron Rolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myron-rolle/) > [My dream, I remember, when I went to boarding school, was to have a study all my own, a little nook someplace where nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mathews/my-dream-i-remember-when-i-went-to-boarding-school-was-to-have-a/) [Harry Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mathews/) > [I was a fat little boy when I was 10 years old! My mother, who didn't speak any English at all, said, 'I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-sharif/i-was-a-fat-little-boy-when-i-was-10-years-old-my-mother-who-didn-t/) [Omar Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-sharif/) > [I went to boarding school at seven and cried and cried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-everett/i-went-to-boarding-school-at-seven-and-cried-and-cried/) [Rupert Everett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-everett/) > [When I was 10 I went to the Drakensberg Boys Choir School, which is this idyllic Harry Potter-esque music boarding school in the mountains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/when-i-was-10-i-went-to-the-drakensberg-boys-choir-school-which-is/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [It was tough going to boarding school. It was very hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-guinness/it-was-tough-going-to-boarding-school-it-was-very-hard-work/) [Jasmine Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-guinness/) > [I went to boarding school Southern, religious, and straight, and I left boarding school not being at all religious and not being straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hughes/i-went-to-boarding-school-southern-religious-and-straight-and-i-left/) [Chris Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hughes/) > [I had been kind of quite porky and happy at boarding school and not self-conscious at all; then, suddenly, I found myself in auditions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-had-been-kind-of-quite-porky-and-happy-at-boarding-school-and-not/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Besides, I think that when one has been through a boarding school, especially then, you have some resistance, because it was both fine comradeship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-jacobsen/besides-i-think-that-when-one-has-been-through-a-boarding-school/) [Arne Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-jacobsen/) [Browse all 141 Boarding school quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boarding-school/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Inside, a mother superior, ethereal, delicate, who took me under her wing. 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