--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On my first night at boarding school, I…" description: "\"On my first night at boarding school, I felt entirely alone. I was shocked, frightened and intensely homesick, but I soon discovered that expressing th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/405/george-monbiot-2762_alone_on-my-first-night-at-boarding-school-i-f_960500.png" --- # On my first night at boarding school, I felt entirely… ![“On my first night at boarding school, I felt entirely alone. I was shocked, frightened and intensely homesick, but I soon discovered that expressing these emotions, instead of bringing help and consolation, attracted a gloating, predatory fascination.” quote by George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/405/george-monbiot-2762_alone_on-my-first-night-at-boarding-school-i-f_960500.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/405/george-monbiot-2762_alone_on-my-first-night-at-boarding-school-i-f_960500.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/405/george-monbiot-2762_alone_on-my-first-night-at-boarding-school-i-f_960500.png) > “On my first night at boarding school, I felt entirely alone. I was shocked, frightened and intensely homesick, but I soon discovered that expressing these emotions, instead of bringing help and consolation, attracted a gloating, predatory fascination.” [George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Feeling isolated leads to seeking validation, but sharing vulnerability can attract exploitative attention. **In simple terms:** Sharing feelings can draw unwanted attention. Key Takeaway Guard emotional sharing with trusted allies. Themes loneliness vulnerability exploitation Mood anxious reflective Type personal cautionary When to use this quote - first night at boarding school - seeking support - dealing with bullies Key Concepts social dynamics psychology self‑protection Questions to Reflect On - Who can you trust with your emotions? - How do you set boundaries when sharing? A Different Perspective Not all listeners are supportive; some may manipulate. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alone/) [Emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotions/) [Felt Entirely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt-entirely-571223/) [Frightened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frightened/) [Frightened Intensely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frightened-intensely-1773756/) [Help](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help/) [Intensely Homesick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intensely-homesick-1773757/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Shocked Frightened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shocked-frightened-1773758/) ## Related quotes > [I realize that when I moved out of my father’s house I shocked and frightened him because I needed a room of my own,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/i-realize-that-when-i-moved-out-of-my-father-s-house-i-shocked-and/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [Many times, I have been shocked and frightened by human beings. I have experienced delight and revulsion. I have sometimes wanted to forget what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/many-times-i-have-been-shocked-and-frightened-by-human-beings-i-have/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As I followed Margo's directions through the maze of one-way streets, we saw a few people sleeping on the sidewalk or sitting on benches,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/as-i-followed-margo-s-directions-through-the-maze-of-one-way-streets/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Mrs. Turpin felt entirely hollow except for her heart which swung from side to side as if it were agitated in a great empty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/mrs-turpin-felt-entirely-hollow-except-for-her-heart-which-swung-from/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“I felt entirely invisible and uncomfortably obvious all at the same time, sitting there in practically nothing in front of this stranger who was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-verdi/i-felt-entirely-invisible-and-uncomfortably-obvious-all-at-the-same/) [Jessica Verdi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-verdi/) > [I can't help it when people are frightened," says Merricat. "I always want to frighten them more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/i-can-t-help-it-when-people-are-frightened-says-merricat-i-always/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [Or why it is acceptable to train fast runners and high jumpers but not to breed them. I can think of some answers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/or-why-it-is-acceptable-to-train-fast-runners-and-high-jumpers-but/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [No one seems to have learned, or can remember, the magic words that calm people when they are frightened or threatened: "I'm sorry; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-tavris/no-one-seems-to-have-learned-or-can-remember-the-magic-words-that/) [Carol Tavris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-tavris/) > [Megachurches. I can't be the only one frightened when our houses of worship sound like they could take on Godzilla.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/megachurches-i-can-t-be-the-only-one-frightened-when-our-houses-of/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [“She had just started living like a grown-up and she'd never felt more vulnerable, frightened or confused in her life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/she-had-just-started-living-like-a-grown-up-and-she-d-never-felt-more/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [We all have prejudices to dispel: the need to get away from thinking that 'I' am important and special and 'you' are not, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/we-all-have-prejudices-to-dispel-the-need-to-get-away-from-thinking/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > [American imperialism has always been the imperialism that has been frightened of speaking its name. Now it's beginning to do so. In a way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/american-imperialism-has-always-been-the-imperialism-that-has-been/) [Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/) > [I don't think kids have a problem with death. It's us older ones who are nearer to it, that start being frightened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/i-don-t-think-kids-have-a-problem-with-death-it-s-us-older-ones-who/) [Helena Bonham Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-bonham-carter/) > [“and I actually talked about God, the one who had abandoned me when I was very little, very frightened, and very hurt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/and-i-actually-talked-about-god-the-one-who-had-abandoned-me-when-i/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) ## More by George Monbiot > [If we want to prevent both climate and ecological catastrophes, the key task is to minimise the amount of land we use to feed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/if-we-want-to-prevent-both-climate-and-ecological-catastrophes-the/) [George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/) > [“The wealth creators of neoliberal mythology are some of the most effective wealth destroyers the world has ever seen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/the-wealth-creators-of-neoliberal-mythology-are-some-of-the-most/) [George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/) > [The schedules are crammed with shows urging us to travel further, drive faster, build bigger, buy more, yet none of them are deemed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/the-schedules-are-crammed-with-shows-urging-us-to-travel-further/) [George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/) > [The ideology of consumption is so prevalent that it has become invisible: it is the plastic soup in which we swim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/the-ideology-of-consumption-is-so-prevalent-that-it-has-become/) [George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/) > [I might find myself standing, transfixed, by the roadside, watching a sparrowhawk hunting among the bushes, astonished that other people could ignore it. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/i-might-find-myself-standing-transfixed-by-the-roadside-watching-a/) [George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/) > [Economic growth is the aggregate effect of the quest to accumulate capital and extract profit. Capitalism collapses without growth, yet perpetual growth on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/economic-growth-is-the-aggregate-effect-of-the-quest-to-accumulate/) [George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/) > [Even when political reporting is not reduced to personality, political photography is. An article might offer depth and complexity, but is illustrated with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/even-when-political-reporting-is-not-reduced-to-personality-political/) [George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/) > [Progress is measured by the speed at which we destroy the conditions that sustain life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/progress-is-measured-by-the-speed-at-which-we-destroy-the-conditions/) [George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/) > [We are often told we are materialistic. It seems to me, we are not materialistic enough. We have a disrespect for materials. We use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/we-are-often-told-we-are-materialistic-it-seems-to-me-we-are-not/) [George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/) > [People believe Loose Change because it proposes a closed world: comprehensible, controllable, small. Despite the great evil which runs it, it is more companionable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/people-believe-loose-change-because-it-proposes-a-closed-world/) [George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/) > [David Cameron's government criminalised squatting in empty homes. This too was previously a civil matter. Thousands of homeless people found themselves on the wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/david-cameron-s-government-criminalised-squatting-in-empty-homes-this/) [George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/) > [If I could turn back the clock, magically deleting my prostate cancer, the surgery I needed and its complications, would I do so? It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/if-i-could-turn-back-the-clock-magically-deleting-my-prostate-cancer/) [George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/) > [The grim truth is that the rich are able to live as they do only because others are poor: there is neither the physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/the-grim-truth-is-that-the-rich-are-able-to-live-as-they-do-only/) [George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/) > [Technological change is essential, but to a natural historian it often feels cold and distancing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/technological-change-is-essential-but-to-a-natural-historian-it-often/) [George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/) > [Yes, the car is still useful - for a few people it's essential. It would make a good servant. But it has become our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/yes-the-car-is-still-useful-for-a-few-people-it-s-essential-it-would/) [George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/) [Explore all 151 George Monbiot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/) ## More Alone quotes > [I can be taken away from myself quite easily, I kind of start betraying myself and compromising my integrity, to keep someone else happy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-lou-wood/i-can-be-taken-away-from-myself-quite-easily-i-kind-of-start/) [Aimee Lou Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-lou-wood/) > [Perhaps our own opposition to even the level of European integration we have now, let alone any more, is well known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-farage/perhaps-our-own-opposition-to-even-the-level-of-european-integration/) [Nigel Farage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-farage/) > [If your goal is to look different, you'll see results faster with strength training than with cardio alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kaiser/if-your-goal-is-to-look-different-you-ll-see-results-faster-with/) [Anna Kaiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kaiser/) > [With my songs, the question is always, 'Can you pull it off live, alone on just an acoustic guitar?' That's the litmus test. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-colvin/with-my-songs-the-question-is-always-can-you-pull-it-off-live-alone/) [Shawn Colvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-colvin/) > [I should have liked to get married, but over many decades I have lived essentially alone. I go to sleep when I'm tired, get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/i-should-have-liked-to-get-married-but-over-many-decades-i-have-lived/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [I am not alone in that I've had times of unemployment - unemployment is huge amongst disabled people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosie-jones/i-am-not-alone-in-that-i-ve-had-times-of-unemployment-unemployment-is/) [Rosie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosie-jones/) > [I never knew a heart could feel so cold so empty so broken until now , I don't know what to say I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-never-knew-a-heart-could-feel-so-cold-so-empty-so-broken-until-now/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you're disabled or different from what general society deems normal, it's fine. There will always be people who won't accept you, but there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millicent-simmonds/if-you-re-disabled-or-different-from-what-general-society-deems/) [Millicent Simmonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-simmonds/) > [Real love is a permanently self-enlarging experience…A Journey With My Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luckybannu/real-love-is-a-permanently-self-enlarging-experience-a-journey-with/) [Luckybannu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luckybannu/) > [“What I'm trying to say is that I spent the last four months learning to be alone, avoiding the world, hating pretty much anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-cremer/what-i-m-trying-to-say-is-that-i-spent-the-last-four-months-learning/) [Andrea Cremer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-cremer/) > [I'm used to being alone in a quiet, isolated environment - I'm kind of a low-energy, low-vibration, low-stamina person to begin with - so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-cain/i-m-used-to-being-alone-in-a-quiet-isolated-environment-i-m-kind-of-a/) [Ethel Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-cain/) > [“When I look back at myself at age twenty, what I remember most is being alone and lonely. I had no girlfriend to warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-look-back-at-myself-at-age-twenty-what-i-remember-most-is/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I have developed a nasty habit of losing to the guy who wins the tournament, and that alone makes you think what you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-robertson/i-have-developed-a-nasty-habit-of-losing-to-the-guy-who-wins-the/) [Neil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-robertson/) > [As a child, I was this record collector/listener that would sit in a room and listen to the entire Beatles catalog alone, over and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cornell/as-a-child-i-was-this-record-collector-listener-that-would-sit-in-a/) [Chris Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cornell/) > [How one hates to think of oneself as alone. How one avoids it. It seems to imply rejection or unpopularity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/how-one-hates-to-think-of-oneself-as-alone-how-one-avoids-it-it-seems/) [Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) [Browse all 3,082 Alone quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alone/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "On my first night at boarding school, I felt entirely alone. I was shocked, frightened and intensely homesick, but I soon discovered that expressing these emotions, instead of bringing help and consolation, attracted a gloating, predatory fascination.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Monbiot" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/on-my-first-night-at-boarding-school-i-felt-entirely-alone-i-was/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alone" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/on-my-first-night-at-boarding-school-i-felt-entirely-alone-i-was/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/405/george-monbiot-2762_alone_on-my-first-night-at-boarding-school-i-f_960500.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/405/george-monbiot-2762_alone_on-my-first-night-at-boarding-school-i-f_960500.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/405/george-monbiot-2762_alone_on-my-first-night-at-boarding-school-i-f_960500.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“On my first night at boarding school, I felt entirely alone. I was shocked, frightened and intensely…” — George Monbiot", "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": "George Monbiot", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "On my first night at boarding...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/on-my-first-night-at-boarding-school-i-felt-entirely-alone-i-was/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/on-my-first-night-at-boarding-school-i-felt-entirely-alone-i-was/#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 } } ] } ```