--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Some days confidence shrinks to the size…" description: "\"Some days confidence shrinks to the size of a pea, and the backbone feels like a feather. We want to be somewhere else, and don't know where - want to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e5/jean-hersey-31277_backbone_some-days-confidence-shrinks-to-the-size_1680240.jpg" --- # Some days confidence shrinks to the size of a pea, and the… ![“Some days confidence shrinks to the size of a pea, and the backbone feels like a feather. We want to be somewhere else, and don't know where - want to be someone else and don't know who.” quote by Jean Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e5/jean-hersey-31277_backbone_some-days-confidence-shrinks-to-the-size_1680240.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e5/jean-hersey-31277_backbone_some-days-confidence-shrinks-to-the-size_1680240.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e5/jean-hersey-31277_backbone_some-days-confidence-shrinks-to-the-size_1680240.jpg) > “Some days confidence shrinks to the size of a pea, and the backbone feels like a feather. We want to be somewhere else, and don't know where - want to be someone else and don't know who.” [Jean Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-hersey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Feelings of low confidence and identity confusion can feel tiny and weightless, making one long for a different self or place. **In simple terms:** Confidence can feel tiny and identity unclear. Key Takeaway Seek self‑compassion and clarify values. Themes self‑doubt identity longing Mood reflective melancholic Type personal psychological When to use this quote - career decisions - personal growth - relationship choices - creative projects Key Concepts psychology self‑concept existential angst Questions to Reflect On - What core values could anchor you? - How can you nurture self‑worth daily? A Different Perspective Confidence may fluctuate despite external successes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Backbone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backbone/) [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Shrinks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shrinks/) ## Related quotes > [As long as they got a little class like half days, and the confidence to over look my past ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/as-long-as-they-got-a-little-class-like-half-days-and-the-confidence/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [For me, art history is like a feather bed - you fall into it and it catches you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-salle/for-me-art-history-is-like-a-feather-bed-you-fall-into-it-and-it/) [David Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-salle/) > [“The days float on like a feather in the wind, but at the end of the week, I’m still a chicken. Taste my truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/the-days-float-on-like-a-feather-in-the-wind-but-at-the-end-of-the/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“Like a feather, I let you go. To where you belong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merlin-franco/like-a-feather-i-let-you-go-to-where-you-belong/) [Merlin Franco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merlin-franco/) > [“A feather when viewed separately may seem like only a feather, But when seen through the eyes of truth it is a sacred instrument…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-friedenfeld/a-feather-when-viewed-separately-may-seem-like-only-a-feather-but/) [Molly Friedenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-friedenfeld/) > [One should be light like a bird, and not like a feather.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/one-should-be-light-like-a-bird-and-not-like-a-feather/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [Staying with you was like being a feather in the wind. The direction you moved me was unpredictable, but sometimes it goes in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ash-sweeney/staying-with-you-was-like-being-a-feather-in-the-wind-the-direction/) [Ash Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ash-sweeney/) > [Like a feather in the air,Like a leaf in the sea,I surrender to thee,I surrender to thee.-RVM](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rvm/like-a-feather-in-the-air-like-a-leaf-in-the-sea-i-surrender-to-thee/) RVM > [the power of philosophy floats through my head.. light like a feather, heavy as lead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-marley/the-power-of-philosophy-floats-through-my-head-light-like-a-feather-2/) [Bob Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-marley/) > [The power of philosophy floats through my head, Light like a feather, Heavy as Led](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-marley/the-power-of-philosophy-floats-through-my-head-light-like-a-feather/) [Bob Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-marley/) > [My life is light, waiting for the death wind, Like a feather on the back of my hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/my-life-is-light-waiting-for-the-death-wind-like-a-feather-on-the/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [Like a feather in a dust storm, with no direction The Raven flies through life, helpless and omitted Until night declares and the wind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-sorensen/like-a-feather-in-a-dust-storm-with-no-direction-the-raven-flies/) [Jessica Sorensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-sorensen/) > [Life is short. It can come and go like a feather in the wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shania-twain/life-is-short-it-can-come-and-go-like-a-feather-in-the-wind/) [Shania Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shania-twain/) > [Float like a feather.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/birdman/float-like-a-feather/) Birdman > [It is a great delusion to suppose that flesh-meat of any kind is essential to health. Considerably more than three parts of the work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-booth/it-is-a-great-delusion-to-suppose-that-flesh-meat-of-any-kind-is/) [Catherine Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-booth/) ## More by Jean Hersey > [Flowers speak to us if we listen. Appreciating the blossom in hand or pausing in the garden to admire the beauty quiets our outer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-hersey/flowers-speak-to-us-if-we-listen-appreciating-the-blossom-in-hand-or/) [Jean Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-hersey/) > [June is the gateway to summer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-hersey/june-is-the-gateway-to-summer/) [Jean Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-hersey/) > [November is chill, frosted mornings with a silver sun rising behind the trees, red cardinals at the feeders, and squirrels running scallops along the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-hersey/november-is-chill-frosted-mornings-with-a-silver-sun-rising-behind/) [Jean Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-hersey/) > [October arrives in a swirl of fragrant blue leaf smoke, the sweetness of slightly frosted MacIntosh apples, and little hard acorns falling. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-hersey/october-arrives-in-a-swirl-of-fragrant-blue-leaf-smoke-the-sweetness/) [Jean Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-hersey/) > [My prayer for the new year is that I may have the courage and the stamina to let Life happen to me, to accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-hersey/my-prayer-for-the-new-year-is-that-i-may-have-the-courage-and-the/) [Jean Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-hersey/) > [I love planting bulbs. It is making promises with tomorrow, believing in next year and the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-hersey/i-love-planting-bulbs-it-is-making-promises-with-tomorrow-believing/) [Jean Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-hersey/) > [Lilacs are May in essence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-hersey/lilacs-are-may-in-essence/) [Jean Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-hersey/) > [July is hollyhocks and hammocks, fireworks and vacations, hot and steamy weather, cool and refreshing swims, beach picnics, and vegetables all out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-hersey/july-is-hollyhocks-and-hammocks-fireworks-and-vacations-hot-and/) [Jean Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-hersey/) > [January is the month for dreaming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-hersey/january-is-the-month-for-dreaming/) [Jean Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-hersey/) > [A flower is a daisy chain, a graduation, a valentine; a flower is New Year's Eve and an orchid in your hair; a flower…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-hersey/a-flower-is-a-daisy-chain-a-graduation-a-valentine-a-flower-is-new/) [Jean Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-hersey/) > [When you plant early, you bring spring early.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-hersey/when-you-plant-early-you-bring-spring-early/) [Jean Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-hersey/) > [August is ripening grain in the fields blowing hot and sunny, the scent of tree-ripened peaches, of hot buttered sweet corn on the cob.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-hersey/august-is-ripening-grain-in-the-fields-blowing-hot-and-sunny-the/) [Jean Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-hersey/) > [In July everybody you telephone is somewhere else - either on the beach or on vacation, and half the time you're somewhere else too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-hersey/in-july-everybody-you-telephone-is-somewhere-else-either-on-the-beach/) [Jean Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-hersey/) > [In March winter is holding back and spring is pulling forward. Something holds and something pulls inside of us too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-hersey/in-march-winter-is-holding-back-and-spring-is-pulling-forward/) [Jean Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-hersey/) > [September is a sweep of dusky, purple asters, a sumac branch swinging a fringe of scarlet leaves, and the bittersweet scene of wild grapes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-hersey/september-is-a-sweep-of-dusky-purple-asters-a-sumac-branch-swinging-a/) [Jean Hersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-hersey/) [Explore all 16 Jean Hersey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-hersey/) ## More Backbone quotes > [“The Lord gave you a backbone because He wanted you to use it. So use it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-wilgus/the-lord-gave-you-a-backbone-because-he-wanted-you-to-use-it-so-use-it/) [Nick Wilgus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-wilgus/) > [Making money isn't the backbone of our guiding purpose; it is the by-product of our guiding purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/making-money-isn-t-the-backbone-of-our-guiding-purpose-it-is-the-by/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [Truth of life is that in difficult times, my family was my backbone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manisha-koirala/truth-of-life-is-that-in-difficult-times-my-family-was-my-backbone/) [Manisha Koirala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manisha-koirala/) > [Gaming is the backbone of Nevada's economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-guinn/gaming-is-the-backbone-of-nevada-s-economy/) [Kenny Guinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-guinn/) > [A true leader must have enough backbone to stand alone - even when the crowd wants to take the easy road home. A true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-ludy/a-true-leader-must-have-enough-backbone-to-stand-alone-even-when-the/) [Leslie Ludy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-ludy/) > [General Petraeus is a man that has the backbone that somebody like President-elect Trump would love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-scaramucci/general-petraeus-is-a-man-that-has-the-backbone-that-somebody-like/) [Anthony Scaramucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-scaramucci/) > [My Christian faith is my backbone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bear-grylls/my-christian-faith-is-my-backbone/) [Bear Grylls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bear-grylls/) > [“Better to get spine broken than bend it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/better-to-get-spine-broken-than-bend-it/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [The backbone of our nation's domestic defense against terrorist attacks will continue to be the men and women in local law enforcement and emergency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saxby-chambliss/the-backbone-of-our-nation-s-domestic-defense-against-terrorist/) [Saxby Chambliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saxby-chambliss/) > [If an adversary didn't target our power plants but they did target the core routers, the backbones that tie our internet connections together, entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-an-adversary-didn-t-target-our-power-plants-but-they-did-target/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [I don't have any contempt for the men who have to have jobs and have to commute and have to pay the mortgage and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloan-wilson/i-don-t-have-any-contempt-for-the-men-who-have-to-have-jobs-and-have/) [Sloan Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloan-wilson/) > [News is the backbone of our network; the main commodity and the main successes of Al Jazeera came out of our involvement in covering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wadah-khanfar/news-is-the-backbone-of-our-network-the-main-commodity-and-the-main/) [Wadah Khanfar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wadah-khanfar/) > [He was a tool of the boss, without brains or backbone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/he-was-a-tool-of-the-boss-without-brains-or-backbone/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [Inflationism is a dreadful cancer that is gnawing at the backbone of the civilized order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-f-sennholz/inflationism-is-a-dreadful-cancer-that-is-gnawing-at-the-backbone-of/) [Hans F. Sennholz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-f-sennholz/) > [To succeed, we must have the will to succeed, we must have stamina, determination, backbone, perseverance, self-reliance, and faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/to-succeed-we-must-have-the-will-to-succeed-we-must-have-stamina/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) [Browse all 318 Backbone quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backbone/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Some days confidence shrinks to the size of a pea, and the backbone feels like a feather. 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