---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Patience,\" she said in her best governess…"
description: "\"“Patience,\" she said in her best governess voice, \"is only a virtue when there is something worth waiting for.”\" — Lauren Willig"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/lauren-willig-8632_patience_patience-she-said-in-her-best-governess_1954291.jpg"
---

#  Patience," she said in her best governess voice, "is only…

![“Patience,&quot; she said in her best governess voice, &quot;is only a virtue when there is something worth waiting for.” quote by Lauren Willig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/lauren-willig-8632_patience_patience-she-said-in-her-best-governess_1954291.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/lauren-willig-8632_patience_patience-she-said-in-her-best-governess_1954291.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/lauren-willig-8632_patience_patience-she-said-in-her-best-governess_1954291.jpg)

> ““Patience," she said in her best governess voice, "is only a virtue when there is something worth waiting for.””

[Lauren Willig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-willig/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Patience is valuable only when the goal is worthwhile.

**In simple terms:** Patience needs purpose.

Key Takeaway

Wait for meaningful outcomes.

Themes

patience virtue worth goal

Mood

thoughtful serious

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- long-term projects
- relationships
- career advancement

Key Concepts

ethical philosophy goal setting

Questions to Reflect On

- What are you waiting for?
- Is the wait justified?

A Different Perspective

Waiting can waste time without purpose.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/)

## Related quotes

> [Ah, there’s the governess voice. All stern and disapproving. It makes me feel like a naughty schoolboy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/ah-there-s-the-governess-voice-all-stern-and-disapproving-it-makes-me/)

[Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/)

> [“Patience," he said, his eyes intent on his project. "Patience is no' a virtue I have, Dash. I'm very sorry ta tell ye, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-dare/patience-he-said-his-eyes-intent-on-his-project-patience-is-no-a/)

[Lydia Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-dare/)

> ["Genius is just enduring patience," said Buffon. This is far from complete. Genius is impatience in ideas and patience with the facts: a lively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-errera/genius-is-just-enduring-patience-said-buffon-this-is-far-from/)

[Leo Errera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-errera/)

> [Patience is only a virtue when there is something worth waiting for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-willig/patience-is-only-a-virtue-when-there-is-something-worth-waiting-for/)

[Lauren Willig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-willig/)

> [“Was it a convent you escaped from, Miss Turner?” He turned the boat with a deft pull on one oar. “Escaped?” Her heart knocked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/was-it-a-convent-you-escaped-from-miss-turner-he-turned-the-boat-with/)

[Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/)

> [“The storyteller gave me a sideways look. “Miss Lea, it doesn’t do to get attached to these secondary characters. It’s not their story. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/the-storyteller-gave-me-a-sideways-look-miss-lea-it-doesn-t-do-to-get/)

[Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/)

> [“the German governess finally left the Koch family, apparently at her own initiative. Her reason for giving notice was that she was so overcome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/the-german-governess-finally-left-the-koch-family-apparently-at-her/)

[Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/)

> [For a long time I wasn't allowed to be anything but 'The Governess' when I went on TV, even if I went on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hegerty/for-a-long-time-i-wasn-t-allowed-to-be-anything-but-the-governess/)

[Anne Hegerty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hegerty/)

> [“She should have read the damned play. She should have spent hours reading Shakespeare. The duke was making literature sound a lot more interesting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eloisa-james/she-should-have-read-the-damned-play-she-should-have-spent-hours/)

[Eloisa James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eloisa-james/)

> [“The girl really needed to let him go. This was the voyage Gray went respectable. And it was off to a very bad start.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/the-girl-really-needed-to-let-him-go-this-was-the-voyage-gray-went/)

[Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/)

> [She'd become a governess. It was one of the few jobs a known lady could do. And she'd taken to it well. She'd sworn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/she-d-become-a-governess-it-was-one-of-the-few-jobs-a-known-lady/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“He sensed a lonely childhood on some great decaying plantation, an echoing ‘Great House’ slowly falling into disrepair and being encroached on by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/he-sensed-a-lonely-childhood-on-some-great-decaying-plantation-an/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [“Ann turns to me. I know she's waiting for some hint of kindness-a kiss, an embrace, even a smile. But I can't muster any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/ann-turns-to-me-i-know-she-s-waiting-for-some-hint-of-kindness-a-kiss/)

[Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/)

> [“And she was...what? A governess? A false governess whose life history began in 1816 when she'd stepped off the ferry, seasick and petrified, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/and-she-was-what-a-governess-a-false-governess-whose-life-history/)

[Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/)

> [Rich women are not too put upon by their children. You don't have to do all the things for a child that those women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/rich-women-are-not-too-put-upon-by-their-children-you-don-t-have-to/)

[Clare Boothe Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/)

## More by Lauren Willig

> [“This was what the poets couldn't put in their poetry, she thought dumbly, the rush of desire so fierce and pure it made one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-willig/this-was-what-the-poets-couldn-t-put-in-their-poetry-she-thought/)

[Lauren Willig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-willig/)

> [It was lovely to see cynicism in one so young. It positively restored his faith in human nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-willig/it-was-lovely-to-see-cynicism-in-one-so-young-it-positively-restored/)

[Lauren Willig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-willig/)

> [“That's a good point, I suppose,' he said in that way people have when you've just said something that's so off the mark it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-willig/that-s-a-good-point-i-suppose-he-said-in-that-way-people-have-when/)

[Lauren Willig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-willig/)

> [“Such kindness wasn't a gift but a goad, scraping against one's skin like a yoke of thorns. She would have preferred him stiff, defensive,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-willig/such-kindness-wasn-t-a-gift-but-a-goad-scraping-against-one-s-skin/)

[Lauren Willig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-willig/)

> [“He admired her for throwing off her aristocratic shackles -- his terms, that -- and making her own way in the world. He didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-willig/he-admired-her-for-throwing-off-her-aristocratic-shackles-his-terms/)

[Lauren Willig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-willig/)

> [“From far across the sea I come, Through fire, frost,and blazing sun, That you might, with your own fair hand, Enjoy the bounties of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-willig/from-far-across-the-sea-i-come-through-fire-frost-and-blazing-sun/)

[Lauren Willig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-willig/)

> [Hard to believe that so nearby, just across the Channel, such atrocities could still occur in their supposedly civilized world, that one could wake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-willig/hard-to-believe-that-so-nearby-just-across-the-channel-such/)

[Lauren Willig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-willig/)

> [“Her eyes were as hard and bright as stars. Not the pretty sort that poets mooned about, but the kind that made men's destinies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-willig/her-eyes-were-as-hard-and-bright-as-stars-not-the-pretty-sort-that/)

[Lauren Willig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-willig/)

> [“I’m not your gilded prince with the gilded chairs, Letty,” Geoff said simply. “I couldn’t be if I tried.” “I wouldn’t want you to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-willig/i-m-not-your-gilded-prince-with-the-gilded-chairs-letty-geoff-said/)

[Lauren Willig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-willig/)

> [“After an initial startled gasp, his intended bride dissolved into his arms, returning his kiss with more fervor than she had ever shown before.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-willig/after-an-initial-startled-gasp-his-intended-bride-dissolved-into-his/)

[Lauren Willig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-willig/)

> [Patience is only a virtue when there is something worth waiting for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-willig/patience-is-only-a-virtue-when-there-is-something-worth-waiting-for/)

[Lauren Willig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-willig/)

> [“Inside, the festivities would continue, probably well into the night, with flirtation and merriment and gratuitous use of mistletoe. It was an inexpressibly wearying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-willig/inside-the-festivities-would-continue-probably-well-into-the-night/)

[Lauren Willig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-willig/)

> [“Her eyes were as hard and bright as stars. Not the pretty sort that poets mooned about, but the kind that made men's destinies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-willig/her-eyes-were-as-hard-and-bright-as-stars-not-the-pretty-sort-that-2/)

[Lauren Willig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-willig/)

> [“I didn't know there could be an almost kiss. It seems like the sort of thing that either happens or it doesn't. Oh no...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-willig/i-didn-t-know-there-could-be-an-almost-kiss-it-seems-like-the-sort-of/)

[Lauren Willig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-willig/)

> [Why was it that cheering expressions were invariably so infuriating?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-willig/why-was-it-that-cheering-expressions-were-invariably-so-infuriating/)

[Lauren Willig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-willig/)

[Explore all 79 Lauren Willig quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-willig/)

## More Patience quotes

> [Many patients imagine that they have tried everything. True, they have used many remedies, but they have never had the cause of their infirmity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-d-palmer/many-patients-imagine-that-they-have-tried-everything-true-they-have/)

[Daniel D. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-d-palmer/)

> [Dating someone on the opposite end of the happy spectrum teaches you an incredible amount of patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/dating-someone-on-the-opposite-end-of-the-happy-spectrum-teaches-you/)

[Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/)

> [I am fairly tired--bored beyond endurance--by the world we live in, and its ideals, and am ready to say so, not violently, but kindly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/i-am-fairly-tired-bored-beyond-endurance-by-the-world-we-live-in-and/)

[Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/)

> [The faster you go, the shorter you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-faster-you-go-the-shorter-you-are/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [We're on the road 300 days a year. There's no recovery time. It's a test of your physical and mental endurance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-phoenix/we-re-on-the-road-300-days-a-year-there-s-no-recovery-time-it-s-a/)

[Beth Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-phoenix/)

> [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [“Here is my procedure for a saliva test: Prepare 7 strips of pH paper. Take a baseline pH reading. Have the patient drink 10cc…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ameer-rosic/here-is-my-procedure-for-a-saliva-test-prepare-7-strips-of-ph-paper/)

Ameer Rosic

> [“There is no time for patience - there is no time for diplomacy - there is no time for policies, legislations and meaningless paperwork.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/there-is-no-time-for-patience-there-is-no-time-for-diplomacy-there-is/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [Grace is the wonderful spirit that imbues every fiber of our being when we practice the fruits of the spirit: kindness, patience, understanding, forgiveness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-cayce/grace-is-the-wonderful-spirit-that-imbues-every-fiber-of-our-being/)

[Edgar Cayce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-cayce/)

> [“Prayer of an Anonymous Abbess: Lord, thou knowest better than myself that I am growing older and will soon be old. Keep me from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/prayer-of-an-anonymous-abbess-lord-thou-knowest-better-than-myself/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Every patient carries her or his own doctor inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/every-patient-carries-her-or-his-own-doctor-inside/)

[Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/)

> [Character never quits; and with patience and persistence; Dreams do come true!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-maravich/character-never-quits-and-with-patience-and-persistence-dreams-do/)

[Pete Maravich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-maravich/)

> [I don't know about writing. It's quite lonely. You have to have a lot of patience with yourself. I don't know if I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-wilson/i-don-t-know-about-writing-it-s-quite-lonely-you-have-to-have-a-lot/)

[Ruth Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-wilson/)

> [There are few husbands whom the wife cannot win in the long run, by patience and love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-of-valois/there-are-few-husbands-whom-the-wife-cannot-win-in-the-long-run-by/)

[Margaret of Valois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-of-valois/)

> [God has perfect timing...Never early...never late...It takes a little patience...It takes a lot of faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-has-perfect-timing-never-early-never-late-it-takes-a-little/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 7,997 Patience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Patience,\" she said in her best governess voice, \"is only a virtue when there is something worth waiting for.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lauren Willig"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-willig/patience-she-said-in-her-best-governess-voice-is-only-a-virtue-when/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Patience"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-willig/patience-she-said-in-her-best-governess-voice-is-only-a-virtue-when/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/lauren-willig-8632_patience_patience-she-said-in-her-best-governess_1954291.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/lauren-willig-8632_patience_patience-she-said-in-her-best-governess_1954291.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/lauren-willig-8632_patience_patience-she-said-in-her-best-governess_1954291.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Patience,\" she said in her best governess voice, \"is only a virtue when there is something worth waiting for.” — Lauren Willig",
                "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": "Lauren Willig",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-willig/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Patience,\" she said in her best...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-willig/patience-she-said-in-her-best-governess-voice-is-only-a-virtue-when/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-willig/patience-she-said-in-her-best-governess-voice-is-only-a-virtue-when/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
