--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They don't know what they're in for at…" description: "\"They don't know what they're in for at Spence, getting me, a ghost of a girl who'll nod and smile and take her tea but who isn't really here.\" — Libba ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/libba-bray-259_ghost_they-don-t-know-what-they-re-in-for-at-s_706369.png" --- # They don't know what they're in for at Spence, getting me… ![“They don't know what they're in for at Spence, getting me, a ghost of a girl who'll nod and smile and take her tea but who isn't really here.” quote by Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/libba-bray-259_ghost_they-don-t-know-what-they-re-in-for-at-s_706369.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/libba-bray-259_ghost_they-don-t-know-what-they-re-in-for-at-s_706369.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/libba-bray-259_ghost_they-don-t-know-what-they-re-in-for-at-s_706369.png) > “They don't know what they're in for at Spence, getting me, a ghost of a girl who'll nod and smile and take her tea but who isn't really here.” [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character feels invisible and detached, like a ghost, unable to fully engage with reality. **In simple terms:** Feeling unseen and detached. Key Takeaway Recognize when you’re emotionally distant. Themes identity isolation appearance self perception Mood melancholy reflective Type literary character study When to use this quote - social gatherings - personal reflection - mental health - self awareness Key Concepts psychology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How does feeling like a ghost affect your relationships? - What steps can bring you back to presence? A Different Perspective Emotional distance may stem from deeper trauma. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ghost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghost/) [Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) [Tea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tea/) ## Related quotes > [“Yes, fine," I say, feeling dead inside. They don't know what they're in for at Spence, getting me, a ghost of a girl who'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/yes-fine-i-say-feeling-dead-inside-they-don-t-know-what-they-re-in/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [Im a ghost of a girl that I want to be most. Im the shell of a girl that I used to know well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-perri/im-a-ghost-of-a-girl-that-i-want-to-be-most-im-the-shell-of-a-girl/) [Christina Perri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-perri/) > [Getting ghost in the Ghost. Can you see me? Can you see me? Have mercy on a Judas, angels wings on a 'ghini.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-z-2/getting-ghost-in-the-ghost-can-you-see-me-can-you-see-me-have-mercy/) [Jay Z](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-z-2/) > [Am I in the picture? Am I getting in or out of it? I could be a ghost, an animal or a dead body,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-woodman/am-i-in-the-picture-am-i-getting-in-or-out-of-it-i-could-be-a-ghost/) [Francesca Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-woodman/) > [“The Ghost-Girl's lips was fixed in a bitter smile, but her creamy eyes was sad so sad but proud'n'strong too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/the-ghost-girl-s-lips-was-fixed-in-a-bitter-smile-but-her-creamy-eyes/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“Myrnin: "I think your ghost girl's afraid I'll try to bite her. I believe she may have, you know, mental issues ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/myrnin-i-think-your-ghost-girl-s-afraid-i-ll-try-to-bite-her-i/) [Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/) > [The Holy Ghost is the greatest guarantor of inward peace in our unstable world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/the-holy-ghost-is-the-greatest-guarantor-of-inward-peace-in-our/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [I love ghost stories, I love to read them, and I love the idea of being haunted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micah-perks/i-love-ghost-stories-i-love-to-read-them-and-i-love-the-idea-of-being/) [Micah Perks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micah-perks/) > [Maybe I could be friends with a ghost. I wouldn’t be able to kill him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/maybe-i-could-be-friends-with-a-ghost-i-wouldn-t-be-able-to-kill-him/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Who is this ghost ordered into music?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuko-shiraishi/who-is-this-ghost-ordered-into-music/) Kazuko Shiraishi > [Nice is a city of ghosts and specters, but I hope not to become one of them right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-modiano/nice-is-a-city-of-ghosts-and-specters-but-i-hope-not-to-become-one-of/) [Patrick Modiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-modiano/) > [I was overcome by the Holy Ghost one time, but in a Baptist way. I was six or seven, and I was saved. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/i-was-overcome-by-the-holy-ghost-one-time-but-in-a-baptist-way-i-was/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [“When you feel terribly angry, you're possessed by anger ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-feel-terribly-angry-you-re-possessed-by-anger-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) ## More by Libba Bray > [“I have never felt more ridiculous. If this is what it means to be a woman I am not the slightest bit interested.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/i-have-never-felt-more-ridiculous-if-this-is-what-it-means-to-be-a/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [There are no safe choices. Only other choices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/there-are-no-safe-choices-only-other-choices/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [“The King of Crows raked his fingers across the dark until it bled. He licked the blood from his fingers with a forked tongue.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/the-king-of-crows-raked-his-fingers-across-the-dark-until-it-bled-he/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [It is how it has always been. We will accept the legacy of our ancestors,' Asha says, smiling, and in her smile I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/it-is-how-it-has-always-been-we-will-accept-the-legacy-of-our/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [The trouble with morning is that it comes well before noon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/the-trouble-with-morning-is-that-it-comes-well-before-noon/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [“Spare a copper for our cause?" the girl with the coin cup asks, her voice weary. "I can spare more than that," I say.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/spare-a-copper-for-our-cause-the-girl-with-the-coin-cup-asks-her/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [As one, they leap, laughing, and that is where we leave them - mouths open, arms spread wide, fingers splayed to take in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/as-one-they-leap-laughing-and-that-is-where-we-leave-them-mouths-open/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [I am for hockey. I find I should like to hit something with a stick. -Gemma Doyle Trilogy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/i-am-for-hockey-i-find-i-should-like-to-hit-something-with-a-stick/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [There are times when I wish I could go back and change the course of my life. Make different choices...But the past cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/there-are-times-when-i-wish-i-could-go-back-and-change-the-course-of/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [“Sexuality is not meant to be this way - an honest, consensual expression in which a girl might take an active role when she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/sexuality-is-not-meant-to-be-this-way-an-honest-consensual-expression/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [There is no greater power on this earth than story.” Will paced the length of the room. “People think boundaries and borders build nations.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/there-is-no-greater-power-on-this-earth-than-story-will-paced-the/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [Heaven's brightest and best-loved angel, who was cast out for inspiring a rebellion against God. Having lost Heaven, Lucifer and his rebel angels vowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/heaven-s-brightest-and-best-loved-angel-who-was-cast-out-for/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [“The light is so bright it hurts my eyes. But I don't dare close them. I won't. Instead, I try to adjust to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/the-light-is-so-bright-it-hurts-my-eyes-but-i-don-t-dare-close-them-i/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [“Miss Moore speaks slowly, deliberately. "I know because I read." She pulls back and stands, hands on hips, offering us a challenge. "May I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/miss-moore-speaks-slowly-deliberately-i-know-because-i-read-she-pulls/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [“Duff's little moans traveled up her spine, made her head buzz. And another thought grabbed hold: She was doing this. She had the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/duff-s-little-moans-traveled-up-her-spine-made-her-head-buzz-and/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) [Explore all 774 Libba Bray quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) ## More Ghost quotes > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [“When you feel terribly angry, you're possessed by anger ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-feel-terribly-angry-you-re-possessed-by-anger-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [I was overcome by the Holy Ghost one time, but in a Baptist way. I was six or seven, and I was saved. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/i-was-overcome-by-the-holy-ghost-one-time-but-in-a-baptist-way-i-was/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [Nice is a city of ghosts and specters, but I hope not to become one of them right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-modiano/nice-is-a-city-of-ghosts-and-specters-but-i-hope-not-to-become-one-of/) [Patrick Modiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-modiano/) > [“Who is this ghost ordered into music?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuko-shiraishi/who-is-this-ghost-ordered-into-music/) Kazuko Shiraishi > [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Maybe I could be friends with a ghost. I wouldn’t be able to kill him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/maybe-i-could-be-friends-with-a-ghost-i-wouldn-t-be-able-to-kill-him/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [I love ghost stories, I love to read them, and I love the idea of being haunted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micah-perks/i-love-ghost-stories-i-love-to-read-them-and-i-love-the-idea-of-being/) [Micah Perks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micah-perks/) > [The Holy Ghost is the greatest guarantor of inward peace in our unstable world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/the-holy-ghost-is-the-greatest-guarantor-of-inward-peace-in-our/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [I saw the gooseflesh on my skin. I did not know what made it. I was not cold. Had a ghost passed over? No,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-saw-the-gooseflesh-on-my-skin-i-did-not-know-what-made-it-i-was-not/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [She knows not loves that kissed her She knows not where. Art thou the ghost, my sister, White sister there, Am I the ghost,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/she-knows-not-loves-that-kissed-her-she-knows-not-where-art-thou-the/) [Algernon Charles Swinburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-charles-swinburne/) > [Pity the planet, all joy gone from this sweet volcanic cone; peace to our children when they fall in small war on the heel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lowell/pity-the-planet-all-joy-gone-from-this-sweet-volcanic-cone-peace-to/) [Robert Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lowell/) > [What the Church needs to-day is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-the-church-needs-to-day-is-not-more-machinery-or-better-not-new/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Do I believe in ghosts?...I am prepared to consider evidence and accept it if it satisfies me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-r-james/do-i-believe-in-ghosts-i-am-prepared-to-consider-evidence-and-accept/) [M. R. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-r-james/) > [Just live that life. It doesn't matter whether it is life or hell, life of the hungry ghost, life of the animal, it's okay;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taizan-maezumi/just-live-that-life-it-doesn-t-matter-whether-it-is-life-or-hell-life/) [Taizan Maezumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taizan-maezumi/) [Browse all 2,175 Ghost quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghost/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "They don't know what they're in for at Spence, getting me, a ghost of a girl who'll nod and smile and take her tea but who isn't really here.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Libba Bray" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/they-don-t-know-what-they-re-in-for-at-spence-getting-me-a-ghost-of-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ghost" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/they-don-t-know-what-they-re-in-for-at-spence-getting-me-a-ghost-of-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/libba-bray-259_ghost_they-don-t-know-what-they-re-in-for-at-s_706369.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/libba-bray-259_ghost_they-don-t-know-what-they-re-in-for-at-s_706369.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/libba-bray-259_ghost_they-don-t-know-what-they-re-in-for-at-s_706369.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“They don't know what they're in for at Spence, getting me, a ghost of a girl who'll nod and smile and take…” — Libba Bray", "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": "Libba Bray", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "They don't know what they're in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/they-don-t-know-what-they-re-in-for-at-spence-getting-me-a-ghost-of-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/they-don-t-know-what-they-re-in-for-at-spence-getting-me-a-ghost-of-a/#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 } } ] } ```