Talking Quote by Lydia Davis
““But after I got off the phone, I began thinking, worrying. What had this other boy said about me? What had the two of them said about me? Maybe I had some kind of a reputation. Even now I can’t imagine that what they said was completely pure or innocent — for instance, that I was pretty and fun to be with. There had to be something nasty about it, two boys talking privately about a girl. The awful word that began to occur to me was /fast/. She’s /fast/. I wasn’t actually very fast. I was faster than some but not as fast as others. The more I imagined the two boys talking about me the worse I felt.””
About This Quote
Source Short story: “The End of the World” by Lydia Davis, 1995
The narrator spirals into self‑doubt, magnifying a casual comment into a damaging reputation narrative, showing how imagined judgments can dominate self‑image.
In simple terms: Worrying about what others think can distort reality.
Key Takeaway
Question assumptions, seek truth.
Themes
self‑esteem
rumination
reputation
insecurity
perception
Mood
anxious
reflective
vulnerable
Type
literary
psychological
conversational
When to use this quote
- school hallway
- online gossip
- friend group
- performance review
- first date
Key Concepts
social anxiety
cognitive distortion
identity
communication
Questions to Reflect On
- What evidence supports your fear?
- How could you verify the conversation?
A Different Perspective
Assumes the boys’ words are negative without evidence, possibly over‑reading.
![“I worked more intensively hour after hour when I was starting out [writing]. More laboriously. I'd say quantity is important as well as quality, and if you're not producing enough, make a schedule and stick to it.” quote by Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/29b/lydia-davis-3244_after-hours_i-worked-more-intensively-hour-after-hou_171566.jpg)
