--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But after I got off the phone, I began…" description: "\"“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 ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea3/lydia-davis-3244_talking_but-after-i-got-off-the-phone-i-began-th_1094541.jpg" --- # But after I got off the phone, I began thinking, worrying… ![“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…” quote by Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea3/lydia-davis-3244_talking_but-after-i-got-off-the-phone-i-began-th_1094541.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea3/lydia-davis-3244_talking_but-after-i-got-off-the-phone-i-began-th_1094541.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea3/lydia-davis-3244_talking_but-after-i-got-off-the-phone-i-began-th_1094541.jpg) > ““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.”” [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. 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. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boy Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boy-said/) [Fast Wasn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fast-wasn-1007775/) [Talking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talking/) [Talking Privately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talking-privately-2846913/) [Talking Worse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talking-worse-2846912/) ## Related quotes > [“Tiny and I are talking again… but there's nothing inside our words. 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It’s how I’ll find you when it’s time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priscilla-glenn/my-angel-boy-she-said-gently-you-always-had-my-heart-and-you-have-it/) [Priscilla Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priscilla-glenn/) > [“Life won’t just happen to you, boy,” he said. “You have to happen to it. Remember: The spirit grows sluggish when you neglect the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/life-won-t-just-happen-to-you-boy-he-said-you-have-to-happen-to-it/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [“there was a 4 year old child whose next door neighbor was  an elderly man who had just lost his wife. When the child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-posch/there-was-a-4-year-old-child-whose-next-door-neighbor-was-an-elderly/) [John Posch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-posch/) > [It is the world, my boy," he said. "All the World, in ink and blood, vellum and parchment, leather and hide. It is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-owen/it-is-the-world-my-boy-he-said-all-the-world-in-ink-and-blood-vellum/) [James A. Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-owen/) > [“I'm glad this happened," he said softly. I hoped it was for real,and I didn't want to talk about it too much and ruin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-echols/i-m-glad-this-happened-he-said-softly-i-hoped-it-was-for-real-and-i/) [Jennifer Echols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-echols/) > [“Spoon!” James said, running at his uncle Gabriel and jabbing him in the thigh. Gabriel mussed the boy’s hair affectionately. “You’re such a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/spoon-james-said-running-at-his-uncle-gabriel-and-jabbing-him-in-the/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [He was just hungry, Papa. He's going to die. He's going to die anyway. He's so scared, Papa. The man squatted and looked at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-was-just-hungry-papa-he-s-going-to-die-he-s-going-to-die-anyway-he/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“And there's a cop over there." "What?" the boy said, glancing at the D.C. police officer that stood at the corner of the street,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-carter/and-there-s-a-cop-over-there-what-the-boy-said-glancing-at-the-d-c/) [Ally Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-carter/) ## More by Lydia Davis > [Heart weeps. Head tries to help heart. Head tells heart how it is, again: You will lose the ones you love. They will all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/heart-weeps-head-tries-to-help-heart-head-tells-heart-how-it-is-again/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“But on that particular day I did not even begin to feel interested in this chore, and was suddenly more deeply bored than I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/but-on-that-particular-day-i-did-not-even-begin-to-feel-interested-in/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [If a translation doesn't have obvious writing problems, it may seem quite all right at first glance. 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I let the readers do the interpreting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/i-don-t-feel-i-have-to-struggle-against-allegory-i-let-the-readers-do/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“because she couldn’t write the name of what she was: a wa wam owm owamn womn”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/because-she-couldn-t-write-the-name-of-what-she-was-a-wa-wam-owm/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“Everything was sharper, clearer, and closer, as though, before, I had been seeing only little bits at a time, not all of it, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/everything-was-sharper-clearer-and-closer-as-though-before-i-had-been/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“He did not know exactly when to thank his hostess after attending a dinner or a weekend party. In his uncertainty, he would thank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/he-did-not-know-exactly-when-to-thank-his-hostess-after-attending-a/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“There was no confusion of our bodies. I knew which arm was his and which mine, and which leg, and which shoulder. I did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/there-was-no-confusion-of-our-bodies-i-knew-which-arm-was-his-and/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“So it’s not really $100 a shot because it goes on all day, from the start when you wake up and feel her body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/so-it-s-not-really-100-a-shot-because-it-goes-on-all-day-from-the/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“The people of the town, though, remained strangers: I could not realize that I must be seeing some of them over and over again,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/the-people-of-the-town-though-remained-strangers-i-could-not-realize/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“He does not trust her: she will claim to be in a bad mood when she is not, and then require him to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/he-does-not-trust-her-she-will-claim-to-be-in-a-bad-mood-when-she-is/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [I would recommend, definitely, developing a 'day job' that you like - don't expect to make money writing!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/i-would-recommend-definitely-developing-a-day-job-that-you-like-don-t/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [the translator, a lonely sort of acrobat, becomes confused in a labyrinth of paradox, or climbs a pyramid of dependent clauses and has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/the-translator-a-lonely-sort-of-acrobat-becomes-confused-in-a/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) [Explore all 135 Lydia Davis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) ## More Talking quotes > [In every province, the chief occupations, in order of importance, are lovemaking, malicious gossip, and talking nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/in-every-province-the-chief-occupations-in-order-of-importance-are/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [“If you are not sharing with each other, talking with each other, what do you have?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-taylor/if-you-are-not-sharing-with-each-other-talking-with-each-other-what/) [Craig Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-taylor/) > [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/) [Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/) > [Modeling is more important than the talking we do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-williams/modeling-is-more-important-than-the-talking-we-do/) [Wayne Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-williams/) > [I think everybody in the future has stopped talking to each other and we all just use emojis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-moffatt/i-think-everybody-in-the-future-has-stopped-talking-to-each-other-and/) [Scarlett Moffatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-moffatt/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Singing is the love of my life, but I was ready to give it all up because I couldn't handle people talking about how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-nicks/singing-is-the-love-of-my-life-but-i-was-ready-to-give-it-all-up/) [Stevie Nicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-nicks/) > [I do like talking with friends about big concepts, you know, the stuff that will ruin a party. To me, the party hasn't begun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mercer/i-do-like-talking-with-friends-about-big-concepts-you-know-the-stuff/) [James Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mercer/) > [What was exciting to me in talking to Kogonada was I was just very convinced that he was a very real and pure artist.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/what-was-exciting-to-me-in-talking-to-kogonada-was-i-was-just-very/) [John Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cho/) > [When the President starts talking about something, it makes a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-schumer/when-the-president-starts-talking-about-something-it-makes-a/) [Charles Schumer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-schumer/) > [Books were always important. I have to thank my father, he filled my life with books. He didn't write but he always read. 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We were suffering from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/i-was-born-in-cuba-at-the-age-of-14-years-of-age-i-was-involved-in-a/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [I am comfortable talking about sex scenes and stuff, but to me, when it's physically explicit, I do feel prudish and uncomfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-am-comfortable-talking-about-sex-scenes-and-stuff-but-to-me-when-it/) [Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/) [Browse all 9,809 Talking quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talking/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“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. 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