--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Anne has small superstitions which she…" description: "\"“Anne has small superstitions which she uses to dispel anxieties. For instance, if she can make it to the fourth stain on the carpet by the time the el..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d70/megan-boyle-20094_fiction_anne-has-small-superstitions-which-she-u_1004875.png" --- # Anne has small superstitions which she uses to dispel… ![“Anne has small superstitions which she uses to dispel anxieties. For instance, if she can make it to the fourth stain on the carpet by the time the elevator door closes, that means Nate has thought positively about her today, and there is a future where they know each other. It becomes a one-sided…” quote by Megan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d70/megan-boyle-20094_fiction_anne-has-small-superstitions-which-she-u_1004875.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d70/megan-boyle-20094_fiction_anne-has-small-superstitions-which-she-u_1004875.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d70/megan-boyle-20094_fiction_anne-has-small-superstitions-which-she-u_1004875.png) > ““Anne has small superstitions which she uses to dispel anxieties. For instance, if she can make it to the fourth stain on the carpet by the time the elevator door closes, that means Nate has thought positively about her today, and there is a future where they know each other. It becomes a one-sided competition when a negative consequence is imagined: if she cannot touch two different kinds of tile with her feet by the time the toilet flushes, that means she said something crucially “wrong” in an email, and Nate will never contact her again. She doesn't keep track of which side is winning.”” [Megan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-boyle/) ## 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 uses quirky rituals to manage anxiety, creating a self‑imposed competition that can both reassure and sabotage her confidence. **In simple terms:** She relies on odd habits to calm nerves, but they can also fuel fear. Key Takeaway Recognize when habits help versus hinder. Themes anxiety rituals self‑esteem competition confidence Mood anxious hopeful Type personal reflective When to use this quote - dating - work emails - personal reflection - stress management Key Concepts cognitive bias self‑fulfilling prophecy psychological coping Questions to Reflect On - How do these rituals affect your daily decisions? - Can you replace them with healthier coping strategies? A Different Perspective Rituals may reinforce anxiety if over‑relied upon. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Superstitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superstitions/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [The state of mind which I put myself when I tell a story is one in which superstition flourishes very easily. And I welcome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/the-state-of-mind-which-i-put-myself-when-i-tell-a-story-is-one-in/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [May it be to the world... to assume the blessings and security of self-government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/may-it-be-to-the-world-to-assume-the-blessings-and-security-of-self/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The strongest reason for giving woman all the opportunities of higher education, for the full development of her faculties, forces of mind and body;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/the-strongest-reason-for-giving-woman-all-the-opportunities-of-higher/) [Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/) > [I make this chief distinction between religion and superstition, that the latter is founded on ignorance, the former on knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/i-make-this-chief-distinction-between-religion-and-superstition-that/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [Management means, in the last analysis, the substitution of thought for brawn and muscle, of knowledge for folkways and superstition, and of cooperation for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/management-means-in-the-last-analysis-the-substitution-of-thought-for/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [The Puritans came to America to worship in their way and to force everybody else to do the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-levenson/the-puritans-came-to-america-to-worship-in-their-way-and-to-force/) [Sam Levenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-levenson/) > [“In spite of being complicated people choose superstitions over common sense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/in-spite-of-being-complicated-people-choose-superstitions-over-common/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Christianity is a pestilent superstition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/christianity-is-a-pestilent-superstition/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [We must not forget that what I mean by the conquest of the world by spiritual thought is the sending out of the life-giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/we-must-not-forget-that-what-i-mean-by-the-conquest-of-the-world-by/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Astrology is knocking at the gates of our universities: A Tübingen professor has switched over to astrology and a course on astrology was given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/astrology-is-knocking-at-the-gates-of-our-universities-a-t-bingen/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [I actually rid myself of superstitions, but I do a quick 20-minute meditation before games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christen-press/i-actually-rid-myself-of-superstitions-but-i-do-a-quick-20-minute/) [Christen Press](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christen-press/) > [fear has always been a diminisher of life. Whether bred in the bogs of superstition or clothed in the brocades of dogma and ritual,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-mannes/fear-has-always-been-a-diminisher-of-life-whether-bred-in-the-bogs-of/) [Marya Mannes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-mannes/) > ["Natural" is a very dangerous word to use about sexuality ... Our society's notions of normality are completely fake and meta-trendy, since they rely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-bright/natural-is-a-very-dangerous-word-to-use-about-sexuality-our-society-s/) [Susie Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-bright/) > [I think superstition has a lot to do with fear: the less, the better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-cruz/i-think-superstition-has-a-lot-to-do-with-fear-the-less-the-better/) [Penelope Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-cruz/) > [“In Gautama Buddha’s day you could put superstitions and omens down to a lack of education, but I am not sure what the reasoning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karma-yeshe-rabgye/in-gautama-buddha-s-day-you-could-put-superstitions-and-omens-down-to/) karma yeshe rabgye ## More by Megan Boyle > [“For about four years, I’ve been telling people I hate sour cream. One time I sent back nachos because they had sour cream on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-boyle/for-about-four-years-i-ve-been-telling-people-i-hate-sour-cream-one/) [Megan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-boyle/) > [“when i think 'dave eggers' in my head it's in the same tone of voice jerry seinfeld uses to say 'hello newman' at work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-boyle/when-i-think-dave-eggers-in-my-head-it-s-in-the-same-tone-of-voice/) [Megan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-boyle/) > [“people like to see will smith reacting to aliens”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-boyle/people-like-to-see-will-smith-reacting-to-aliens/) [Megan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-boyle/) > [Something was comforting about strangers—it seemed like they would exist forever as the same, unknowable mass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-boyle/something-was-comforting-about-strangers-it-seemed-like-they-would/) [Megan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-boyle/) > [Feel completely unable to do anything. Try to picture your life in five years. It really seems like you will be dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-boyle/feel-completely-unable-to-do-anything-try-to-picture-your-life-in/) [Megan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-boyle/) > [“argued for an hour on the telephone. now looking at pictures of carbs”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-boyle/argued-for-an-hour-on-the-telephone-now-looking-at-pictures-of-carbs/) [Megan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-boyle/) > [I could never be a sports writer, unless my assignment was to write 'sports sports sports sports sports' for three pages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-boyle/i-could-never-be-a-sports-writer-unless-my-assignment-was-to-write/) [Megan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-boyle/) > [“i want to go to the gym and pretend the weight machines are drums and play the longest drum solo on them”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-boyle/i-want-to-go-to-the-gym-and-pretend-the-weight-machines-are-drums-and/) [Megan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-boyle/) > [I can't believe food costs money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-boyle/i-can-t-believe-food-costs-money/) [Megan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-boyle/) > [“I want to delete everything from someone's computer except a giant Microsoft paint picture of a dick that takes forever to load”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-boyle/i-want-to-delete-everything-from-someone-s-computer-except-a-giant/) [Megan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-boyle/) > [“shrimp and green peppers are shriveling in my refrigerator”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-boyle/shrimp-and-green-peppers-are-shriveling-in-my-refrigerator/) [Megan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-boyle/) > [I want to pull very long, multi-colored strings out of my brain and place them next to a bowl of Doritos at a party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-boyle/i-want-to-pull-very-long-multi-colored-strings-out-of-my-brain-and/) [Megan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-boyle/) > [“i am still unsure of what 'life to the fullest' for me would be, mostly i just try to be well-liked in social situations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-boyle/i-am-still-unsure-of-what-life-to-the-fullest-for-me-would-be-mostly/) [Megan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-boyle/) > [“sometimes my laugh in front of others becomes unnaturally loud, like something in my brain tripped over a volume cord”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-boyle/sometimes-my-laugh-in-front-of-others-becomes-unnaturally-loud-like/) [Megan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-boyle/) > [“my cat is always looking at me like i am forgetting something crucial and he depends on it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-boyle/my-cat-is-always-looking-at-me-like-i-am-forgetting-something-crucial/) [Megan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-boyle/) [Explore all 31 Megan Boyle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-boyle/) ## More Fiction quotes > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) Phil Hogan > [The thing about science fiction is that it's totally wide open. But it's wide open in a conditional way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-butler/the-thing-about-science-fiction-is-that-it-s-totally-wide-open-but-it/) [Octavia Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-butler/) > [I do think that theater is a great venue for science fiction, and not just adaptations but also original work. I also think some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-einhorn/i-do-think-that-theater-is-a-great-venue-for-science-fiction-and-not/) Edward Einhorn > [Fiction is a way of exploring possibilities present but undreamt of in the living of a single life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/fiction-is-a-way-of-exploring-possibilities-present-but-undreamt-of/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [I love writing fiction and can do it anywhere - I once even missed a flight because I was so engrossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prue-leith/i-love-writing-fiction-and-can-do-it-anywhere-i-once-even-missed-a/) [Prue Leith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prue-leith/) > [“The fiction will seek the real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coheed-and-cambria/the-fiction-will-seek-the-real/) Coheed and Cambria > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [Inspiration comes from so many sources. Music, other fiction, the non-fiction I read, TV shows, films, news reports, people I know, stories I hear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/inspiration-comes-from-so-many-sources-music-other-fiction-the-non/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [I'm not interested in making a diagnostic novel or a concern. I'm 100 percent committed in fiction to the pleasure principle - that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-m-not-interested-in-making-a-diagnostic-novel-or-a-concern-i-m-100/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [“His hands on my waist he gently pulled me n embrace. I could feel his breath on my face our lips were about to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-eglinger/his-hands-on-my-waist-he-gently-pulled-me-n-embrace-i-could-feel-his/) [Nicole Eglinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-eglinger/) > [In early drafts, one of the trickiest things for me to do was to realize that the techniques and devices that make readable and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/in-early-drafts-one-of-the-trickiest-things-for-me-to-do-was-to/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) > [I don't think it's always a sign of respect for persons (inside or outside of fiction) to pretend to be able to represent, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-think-it-s-always-a-sign-of-respect-for-persons-inside-or/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [Metafiction says something. It has to do with taking a large fiction itself and writing within it; that kind of self-reflecting writing that emerges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-coover/metafiction-says-something-it-has-to-do-with-taking-a-large-fiction/) [Robert Coover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-coover/) [Browse all 7,410 Fiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Anne has small superstitions which she uses to dispel anxieties. For instance, if she can make it to the fourth stain on the carpet by the time the elevator door closes, that means Nate has thought positively about her today, and there is a future where they know each other. 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