--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They’d scared me and had me thinking…" description: "\"“They’d scared me and had me thinking about what it meant to be really strong, on my own terms—not just fit and brown from the sun, not just flexible a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/paula-mclain-3064_quote_they-d-scared-me-and-had-me-thinking-abo_1734342.jpg" --- # They’d scared me and had me thinking about what it meant… ![“They’d scared me and had me thinking about what it meant to be really strong, on my own terms—not just fit and brown from the sun, not just flexible and accommodating.” quote by Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/paula-mclain-3064_quote_they-d-scared-me-and-had-me-thinking-abo_1734342.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/paula-mclain-3064_quote_they-d-scared-me-and-had-me-thinking-abo_1734342.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/paula-mclain-3064_quote_they-d-scared-me-and-had-me-thinking-abo_1734342.jpg) > ““They’d scared me and had me thinking about what it meant to be really strong, on my own terms—not just fit and brown from the sun, not just flexible and accommodating.”” [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Strength is defined by personal standards, not external appearance or expectations. **In simple terms:** Strength is personal, not just physical. Key Takeaway Define your own criteria for strength. Themes self‑esteem identity resilience Mood reflective determined introspective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career challenges - relationship boundaries - health goals Key Concepts personal standards body image independence Questions to Reflect On - How do you measure strength beyond looks? - What personal standards guide you? A Different Perspective External validation can still influence self‑perception. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Really Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-strong/) [Scared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scared/) [Scared Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scared-thinking-1459231/) [Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong/) [Strong Terms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-terms-1459232/) ## Related quotes > [Shout him down it's worth it no compromises on this turned up on your side, the one that you choose why should they mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quicksand/shout-him-down-it-s-worth-it-no-compromises-on-this-turned-up-on-your/) [Quicksand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quicksand/) > [The one that you choose why should they mind scared of what you're thinking a strong resistant sunday feeling under weight of what's to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quicksand/the-one-that-you-choose-why-should-they-mind-scared-of-what-you-re/) [Quicksand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quicksand/) > [I remember riding the Space Needle and going up in the elevator and being scared, but thinking, 'This is going to be like going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-mcclain/i-remember-riding-the-space-needle-and-going-up-in-the-elevator-and/) [Anne McClain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-mcclain/) > [“I get scared thinking about the yawning void of space and the maddening smallness of our solar system in it, and the smallness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-comeau/i-get-scared-thinking-about-the-yawning-void-of-space-and-the/) [Joey Comeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-comeau/) > [Most of my really strong friendships are with people I've known all my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bel-powley/most-of-my-really-strong-friendships-are-with-people-i-ve-known-all/) [Bel Powley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bel-powley/) > [I always watched a lot of English football. It has always been really strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred/i-always-watched-a-lot-of-english-football-it-has-always-been-really/) [Fred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred/) > [The period right before punk rock where people like Lou Reed and Iggy Pop were really strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arto-lindsay/the-period-right-before-punk-rock-where-people-like-lou-reed-and-iggy/) [Arto Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arto-lindsay/) > [That was probably the stamp that went into my mind, because I worked in television for many years, doing that kind of music, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skitch-henderson/that-was-probably-the-stamp-that-went-into-my-mind-because-i-worked/) [Skitch Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/skitch-henderson/) > [I think were all really strong and we just need to keep working really hard. If we go out there and do our best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-patterson/i-think-were-all-really-strong-and-we-just-need-to-keep-working/) [Carly Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-patterson/) > [I think that all of the deep, intense things, a lot of different abuse, and all kinds of crazy stuff - I think it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/i-think-that-all-of-the-deep-intense-things-a-lot-of-different-abuse/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [What you have to become is really strong in what you do. That's the point of building a team. You don't know any other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nuno-espirito-santo/what-you-have-to-become-is-really-strong-in-what-you-do-that-s-the/) [Nuno Espirito Santo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nuno-espirito-santo/) > [Those emotions that are really strong, the ones that inspire a song, you can hold onto that. You can let it marinate for years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-cosmos/those-emotions-that-are-really-strong-the-ones-that-inspire-a-song/) [Frankie Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-cosmos/) > [I think it's amazing how Ramadan can make you really strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kolo-toure/i-think-it-s-amazing-how-ramadan-can-make-you-really-strong/) [Kolo Toure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kolo-toure/) > [Failure is a really strong word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-hayes/failure-is-a-really-strong-word/) [Emma Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-hayes/) > [The media can be a really strong vehicle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecilia-bartoli/the-media-can-be-a-really-strong-vehicle/) [Cecilia Bartoli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecilia-bartoli/) ## More by Paula McLain > [“There are some who said I should have fought harder or longer than I did for my marriage, but in the end fighting for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/there-are-some-who-said-i-should-have-fought-harder-or-longer-than-i/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [I hope we'll get lucky enough to grow old together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/i-hope-we-ll-get-lucky-enough-to-grow-old-together/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“That's what terrible, sordid situations did to you, made you act crazily, against your own truths, against yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/that-s-what-terrible-sordid-situations-did-to-you-made-you-act/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“He didn't know how love managed to be a garden one moment and war the next.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/he-didn-t-know-how-love-managed-to-be-a-garden-one-moment-and-war-the/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [Books could be an incredible adventure. I stayed under my blanket and barely moved, and no one would have guessed how my mind raced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/books-could-be-an-incredible-adventure-i-stayed-under-my-blanket-and/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [People belong to each other only as long as they both believe. He stopped believing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/people-belong-to-each-other-only-as-long-as-they-both-believe-he/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [I miss good old-fashioned honorable people just trying to make something of life. Simply, without hurting anyone else. I know that makes me a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/i-miss-good-old-fashioned-honorable-people-just-trying-to-make/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [... and yet he could also be very charming, in a bookish, infinitely apologetic way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/and-yet-he-could-also-be-very-charming-in-a-bookish-infinitely/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“It was august. for years it was august … . there was heat like wet gauze and a high, white sky and music coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/it-was-august-for-years-it-was-august-there-was-heat-like-wet-gauze/) [Paula Mclain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“If you're ready to make the mad dash I'm game.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/if-you-re-ready-to-make-the-mad-dash-i-m-game/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“We knew what we had and what it meant, and though so much had happened since for both of us, there was nothing like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/we-knew-what-we-had-and-what-it-meant-and-though-so-much-had-happened/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“There are things I didn't see before, like how nice it is to have someone around. Not the white knight whisking you away, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/there-are-things-i-didn-t-see-before-like-how-nice-it-is-to-have/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“That's obviously, isn't it?' she said. 'A hawk is always a hawk, except'- and here she raised on heavy eyebrow and gave a mysterious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/that-s-obviously-isn-t-it-she-said-a-hawk-is-always-a-hawk-except-and/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“I hope we’ll get lucky enough to grow old together. You see them on the street, those couples who’ve been married so long you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/i-hope-we-ll-get-lucky-enough-to-grow-old-together-you-see-them-on/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“It was terrible to feel so empty, as if I were nothing. Why couldn't I be happy? And just what was happines anyway?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/it-was-terrible-to-feel-so-empty-as-if-i-were-nothing-why-couldn-t-i/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) [Explore all 139 Paula McLain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) ## More Scared quotes > [“That horrible stinging sensation returned, the muscles behind my eyes straining as the first tear began to fall. “I’m scared, too. For eighteen months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-ashley/that-horrible-stinging-sensation-returned-the-muscles-behind-my-eyes/) [Devon Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-ashley/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [The beginning of genius is being scared shitless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-ferdinand-celine/the-beginning-of-genius-is-being-scared-shitless/) [Louis-Ferdinand Celine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-ferdinand-celine/) > [“She felt something for me too, deep down I knew it, but she was just scared of getting hurt again. I could wait thought;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-moseley/she-felt-something-for-me-too-deep-down-i-knew-it-but-she-was-just/) [Kirsty Moseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-moseley/) > [She still felt shell-shocked by all of it, numb. Beneath the numbness, though, was a raw and terrible anger that was unlike anything she'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/she-still-felt-shell-shocked-by-all-of-it-numb-beneath-the-numbness/) [Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/) > [When I became Miss World, I couldn't believe I had won it. I used to sleep with my crown because I was scared someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyanka-chopra/when-i-became-miss-world-i-couldn-t-believe-i-had-won-it-i-used-to/) [Priyanka Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyanka-chopra/) > [What I love about watching classic horror films is that they take you on a ride and they obviously make you scared because you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-holmes/what-i-love-about-watching-classic-horror-films-is-that-they-take-you/) [Katie Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-holmes/) > [If you scared to take chances, you'll never have the answers...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/if-you-scared-to-take-chances-you-ll-never-have-the-answers/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [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/) > [The #MeToo campaign is monumental. It is giving a voice to so many too scared to speak out before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-smart/the-metoo-campaign-is-monumental-it-is-giving-a-voice-to-so-many-too/) [Elizabeth Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-smart/) > [I had always been scared of the unknown, and I think it had a lot to do with a lack of self-confidence (and wearing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-levy/i-had-always-been-scared-of-the-unknown-and-i-think-it-had-a-lot-to/) [Dan Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-levy/) > [According to Shakyamuni Buddha, it's normal for human beings to be anxious, because it's normal for human beings not to understand themselves. When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reb-anderson/according-to-shakyamuni-buddha-it-s-normal-for-human-beings-to-be/) [Reb Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reb-anderson/) > [“Humans are naturally scared and confused beings. They not only fear the unknown, as they live fearing themselves... ☥”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-marques/humans-are-naturally-scared-and-confused-beings-they-not-only-fear/) [Luis Marques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-marques/) > [Hercules used noise! Brass bells! He scared them away with the most horrible sound he could-" said Percy "Percy... Chiron's collection!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/hercules-used-noise-brass-bells-he-scared-them-away-with-the-most/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) [Browse all 4,224 Scared quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scared/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“They’d scared me and had me thinking about what it meant to be really strong, on my own terms—not just fit and brown from the sun, not just flexible and accommodating.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paula McLain" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/they-d-scared-me-and-had-me-thinking-about-what-it-meant-to-be-really/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Scared" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/they-d-scared-me-and-had-me-thinking-about-what-it-meant-to-be-really/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/paula-mclain-3064_quote_they-d-scared-me-and-had-me-thinking-abo_1734342.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/paula-mclain-3064_quote_they-d-scared-me-and-had-me-thinking-abo_1734342.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/paula-mclain-3064_quote_they-d-scared-me-and-had-me-thinking-abo_1734342.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“They’d scared me and had me thinking about what it meant to be really strong, on my own terms—not just fit…” — Paula McLain", "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": "Paula McLain", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“They’d scared me and had me...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/they-d-scared-me-and-had-me-thinking-about-what-it-meant-to-be-really/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/they-d-scared-me-and-had-me-thinking-about-what-it-meant-to-be-really/#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 } } ] } ```