---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I felt this awful obligation to be…"
description: "\"I felt this awful obligation to be charming or at least have something to say, and the pressure of having to be charming (or merely verbal) incapacitat..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c9/peter-cameron-10999_awful_i-felt-this-awful-obligation-to-be-charm_2268324.png"
---

#  I felt this awful obligation to be charming or at least…

![“I felt this awful obligation to be charming or at least have something to say, and the pressure of having to be charming (or merely verbal) incapacitates me.” quote by Peter Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c9/peter-cameron-10999_awful_i-felt-this-awful-obligation-to-be-charm_2268324.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c9/peter-cameron-10999_awful_i-felt-this-awful-obligation-to-be-charm_2268324.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c9/peter-cameron-10999_awful_i-felt-this-awful-obligation-to-be-charm_2268324.png)

> “I felt this awful obligation to be charming or at least have something to say, and the pressure of having to be charming (or merely verbal) incapacitates me.”

[Peter Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cameron/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker feels forced to be charming, and this expectation paralyzes them from speaking freely.

**In simple terms:** Feeling pressured to be charming hinders expression.

Key Takeaway

Release the need to perform.

Themes

self‑esteem communication anxiety

Mood

frustrated anxious

Type

personal reflective

When to use this quote

- personal interactions
- public speaking
- social media
- networking

Key Concepts

social pressure performance anxiety

Questions to Reflect On

- How does the need for charm affect your confidence?
- What would happen if you stopped trying to be charming?

A Different Perspective

Even without charm, authenticity can still connect.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Awful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awful/) [Awful Obligation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awful-obligation-5247036/) [Charming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charming/) [Felt Awful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt-awful-823198/) [Having Charming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-charming-5247035/) [Obligation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obligation/) [Obligation Charming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obligation-charming-5247034/) [Pressure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pressure/) [Verbal Incapacitates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/verbal-incapacitates-5247037/)

## Related quotes

> [People on radio and television started making nasty comments about me and I felt awful. Turning from a teenager into a woman is hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-roberts/people-on-radio-and-television-started-making-nasty-comments-about-me/)

[Nicola Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-roberts/)

> [“He saw only that his wife hated him and he felt staggered by it, all alone. He felt awful. This was what oncoming death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/he-saw-only-that-his-wife-hated-him-and-he-felt-staggered-by-it-all/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“Going back in “was really uncomfortable,” she said. It made no difference that she was an expert in end-of-life discussions. “I just felt awful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/going-back-in-was-really-uncomfortable-she-said-it-made-no-difference/)

[Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/)

> [I would go to work on the show and I felt awful everyday, that's not the way it was. I felt like some kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-chappelle/i-would-go-to-work-on-the-show-and-i-felt-awful-everyday-that-s-not/)

[Dave Chappelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-chappelle/)

> [“And somewhere inside me I felt an awful feeling that something in my life was coming quietly to an end.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hitomi-kanehara/and-somewhere-inside-me-i-felt-an-awful-feeling-that-something-in-my/)

[Hitomi Kanehara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hitomi-kanehara/)

> [“We stayed all day long. We closed our eyes and paryed, which we had not doen together in a long time. The nurse came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mcmullan/we-stayed-all-day-long-we-closed-our-eyes-and-paryed-which-we-had-not/)

[Margaret McMullan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mcmullan/)

> [“And felt an awful, excruciating, tearing sensation as his ear ripped free from the side of his head. Clark”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-stevens/and-felt-an-awful-excruciating-tearing-sensation-as-his-ear-ripped/)

[Tim Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-stevens/)

> [Abash'd the Devil stood, And felt how awful goodness is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/abash-d-the-devil-stood-and-felt-how-awful-goodness-is/)

[John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/)

> [Something about being rejected at Church Camp felt so much more awful than being rejected at school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-thompson/something-about-being-rejected-at-church-camp-felt-so-much-more-awful/)

[Craig Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-thompson/)

> [I just think my body can't handle it any more. I did try a little drink a while back, and I was actually physically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-just-think-my-body-can-t-handle-it-any-more-i-did-try-a-little/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Any man who has ever tried to use political power for the common good has felt an awful sense of powerlessness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-casey/any-man-who-has-ever-tried-to-use-political-power-for-the-common-good/)

[Robert Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-casey/)

> [This was my one brush with love. Was it love? It felt awful enough. I spent another two years crawling around in the skin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/this-was-my-one-brush-with-love-was-it-love-it-felt-awful-enough-i/)

[Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/)

> [“I also had nightmares, somehow all the feelings I didnt feel when each thing had actually happened to me I did feel when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/i-also-had-nightmares-somehow-all-the-feelings-i-didnt-feel-when-each/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [“I felt. I fucking felt and it was awful. - Caleb”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-roberts/i-felt-i-fucking-felt-and-it-was-awful-caleb/)

[C.J. Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-roberts/)

> [Now this is over thirty years later and the guy said he was that cab driver. He apologized and he was serious. I felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dimaggio/now-this-is-over-thirty-years-later-and-the-guy-said-he-was-that-cab/)

[Joe DiMaggio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dimaggio/)

## More by Peter Cameron

> [People who have only good experiences aren't very interesting. They may be content, and happy after a fashion, but they aren't very deep. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cameron/people-who-have-only-good-experiences-aren-t-very-interesting-they/)

[Peter Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cameron/)

> [I suppose most people would think that it was wonderful, that the world is so varied, that there is something for everyone, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cameron/i-suppose-most-people-would-think-that-it-was-wonderful-that-the/)

[Peter Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cameron/)

> [The first night Stephen and I slept together, he whispered numbers into my ear: long, high numbers -- distances between planets, seconds in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cameron/the-first-night-stephen-and-i-slept-together-he-whispered-numbers/)

[Peter Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cameron/)

> [Most people think things are not real unless they are spoken, that it's the uttering of something, not the thinking of it, that legitimizes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cameron/most-people-think-things-are-not-real-unless-they-are-spoken-that-it/)

[Peter Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cameron/)

> [New York is strange in the summer. Life goes on as usual but it’s not, it’s like everyone is just pretending, as if everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cameron/new-york-is-strange-in-the-summer-life-goes-on-as-usual-but-it-s-not/)

[Peter Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cameron/)

> [I often feel like I want to think something but I can't find the language that coincides with the thoughts, so it remains felt,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cameron/i-often-feel-like-i-want-to-think-something-but-i-can-t-find-the/)

[Peter Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cameron/)

> [“Most people think things are not real unless they are spoken, that it's the uttering of something, not the thinking of it, that legitimizes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cameron/most-people-think-things-are-not-real-unless-they-are-spoken-that-it-2/)

[Peter Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cameron/)

> [“... she had insisted on keeping the doors and windows shut, as if a sealed chamber could prevent death from entering, or life from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cameron/she-had-insisted-on-keeping-the-doors-and-windows-shut-as-if-a-sealed/)

[Peter Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cameron/)

> [Dr. Adler had instructed me to always say whatever I was thinking, but this was difficult for me, for the act of thinking and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cameron/dr-adler-had-instructed-me-to-always-say-whatever-i-was-thinking-but/)

[Peter Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cameron/)

> [I hate stand-up comics; I think funny is something you are, not something you desperately try to be in front of a roomful of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cameron/i-hate-stand-up-comics-i-think-funny-is-something-you-are-not/)

[Peter Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cameron/)

> [What if she was meant to be, or could have been, someone important in my life? I think that's what scares me: the randomness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cameron/what-if-she-was-meant-to-be-or-could-have-been-someone-important-in/)

[Peter Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cameron/)

> [Sometimes I envy religious people for the comfort of believing. It would make everything so much easier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cameron/sometimes-i-envy-religious-people-for-the-comfort-of-believing-it/)

[Peter Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cameron/)

> [It made me very sad, that question. Sad and defeated. Because I knew she knew why I was thinking about that woman-I was thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cameron/it-made-me-very-sad-that-question-sad-and-defeated-because-i-knew-she/)

[Peter Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cameron/)

> [“Having bad experiences sometimes helps; it makes it clearer what it is you should be doing. I know that sounds very Pollyannaish but it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cameron/having-bad-experiences-sometimes-helps-it-makes-it-clearer-what-it-is/)

[Peter Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cameron/)

> [I wish the whole day were like breakfast, when people are still connected to their dreams, focused inward, and not yet ready to engage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cameron/i-wish-the-whole-day-were-like-breakfast-when-people-are-still/)

[Peter Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cameron/)

[Explore all 52 Peter Cameron quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cameron/)

## More Awful quotes

> [It must be that I am dreaming, and that I shall awaken in a moment to see that awful knife descending toward my heart-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/it-must-be-that-i-am-dreaming-and-that-i-shall-awaken-in-a-moment-to/)

[Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/)

> [I spent two years in Palo Alto - what an awful, suffocating place for those of us who don't care about yoga, yogurts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/i-spent-two-years-in-palo-alto-what-an-awful-suffocating-place-for/)

[Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/)

> [Layla brought her arms around herself, no doubt because she was remembering the feel of another, stronger set. "I have wanted to, but he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/layla-brought-her-arms-around-herself-no-doubt-because-she-was/)

[J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/)

> [You've seen the first issue and what happened in the last page. Some pretty awful stuff. I don't know why I seem to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declan-shalvey/you-ve-seen-the-first-issue-and-what-happened-in-the-last-page-some/)

[Declan Shalvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declan-shalvey/)

> [It is not like studying German, where you mull along, in a groping, uncertain way, for thirty years; and at last, just as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-is-not-like-studying-german-where-you-mull-along-in-a-groping/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [There was a special challenge in describing the awful childhood of a person who happens to be my own husband. It was very painful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-stephenson/there-was-a-special-challenge-in-describing-the-awful-childhood-of-a/)

[Pamela Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-stephenson/)

> [On balance the moral influence of religion has been awful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/on-balance-the-moral-influence-of-religion-has-been-awful/)

[Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/)

> [When you finish a poem, it clicks shut like the top of a jewel box, but prose is endless. I haven't experienced an awful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-koch/when-you-finish-a-poem-it-clicks-shut-like-the-top-of-a-jewel-box-but/)

[Kenneth Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-koch/)

> [Fascism: awful stench of saw and axe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-leiris/fascism-awful-stench-of-saw-and-axe/)

[Michel Leiris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-leiris/)

> [No one with a bad tie is getting my vote. Some Lib Dems wear the most shockingly awful ties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-fox/no-one-with-a-bad-tie-is-getting-my-vote-some-lib-dems-wear-the-most/)

[Freddie Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-fox/)

> [“Here she was back in the brightly lit world she had been avoiding for twenty years, and it was exactly as awful as she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-charles-wilson/here-she-was-back-in-the-brightly-lit-world-she-had-been-avoiding-for/)

[Robert Charles Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-charles-wilson/)

> [I'm pretty indiscriminating, and I have awful taste, generally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-mckay/i-m-pretty-indiscriminating-and-i-have-awful-taste-generally/)

[Nellie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-mckay/)

> [The blessed Religion revealed in the word of God will remain an eternal and awful monument to prove that the best Institution may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-blessed-religion-revealed-in-the-word-of-god-will-remain-an/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [“I am awful. I am heartless. I am scared that these things are actually true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-am-awful-i-am-heartless-i-am-scared-that-these-things-are-actually/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Democracy is an awful way to run a country, but it's the best system we have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/democracy-is-an-awful-way-to-run-a-country-but-it-s-the-best-system/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

[Browse all 1,826 Awful quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awful/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I felt this awful obligation to be charming or at least have something to say, and the pressure of having to be charming (or merely verbal) incapacitates me.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Peter Cameron"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cameron/i-felt-this-awful-obligation-to-be-charming-or-at-least-have/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Awful"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cameron/i-felt-this-awful-obligation-to-be-charming-or-at-least-have/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c9/peter-cameron-10999_awful_i-felt-this-awful-obligation-to-be-charm_2268324.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c9/peter-cameron-10999_awful_i-felt-this-awful-obligation-to-be-charm_2268324.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c9/peter-cameron-10999_awful_i-felt-this-awful-obligation-to-be-charm_2268324.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I felt this awful obligation to be charming or at least have something to say, and the pressure of having to…” — Peter Cameron",
                "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": "Peter Cameron",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cameron/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I felt this awful obligation to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cameron/i-felt-this-awful-obligation-to-be-charming-or-at-least-have/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cameron/i-felt-this-awful-obligation-to-be-charming-or-at-least-have/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
