---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have a real aversion to sentimentality…"
description: "\"I have a real aversion to sentimentality, but I also really want to write about love and friendship.\" — Phoebe Waller-Bridge"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfe/phoebe-waller-bridge-8068_aversion_i-have-a-real-aversion-to-sentimentality_3087772.jpg"
---

#  I have a real aversion to sentimentality, but I also…

![“I have a real aversion to sentimentality, but I also really want to write about love and friendship.” quote by Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfe/phoebe-waller-bridge-8068_aversion_i-have-a-real-aversion-to-sentimentality_3087772.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfe/phoebe-waller-bridge-8068_aversion_i-have-a-real-aversion-to-sentimentality_3087772.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfe/phoebe-waller-bridge-8068_aversion_i-have-a-real-aversion-to-sentimentality_3087772.jpg)

> “I have a real aversion to sentimentality, but I also really want to write about love and friendship.”

[Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/)

## About This Quote

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

The author dislikes overly sentimental tones yet feels compelled to explore love and friendship in her work.

**In simple terms:** She avoids sentimentality but wants to write about love.

Key Takeaway

Balance authenticity with emotional depth.

Themes

conflict creativity emotion authenticity

Mood

reflective determined

Type

creative personal

When to use this quote

- novel writing
- screenwriting
- personal essays

Key Concepts

sentimentality artistic integrity

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you write love without sentimentality?
- What authentic experiences can you draw upon?

A Different Perspective

Sentimentality may alienate readers if not handled carefully.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Aversion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aversion/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love and friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-and-friendship/) [Sentimentality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentimentality/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [“Sentimentality, the ostentatious parading of excessive and spurious emotion, is the mark of dishonesty...the wet eyes of the sentimentalist betray his aversion to experience,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sentimentality-the-ostentatious-parading-of-excessive-and-spurious/)

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

> [“Write what you love. Every day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-bredeson/write-what-you-love-every-day/)

Michelle Bredeson

> [Largely I write from life. ... I write from what happens to me. Mostly about love. People notice the other stuff more but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crosby/largely-i-write-from-life-i-write-from-what-happens-to-me-mostly/)

[David Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crosby/)

> [At any time I witness you, I experience like contravention my Bone to make a pen and harsh my fleshy tissue to make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spawasagir/at-any-time-i-witness-you-i-experience-like-contravention-my-bone-to/)

Spawasagir

> [Despite all the cynical things writers have said about writing for money, the truth is we write for love. That is why it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/despite-all-the-cynical-things-writers-have-said-about-writing-for/)

[Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/)

> [I love to read, and I love to write. I love to read. You have no idea how many books I have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mouser/i-love-to-read-and-i-love-to-write-i-love-to-read-you-have-no-idea/)

[Mary Mouser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mouser/)

> [Poets, when they write of love, give themselves and everyone else away!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-bottome/poets-when-they-write-of-love-give-themselves-and-everyone-else-away/)

[Phyllis Bottome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-bottome/)

> [It's easy to just write about love, because everyone can relate, but I like variety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kali-uchis/it-s-easy-to-just-write-about-love-because-everyone-can-relate-but-i/)

[Kali Uchis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kali-uchis/)

> [With 'The Forty Rules of Love,' I wanted to write a love story. But I wanted a love story with a spiritual dimension. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-safak/with-the-forty-rules-of-love-i-wanted-to-write-a-love-story-but-i/)

[Elif Safak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-safak/)

> [If I ever write a love song. I think I will write about you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mee/if-i-ever-write-a-love-song-i-think-i-will-write-about-you/)

[Mee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mee/)

> [Shakespeare wrote about love. I write about love. Shakespeare wrote about gang warfare, family feuds and revenge. I write about all the same things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sister-souljah/shakespeare-wrote-about-love-i-write-about-love-shakespeare-wrote/)

[Sister Souljah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sister-souljah/)

> [“Love. Fall in love and stay in love. Write only what you love, and love what you write. The word is love. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/love-fall-in-love-and-stay-in-love-write-only-what-you-love-and-love/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [I was a soul singer first and I'd write love songs. I find with soul music it's really hard to write about anything else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-drew/i-was-a-soul-singer-first-and-i-d-write-love-songs-i-find-with-soul/)

[Ben Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-drew/)

> [I had a long distance relationship going while we were writing the album so a lot of it is about that constant struggle— you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caleb-followill/i-had-a-long-distance-relationship-going-while-we-were-writing-the/)

[Caleb Followill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caleb-followill/)

> [I want to be able to write, that's my first love and I don't want to deviate from it even though I probably could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/i-want-to-be-able-to-write-that-s-my-first-love-and-i-don-t-want-to/)

[Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/)

## More by Phoebe Waller-Bridge

> [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/)

> [I think there's something funny about people who laugh in the face of convention or surprise us morally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-think-there-s-something-funny-about-people-who-laugh-in-the-face-of/)

[Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/)

> [I'll never get bored of seeing flawed women on the screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-ll-never-get-bored-of-seeing-flawed-women-on-the-screen/)

[Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/)

> [Fleabag knows men and women are equal and should be treated as such, but what she's confused about - and what I was confused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/fleabag-knows-men-and-women-are-equal-and-should-be-treated-as-such/)

[Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/)

> [I feel like my home is stage acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-feel-like-my-home-is-stage-acting/)

[Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/)

> [I just kind of like to feel myself into stuff by writing scenes and seeing what characters end up saying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-just-kind-of-like-to-feel-myself-into-stuff-by-writing-scenes-and/)

[Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/)

> [I just find all that stuff incredibly funny. I love a fart. I'd do anything for a good poo story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-just-find-all-that-stuff-incredibly-funny-i-love-a-fart-i-d-do/)

[Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/)

> [Women know what they're doing all the time, and they're pretending that they don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/women-know-what-they-re-doing-all-the-time-and-they-re-pretending/)

[Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/)

> [I suppose the cult of the strong woman character on TV has probably been misinterpreted in so many different ways, meaning that a woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-suppose-the-cult-of-the-strong-woman-character-on-tv-has-probably/)

[Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/)

> [Actually, my worst nightmare is losing my best friend, as I imagine most people's are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/actually-my-worst-nightmare-is-losing-my-best-friend-as-i-imagine/)

[Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/)

> [I'm just constantly on the verge of bursting into tears with joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-m-just-constantly-on-the-verge-of-bursting-into-tears-with-joy/)

[Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/)

> [The main relationship in the whole series was the one between the camera and Fleabag. I had to convince myself that whoever was watching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/the-main-relationship-in-the-whole-series-was-the-one-between-the/)

[Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/)

> [This world of 'Star Wars' is just so accepting and beautiful that the idea a droid and a human are trying to waddle their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/this-world-of-star-wars-is-just-so-accepting-and-beautiful-that-the/)

[Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/)

> [I always knew that if I was ever going to perform something that I wrote in front of an audience, I was going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-always-knew-that-if-i-was-ever-going-to-perform-something-that-i/)

[Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/)

> [I'd go so far as to say I was bullied into writing, but sometimes you need that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-d-go-so-far-as-to-say-i-was-bullied-into-writing-but-sometimes-you/)

[Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/)

[Explore all 84 Phoebe Waller-Bridge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/)

## More Aversion quotes

> [And indeed nothing but the most determined scepticism, along with a great degree of indolence, can justify this aversion to metaphysics. For if truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/and-indeed-nothing-but-the-most-determined-scepticism-along-with-a/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members. The virtue in most request is conformity. Self-reliance is its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/society-everywhere-is-in-conspiracy-against-the-manhood-of-every-one/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [The scorn men express for a male who does housework is exceeded only by their aversion to a woman who doesn't](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-kome/the-scorn-men-express-for-a-male-who-does-housework-is-exceeded-only/)

Penny Kome

> [One of the greatest inhibitions to the development of human potential is the aversion to effective practice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-b-reeves/one-of-the-greatest-inhibitions-to-the-development-of-human-potential/)

[Douglas B. Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-b-reeves/)

> [Value investing is risk aversion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/value-investing-is-risk-aversion/)

[Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/)

> [In my schoolboy days I had no aversion to slavery. I was not aware there was anything wrong about it. No-one arraigned it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/in-my-schoolboy-days-i-had-no-aversion-to-slavery-i-was-not-aware/)

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

> [We must each learn to feel comfortable in our own uniqueness by rising above the fear of being wrong and the aversion to being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/we-must-each-learn-to-feel-comfortable-in-our-own-uniqueness-by/)

[Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/)

> [The unattractive thing about chauvinism is not so much the aversion to other nations as the love of one's own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/the-unattractive-thing-about-chauvinism-is-not-so-much-the-aversion/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [Most people have an aversion to risk, my college economics professor told me. Which means they have to be rewarded to take on that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arrington/most-people-have-an-aversion-to-risk-my-college-economics-professor/)

[Michael Arrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-arrington/)

> [Some people have a very strange idea that material success does not coincide harmoniously with self-realization, which is absurd. The aversion to material success,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/some-people-have-a-very-strange-idea-that-material-success-does-not/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Usually I just let my songs do the talking. As a matter of fact I have long had an aversion to celebrities endorsing politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fogerty/usually-i-just-let-my-songs-do-the-talking-as-a-matter-of-fact-i-have/)

[John Fogerty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fogerty/)

> [Once we're willing to confront our emotional suffering, we begin making choices based on attraction instead of aversion, love instead of fear. Where we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/once-we-re-willing-to-confront-our-emotional-suffering-we-begin/)

[Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/)

> [It is a happy thing that time quells the longings of vengeance and hushes the promptings of rage and aversion. I had left this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/it-is-a-happy-thing-that-time-quells-the-longings-of-vengeance-and/)

[Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/)

> [“For a long time now a hint of aversion had lain on everything he did and experienced, a shadow of impotence and loneliness, an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-musil/for-a-long-time-now-a-hint-of-aversion-had-lain-on-everything-he-did/)

[Robert Musil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-musil/)

> [In Tantric Buddhism our feeling is that there is no problem with the sensual world unless you have a tremendous attraction or aversion to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/in-tantric-buddhism-our-feeling-is-that-there-is-no-problem-with-the/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

[Browse all 266 Aversion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aversion/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I have a real aversion to sentimentality, but I also really want to write about love and friendship.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Phoebe Waller-Bridge"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-have-a-real-aversion-to-sentimentality-but-i-also-really-want-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Aversion"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-have-a-real-aversion-to-sentimentality-but-i-also-really-want-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfe/phoebe-waller-bridge-8068_aversion_i-have-a-real-aversion-to-sentimentality_3087772.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfe/phoebe-waller-bridge-8068_aversion_i-have-a-real-aversion-to-sentimentality_3087772.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dfe/phoebe-waller-bridge-8068_aversion_i-have-a-real-aversion-to-sentimentality_3087772.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I have a real aversion to sentimentality, but I also really want to write about love and friendship.” — Phoebe Waller-Bridge",
                "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": "Phoebe Waller-Bridge",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I have a real aversion to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-have-a-real-aversion-to-sentimentality-but-i-also-really-want-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-have-a-real-aversion-to-sentimentality-but-i-also-really-want-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
