--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They would say my nerve had failed me…" description: "\"“They would say my nerve had failed me. They would laugh in my face! I had a certain standing. I was the daughter of a murderess.”\" — Sarah Waters" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b9/sarah-waters-2758_children_they-would-say-my-nerve-had-failed-me-th_466660.png" --- # They would say my nerve had failed me. They would laugh in… ![“They would say my nerve had failed me. They would laugh in my face! I had a certain standing. I was the daughter of a murderess.” quote by Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b9/sarah-waters-2758_children_they-would-say-my-nerve-had-failed-me-th_466660.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b9/sarah-waters-2758_children_they-would-say-my-nerve-had-failed-me-th_466660.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b9/sarah-waters-2758_children_they-would-say-my-nerve-had-failed-me-th_466660.png) > ““They would say my nerve had failed me. They would laugh in my face! I had a certain standing. I was the daughter of a murderess.”” [Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Facing stigma from lineage, the narrator asserts resilience despite societal mockery and inherited shame. **In simple terms:** Overcome inherited shame. Key Takeaway Stand strong despite stigma. Themes identity stigma resilience Mood defiant hopeful Type personal literary When to use this quote - family gatherings - public speaking - creative writing - therapy Key Concepts family legacy social judgment self‑esteem Questions to Reflect On - How does family history shape your self‑image? - What strategies help defy societal judgment? A Different Perspective Stigma may persist despite personal strength. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Daughter Murderess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daughter-murderess-4043116/) [Failed Laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failed-laugh-4043117/) [Murderess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/murderess-127072/) [Nerve Failed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nerve-failed-4043115/) [Say Nerve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-nerve-4043118/) ## Related quotes > [“the murderess of time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/the-murderess-of-time/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“You are either a pawn or a player. I am no one’s tool. I am no one’s pawn. I am a player. 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I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) ## More by Sarah Waters > [“Now, from the crown of my head to the curve of my toe-nails, there was an unguent for every part of me - oil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/now-from-the-crown-of-my-head-to-the-curve-of-my-toe-nails-there-was/) [Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/) > [“Miss Craven held up a pair she thought would fit me—monstrous great things they were, of course, and I thought she smiled as she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/miss-craven-held-up-a-pair-she-thought-would-fit-me-monstrous-great/) [Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/) > [I barely knew I had skin before I met you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/i-barely-knew-i-had-skin-before-i-met-you/) [Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/) > [I suppose I really seemed mad, then; but it was only through the awfulness of having said nothing but the truth, and being thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/i-suppose-i-really-seemed-mad-then-but-it-was-only-through-the/) [Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/) > [My nan was a nursery maid. 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