--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She explained that many people, but…" description: "\"She explained that many people, but especially women, feel fraudulent when they are praised for their accomplishments. Instead of feeling worthy of rec..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e38/sheryl-sandberg-439_ability_she-explained-that-many-people-but-espec_131827.png" --- # She explained that many people, but especially women, feel… ![“She explained that many people, but especially women, feel fraudulent when they are praised for their accomplishments. Instead of feeling worthy of recognition, they feel undeserving and guilty, as if a mistake has been made. Despite being high achievers, even experts in their fields, women can't…” quote by Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e38/sheryl-sandberg-439_ability_she-explained-that-many-people-but-espec_131827.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e38/sheryl-sandberg-439_ability_she-explained-that-many-people-but-espec_131827.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e38/sheryl-sandberg-439_ability_she-explained-that-many-people-but-espec_131827.png) > “She explained that many people, but especially women, feel fraudulent when they are praised for their accomplishments. Instead of feeling worthy of recognition, they feel undeserving and guilty, as if a mistake has been made. Despite being high achievers, even experts in their fields, women can't seem to shake the sense that it is only a matter of time until they are found out for who they really are- impostors with limited skills or abilities.” [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. High‑achieving women often feel impostor syndrome despite success. **In simple terms:** Successful women can feel like frauds. Key Takeaway Address internal doubts. Themes gender confidence impostor syndrome Mood empathetic encouraging Type psychological motivational When to use this quote - career advancement - leadership - public speaking Key Concepts psychology of achievement self‑validation Questions to Reflect On - What triggers your self‑doubt? - How can you reinforce self‑worth? A Different Perspective Impostor feelings may persist despite evidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Accomplishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplishment/) [Achiever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achiever/) [Experts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experts/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Guilty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilty/) [High achievers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-achievers/) [Matter of time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter-of-time/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Recognition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recognition/) [Skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skills/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) ## Related quotes > [“Recognition is what you feel when a friend sums up exactly what you’re feeling, when an author gives you the right words, when someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/recognition-is-what-you-feel-when-a-friend-sums-up-exactly-what-you/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [I think that half of us feel fraudulent in our lives anyway. There's that strange disconnect of not really knowing what we're doing sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-think-that-half-of-us-feel-fraudulent-in-our-lives-anyway-there-s/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) > [I feel like I came in comedy's side door, and still feel very fraudulent in many ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-feel-like-i-came-in-comedy-s-side-door-and-still-feel-very/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) > [I used to believe that George Michael was a total actor. It was self-defeating, because it made me also feel fraudulent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-michael/i-used-to-believe-that-george-michael-was-a-total-actor-it-was-self/) [George Michael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-michael/) > [“Despite being high achievers, even experts in their fields, women can't seem to shake the sense that it is only a matter of time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/despite-being-high-achievers-even-experts-in-their-fields-women-can-t/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [I am not worthy of my suffering. A great sentence. It suggests not only that suffering is the basis of the self, its sole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/i-am-not-worthy-of-my-suffering-a-great-sentence-it-suggests-not-only/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [I've had that conversation with God - not feeling worthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-roumie/i-ve-had-that-conversation-with-god-not-feeling-worthy/) [Jonathan Roumie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-roumie/) > [“According to Rousseau, healthy self-love does not require comparing oneself to others at all; feeling worthy does not necessarily involve feeling superior to someone.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-james/according-to-rousseau-healthy-self-love-does-not-require-comparing/) [Aaron James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-james/) > [“BEING ABLE to lighten up is the key to feeling at home with your body, mind, and emotions, to feeling worthy to live on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/being-able-to-lighten-up-is-the-key-to-feeling-at-home-with-your-body/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [My mother gave me a piece of bread, which was love and encouragement. The correction was the meat, the substance. And then she would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauryn-hill/my-mother-gave-me-a-piece-of-bread-which-was-love-and-encouragement/) [Lauryn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauryn-hill/) > [Since I was , I've had that feeling of, 'Am I enough? Am I worthy? Am I supposed to be here?' And my culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-garfield/since-i-was-i-ve-had-that-feeling-of-am-i-enough-am-i-worthy-am-i/) [Andrew Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-garfield/) > [I wasn't born in a Spanish-speaking country, I haven't spent a lot of time in Mexico and I've never been to Puerto Rico -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-ortega/i-wasn-t-born-in-a-spanish-speaking-country-i-haven-t-spent-a-lot-of/) [Jenna Ortega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-ortega/) > [High Achievers get pushed to the boundaries. Outstanding Achievers create stretch targets and go achieve them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmina-siderovski/high-achievers-get-pushed-to-the-boundaries-outstanding-achievers/) [Jasmina Siderovski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmina-siderovski/) > [“After a few months of talking with people and observing them, I realized that the traits of the successful fitness enthusiasts had everything in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chalene-johnson/after-a-few-months-of-talking-with-people-and-observing-them-i/) [Chalene Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chalene-johnson/) > [We create a standard for how we want to do things and everybody's got to buy into that standard or you really can't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-saban/we-create-a-standard-for-how-we-want-to-do-things-and-everybody-s-got/) [Nick Saban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-saban/) ## More by Sheryl Sandberg > [“Still, my argument was that if she was going to work for the next 30 years, what difference does "going back" 4 years really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/still-my-argument-was-that-if-she-was-going-to-work-for-the-next-30/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“Reverend Veronica Goines sums this up as, “Peace is joy at rest, and joy is peace on its feet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/reverend-veronica-goines-sums-this-up-as-peace-is-joy-at-rest-and-joy/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [ “\[Eric Schmidt\] explained that only one criterion that mattered when picking a job- fat growth. 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Men are continually applauded for being ambitious and powerful and successful, but women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/aggressive-and-hard-charging-women-violate-unwritten-rules-about/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“When I wrote Lean In, some people argued that I did not spend enough time writing about the difficulties women face when they don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/when-i-wrote-lean-in-some-people-argued-that-i-did-not-spend-enough/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“Survivor guilt is a thief of joy—yet another secondary loss from death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/survivor-guilt-is-a-thief-of-joy-yet-another-secondary-loss-from-death/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [I am a bigger-picture manager because I've lived through something that's a big picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/i-am-a-bigger-picture-manager-because-i-ve-lived-through-something/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Presenting leadership as a list of carefully defined qualities (like strategic, analytical, and performance-ori ented) no longer holds. Instead, true leadership stems from individuality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/presenting-leadership-as-a-list-of-carefully-defined-qualities-like/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [So there's no such thing as work-life balance. There's work, and there's life, and there's no balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/so-there-s-no-such-thing-as-work-life-balance-there-s-work-and-there/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Men can comfortably claim credit for what they do as long as they don't veer into arrogance. For women, taking credit comes at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/men-can-comfortably-claim-credit-for-what-they-do-as-long-as-they-don/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“As Helen Keller put it, “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/as-helen-keller-put-it-when-one-door-of-happiness-closes-another/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“Forty percent of employed mothers lack sick days and vacation leave, and about 50 percent of employed mothers are unable to take time off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/forty-percent-of-employed-mothers-lack-sick-days-and-vacation-leave/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) [Explore all 557 Sheryl Sandberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. 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Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. 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