---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An Eleanor, she told herself…"
description: "\"“An Eleanor, she told herself triumphantly, who belongs, who is talking easily, who is sitting by the fire with her friends.”\" — Shirley Jackson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3e/shirley-jackson-1526_quote_an-eleanor-she-told-herself-triumphantly_1814614.jpg"
---

#  An Eleanor, she told herself triumphantly, who belongs…

![“An Eleanor, she told herself triumphantly, who belongs, who is talking easily, who is sitting by the fire with her friends.” quote by Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3e/shirley-jackson-1526_quote_an-eleanor-she-told-herself-triumphantly_1814614.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3e/shirley-jackson-1526_quote_an-eleanor-she-told-herself-triumphantly_1814614.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3e/shirley-jackson-1526_quote_an-eleanor-she-told-herself-triumphantly_1814614.jpg)

> ““An Eleanor, she told herself triumphantly, who belongs, who is talking easily, who is sitting by the fire with her friends.””

[Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/)

## About This Quote

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

Eleanor feels confident among friends by the fire, illustrating belonging and self‑affirmation.

**In simple terms:** Belonging boosts confidence.

Key Takeaway

Seek supportive circles.

Themes

belonging self‑esteem friendship

Mood

warm introspective

Type

inspirational psychological

When to use this quote

- social gatherings
- counseling
- team building
- creative workshops

Key Concepts

Social identity comfort zones personal narrative

Questions to Reflect On

- Who makes you feel at home?
- How can you create inclusive spaces?

A Different Perspective

Confidence can be fragile without community.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [“Don't do it, Eleanor told the little girl; insist on your cup of stars; once they have trapped you into being like everyone else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/don-t-do-it-eleanor-told-the-little-girl-insist-on-your-cup-of-stars/)

[Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/)

> [“Don’t do it, Eleanor told the little girl; insist on your cup of stars; once they have trapped you into being like everyone else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/don-t-do-it-eleanor-told-the-little-girl-insist-on-your-cup-of-stars-4/)

[Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/)

> [“Don't do it, Eleanor told the little girl; insist on your cup of stars; once they have trapped you into being like everyone else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/don-t-do-it-eleanor-told-the-little-girl-insist-on-your-cup-of-stars-2/)

[Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/)

> [“Don’t do it, Eleanor told the little girl; insist on your cup of stars; once they have trapped you into being like everyone else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/don-t-do-it-eleanor-told-the-little-girl-insist-on-your-cup-of-stars-3/)

[Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/)

> [I like Betsy Ross as a model, too, the quilting bee, sitting around with your friends making art, asking what they think, so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-smith/i-like-betsy-ross-as-a-model-too-the-quilting-bee-sitting-around-with/)

[Kiki Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-smith/)

> [If there is an interpreter sitting between two friends, he may be able to translate the words but not the feelings with which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sushma-swaraj/if-there-is-an-interpreter-sitting-between-two-friends-he-may-be-able/)

[Sushma Swaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sushma-swaraj/)

> [I love sitting down with my friends at dinner and actually telling them a story, as opposed to going, "Hey, did you see that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-hoechlin/i-love-sitting-down-with-my-friends-at-dinner-and-actually-telling/)

[Tyler Hoechlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-hoechlin/)

> [I actually don't know much about Jaclyn Moriarty's process or where her stories come from or who inspired her characters. I just know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-albertalli/i-actually-don-t-know-much-about-jaclyn-moriarty-s-process-or-where/)

[Becky Albertalli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becky-albertalli/)

> [For me, a very chilled out day would be me on my couch or cooking, sitting with one or two friends watching TV or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ileana-d-cruz/for-me-a-very-chilled-out-day-would-be-me-on-my-couch-or-cooking/)

[Ileana D'Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ileana-d-cruz/)

> [“Eleanor should never have told them about Park's house, but she'd been dying to tell somebody. (This was how people ended up in jail…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/eleanor-should-never-have-told-them-about-park-s-house-but-she-d-been/)

[Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/)

> [“Sex is a drug, Eleanor had told me. When sex enters into a situation, people lose all reason. They do things they would never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/sex-is-a-drug-eleanor-had-told-me-when-sex-enters-into-a-situation/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [Whoever is sitting with friends is in the midst of a flower garden, though he may be in the fire. Whoever sits with an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/whoever-is-sitting-with-friends-is-in-the-midst-of-a-flower-garden/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

> [Sometimes I'll be sitting with my friends; I'll say something Koothrappali-esque and make a face. There is a lot of Koothrappali in me as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kunal-nayyar/sometimes-i-ll-be-sitting-with-my-friends-i-ll-say-something/)

[Kunal Nayyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kunal-nayyar/)

> [Don't bite his face, Eleanor told herself. It's disturbing and needy and never happens in situation comedies or movies that end with big kisses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/don-t-bite-his-face-eleanor-told-herself-it-s-disturbing-and-needy/)

[Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/)

> [“I'm sitting with my friends getting drunk again on wine, and I think about you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-nash/i-m-sitting-with-my-friends-getting-drunk-again-on-wine-and-i-think/)

[Kate Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-nash/)

## More by Shirley Jackson

> [I can't help it when people are frightened," says Merricat. "I always want to frighten them more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/i-can-t-help-it-when-people-are-frightened-says-merricat-i-always/)

[Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/)

> [“She could not remember ever being truly happy in her adult life; her years with her mother had been built up devotedly around small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/she-could-not-remember-ever-being-truly-happy-in-her-adult-life-her/)

[Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/)

> [“Upstairs Margaret said abruptly, 'I suppose it starts to happen first in the suburbs,' and when Brad said, 'What starts to happen?' she said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/upstairs-margaret-said-abruptly-i-suppose-it-starts-to-happen-first/)

[Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/)

> [“The beautiful clarity of all marked outlines occurred to her--there would be a deep satisfaction in strengthening fences, for instance, going along on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/the-beautiful-clarity-of-all-marked-outlines-occurred-to-her-there/)

[Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/)

> [“And we held each other in the dark hall and laughed, with the tears running down our cheeks and echoes of our laughter going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/and-we-held-each-other-in-the-dark-hall-and-laughed-with-the-tears/)

[Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/)

> [“Why do people want to talk to each other? I mean, what are the things people always want to find out about other people?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/why-do-people-want-to-talk-to-each-other-i-mean-what-are-the-things/)

[Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/)

> [Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/within-walls-continued-upright-bricks-met-neatly-floors-were-firm-and/)

[Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/)

> [“It was as though the people needed the ugliness of the village, and fed on it. The houses and the stores seemed to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/it-was-as-though-the-people-needed-the-ugliness-of-the-village-and/)

[Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/)

> [“Eleanor—“I plan to stay up and read for a while.” “Are you still reading Pamela?” Eleanor asked the doctor. “Volume two. I have three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/eleanor-i-plan-to-stay-up-and-read-for-a-while-are-you-still-reading/)

[Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/)

> [“Is everyone really crazy but me?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/is-everyone-really-crazy-but-me/)

[Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/)

> [February, when the days of winter seem endless and no amount of wistful recollecting can bring back any air of summer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/february-when-the-days-of-winter-seem-endless-and-no-amount-of/)

[Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/)

> [“it’s quite a hazard, quite a hazard indeed, people knocking you down. Still, it’s a genuine pleasure to find one as willing as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/it-s-quite-a-hazard-quite-a-hazard-indeed-people-knocking-you-down/)

[Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/)

> [On the moon we have everything. Lettuce, and pumpkin pie and Amanita phalloides. We have cat-furred plants and horses dancing with their wings. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/on-the-moon-we-have-everything-lettuce-and-pumpkin-pie-and-amanita/)

[Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/)

> [She walked quickly around her one-room apartment. After more than four years in this one home she knew all its possibilities, how it could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/she-walked-quickly-around-her-one-room-apartment-after-more-than-four/)

[Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/)

> [I very much dislike writing about myself or my work, and when pressed for autobiographical material can only give a bare chronological outline which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/i-very-much-dislike-writing-about-myself-or-my-work-and-when-pressed/)

[Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/)

[Explore all 224 Shirley Jackson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/)

## More Triumphantly quotes

> [Christianity does not remove you from the world and its problems; it makes you fit to live in it, triumphantly and usefully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-templeton/christianity-does-not-remove-you-from-the-world-and-its-problems-it/)

[Charles Templeton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-templeton/)

> [“Indeed, on the face of it, this man of abnormal strength and constitution and obscure ambition, whom Hugh would never know, could never deliver…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/indeed-on-the-face-of-it-this-man-of-abnormal-strength-and/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [I always choose to remember the moment that was the best of Jeanne Cooper - those photos where she's in that wild dress triumphantly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corbin-bernsen/i-always-choose-to-remember-the-moment-that-was-the-best-of-jeanne/)

[Corbin Bernsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corbin-bernsen/)

> [Everyone carries his own inch rule of taste, and amuse himself by applying it, triumphantly, wherever he travels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-adams/everyone-carries-his-own-inch-rule-of-taste-and-amuse-himself-by/)

Henry B Adams

> [You can get through it and you can land on your feet triumphantly and strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-perry/you-can-get-through-it-and-you-can-land-on-your-feet-triumphantly-and/)

[Katy Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-perry/)

> [From outside one will always triumphantly impress theories upon the world and then fall straight into the ditch one has dug, but only from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/from-outside-one-will-always-triumphantly-impress-theories-upon-the/)

[Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/)

> [Taking possession of your positive self will put you on the success beam that you may ride triumphantly to whatever heights of achievement you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/taking-possession-of-your-positive-self-will-put-you-on-the-success/)

[Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/)

> [All that was great in the past was ridiculed, condemned, combated, suppressed — only to emerge all the more powerfully, all the more triumphantly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/all-that-was-great-in-the-past-was-ridiculed-condemned-combated/)

[Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/)

> [“Enough," he pronounced resolutely and triumphantly. "I've done with fancies, imaginary terrors and phantoms! Life is real! haven't I lived just now? My life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/enough-he-pronounced-resolutely-and-triumphantly-i-ve-done-with/)

[Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/)

> [I am doing just fine, considering that I have triumphantly survived Nazism and two wives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-am-doing-just-fine-considering-that-i-have-triumphantly-survived/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [“triumphantly digitized contemporaneity’?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/triumphantly-digitized-contemporaneity/)

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

> [Beset by a difficult problem? Now is your chance to shine. Pick yourself up, get to work and get triumphantly through it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-marston/beset-by-a-difficult-problem-now-is-your-chance-to-shine-pick-2/)

[Ralph Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-marston/)

> [As long as a man faces life hopefully, confidently, triumphantly he is not a failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/as-long-as-a-man-faces-life-hopefully-confidently-triumphantly-he-is/)

[Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/)

> [“I have not always been as now: The fever'd diadem on my brow I claim'd and won unsurprisingly- Hath not the same fierce heirdom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/i-have-not-always-been-as-now-the-fever-d-diadem-on-my-brow-i-claim-d/)

[Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/)

> [Everyone carries his own inch rule of taste, and amuses himself by applying it, triumphantly, wherever he travels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/everyone-carries-his-own-inch-rule-of-taste-and-amuses-himself-by/)

[Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/)

Browse all 16 Triumphantly quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“An Eleanor, she told herself triumphantly, who belongs, who is talking easily, who is sitting by the fire with her friends.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Shirley Jackson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/an-eleanor-she-told-herself-triumphantly-who-belongs-who-is-talking/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Triumphantly"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/an-eleanor-she-told-herself-triumphantly-who-belongs-who-is-talking/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3e/shirley-jackson-1526_quote_an-eleanor-she-told-herself-triumphantly_1814614.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3e/shirley-jackson-1526_quote_an-eleanor-she-told-herself-triumphantly_1814614.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3e/shirley-jackson-1526_quote_an-eleanor-she-told-herself-triumphantly_1814614.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“An Eleanor, she told herself triumphantly, who belongs, who is talking easily, who is sitting by the fire…” — Shirley Jackson",
                "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": "Shirley Jackson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“An Eleanor, she told herself triumphantly,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/an-eleanor-she-told-herself-triumphantly-who-belongs-who-is-talking/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/an-eleanor-she-told-herself-triumphantly-who-belongs-who-is-talking/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
