--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She was irritated, briefly, by the…" description: "\"“She was irritated, briefly, by the thought that she might be becoming more mature. Why should she become a better person when no one else did?”\" — Sop..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64c/sophie-hannah-7581_better-person_she-was-irritated-briefly-by-the-thought_1948253.jpg" --- # She was irritated, briefly, by the thought that she might… ![“She was irritated, briefly, by the thought that she might be becoming more mature. Why should she become a better person when no one else did?” quote by Sophie Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64c/sophie-hannah-7581_better-person_she-was-irritated-briefly-by-the-thought_1948253.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64c/sophie-hannah-7581_better-person_she-was-irritated-briefly-by-the-thought_1948253.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64c/sophie-hannah-7581_better-person_she-was-irritated-briefly-by-the-thought_1948253.jpg) > ““She was irritated, briefly, by the thought that she might be becoming more mature. Why should she become a better person when no one else did?”” [Sophie Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hannah/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Maturity is questioned when personal growth lacks external examples, leading to self‑doubt. **In simple terms:** Growing up feels pointless without role models. Key Takeaway Seek internal standards, not just external validation. Themes maturity self‑reflection role models Mood thoughtful introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - career advancement - education - personal relationships - self‑improvement Key Concepts psychology personal development existential doubt Questions to Reflect On - What internal values guide your growth? - How do you find motivation without external examples? A Different Perspective Relying on others for moral direction can cause stagnation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Better person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-person/) [Irritated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irritated/) ## Related quotes > [I am more mature. I'm a better football player. I just feel like this is my time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-williams/i-am-more-mature-i-m-a-better-football-player-i-just-feel-like-this/) [Ricky Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-williams/) > [College really helped me mature, and it's been so much better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mykayla-skinner/college-really-helped-me-mature-and-it-s-been-so-much-better/) [MyKayla Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mykayla-skinner/) > [Will America be the death of English? I'm glad I asked me that. My well-thought-out mature judgment is that it will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-newman/will-america-be-the-death-of-english-i-m-glad-i-asked-me-that-my-well/) [Edwin Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-newman/) > [We thought we were being mature when we were only being safe. We imagined we were being responsible but were only being cowardly. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/we-thought-we-were-being-mature-when-we-were-only-being-safe-we/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“But time … how time first grounds us and then confounds us. We thought we were being mature when we were only being safe.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/but-time-how-time-first-grounds-us-and-then-confounds-us-we-thought/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“I remember a period in late adolescence when my mind would make itself drunk with images of adventurousness. This is how it will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/i-remember-a-period-in-late-adolescence-when-my-mind-would-make/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [If you're honest with yourself, that's the first step in maturing and becoming a better person. If you suppress your shortcomings and fears, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-millard/if-you-re-honest-with-yourself-that-s-the-first-step-in-maturing-and/) Keith Millard > [When you don't like someone you get easily irritated that whatever they do is downright obnoxious, but when you truly love someone, even when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moyo-adekoya/when-you-don-t-like-someone-you-get-easily-irritated-that-whatever/) [Moyo Adekoya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moyo-adekoya/) > [And the little prince broke into a lovely peal of laughter, which irritated me very much. I like my misfortunes to be taken seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/and-the-little-prince-broke-into-a-lovely-peal-of-laughter-which/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Lacking many of the essential implements, it irritated me to be reduced to impotence in the face of artistic projects to which I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gauguin/lacking-many-of-the-essential-implements-it-irritated-me-to-be/) [Paul Gauguin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gauguin/) > [When my skin is irritated, I'll use an aloe mask pack for its soothing effects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hoyeon-jung/when-my-skin-is-irritated-i-ll-use-an-aloe-mask-pack-for-its-soothing/) [HoYeon Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hoyeon-jung/) > [I am a little discouraged and irritated at the welfare recipient families growing in size all the time. Those of us who work and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilmar-moore/i-am-a-little-discouraged-and-irritated-at-the-welfare-recipient/) Hilmar Moore > [Yes?' Joe Solomon sounded like someone with far better things to do. 'Is there any homework?' she asked, and the class turned instantly from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-carter/yes-joe-solomon-sounded-like-someone-with-far-better-things-to-do-is/) [Ally Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-carter/) > [People who keep dogs are cowards who haven't got the guts to bite people themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-strindberg/people-who-keep-dogs-are-cowards-who-haven-t-got-the-guts-to-bite/) [August Strindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-strindberg/) > [When my name started popping up I was quite irritated and a little bit in shock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-snow/when-my-name-started-popping-up-i-was-quite-irritated-and-a-little/) [Michael Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-snow/) ## More by Sophie Hannah > [I never write about CIA conspiracies or the FBI or mafia or anything like that because I just don't understand that world. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hannah/i-never-write-about-cia-conspiracies-or-the-fbi-or-mafia-or-anything/) [Sophie Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hannah/) > [I am trying to write novels for properly clever people, but I also want them to be proper novels that also stick in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hannah/i-am-trying-to-write-novels-for-properly-clever-people-but-i-also/) [Sophie Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hannah/) > [My father, whose hobby was collecting secondhand cricket books, came back from a book fair one day with a copy of 'The Body In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hannah/my-father-whose-hobby-was-collecting-secondhand-cricket-books-came/) [Sophie Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hannah/) > [“That's not me talking, it's your inner voice. I'd attempt the accent, only I don't speak low self-esteem. It's a language I've never needed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hannah/that-s-not-me-talking-it-s-your-inner-voice-i-d-attempt-the-accent/) [Sophie Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hannah/) > [“What they'd got was a fat, balding academic who bandied about the phrase "family annihilation", especially when there were cameras pointed at him, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hannah/what-they-d-got-was-a-fat-balding-academic-who-bandied-about-the/) [Sophie Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hannah/) > [In West Yorkshire, I'd have to drive three quarters of an hour to go shopping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hannah/in-west-yorkshire-i-d-have-to-drive-three-quarters-of-an-hour-to-go/) [Sophie Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hannah/) > [No highbrow literary type would ever say 'Moby Dick' is good but it's just about a whale, or a Jane Austen would be important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hannah/no-highbrow-literary-type-would-ever-say-moby-dick-is-good-but-it-s/) [Sophie Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hannah/) > [There are very few well-adjusted people in my books. But I do think that's normal. Because everyone does have their issues and hang-ups.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hannah/there-are-very-few-well-adjusted-people-in-my-books-but-i-do-think/) [Sophie Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hannah/) > [With me, even if my life depended on it, I wouldn't be able to cry. Not with somebody there. Because even if I'm talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hannah/with-me-even-if-my-life-depended-on-it-i-wouldn-t-be-able-to-cry-not/) [Sophie Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hannah/) > [If you ask people if they enjoy crime novels, they'll say, 'Oh, my guilty pleasure is...' then name a really brilliant crime writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hannah/if-you-ask-people-if-they-enjoy-crime-novels-they-ll-say-oh-my-guilty/) [Sophie Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hannah/) > [In a crime novel, if you are going to have a big revelation in chapter 30, you have to plant the information in chapters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hannah/in-a-crime-novel-if-you-are-going-to-have-a-big-revelation-in-chapter/) [Sophie Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hannah/) > [All through childhood, I wrote verses and mysteries. There is, for me, one connection: structure. My poetry is metrical, rhyming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hannah/all-through-childhood-i-wrote-verses-and-mysteries-there-is-for-me/) [Sophie Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hannah/) > [I always notice the dysfunctional dynamic of human relationships because most places where you encounter it, people are trying to pretend it isnt happening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hannah/i-always-notice-the-dysfunctional-dynamic-of-human-relationships/) [Sophie Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hannah/) > [I'm not cut out to lug babies around!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hannah/i-m-not-cut-out-to-lug-babies-around/) [Sophie Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hannah/) > [Some writers, I'm told, look for their characters' surnames in telephone directories. I don't - it seems too obvious. Or too deliberate: if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hannah/some-writers-i-m-told-look-for-their-characters-surnames-in-telephone/) [Sophie Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hannah/) [Explore all 86 Sophie Hannah quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hannah/) ## More Better person quotes > [“Claiming to be offended is a great way to elevate yourself at the expense of others: “Look at me! I'm a much better person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/claiming-to-be-offended-is-a-great-way-to-elevate-yourself-at-the/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [Go afield with a good attitude, with respect for the wildlife you hunt and for the forest and fields in which you walk. Immerse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-bear/go-afield-with-a-good-attitude-with-respect-for-the-wildlife-you-hunt/) [Fred Bear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-bear/) > [My favorite thing about being a mom is just what a better person it makes you on a daily basis,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/my-favorite-thing-about-being-a-mom-is-just-what-a-better-person-it/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [A real good artist learns to be a better person through all the changes they've been through. They keep their loving and honesty growing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bradley/a-real-good-artist-learns-to-be-a-better-person-through-all-the/) [Charles Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bradley/) > [I wasn't paid a dime for my track career. But participating in the Olympics gave me the opportunity to learn about different cultures; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyomia-tyus/i-wasn-t-paid-a-dime-for-my-track-career-but-participating-in-the/) Wyomia Tyus > [I'm a better person when I'm preparing for a role, when I'm studying a role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/i-m-a-better-person-when-i-m-preparing-for-a-role-when-i-m-studying-a/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [I found myself thinking a lot about my own spirituality. What it means to be Jewish, what it means to forgive, what it means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-goldberg/i-found-myself-thinking-a-lot-about-my-own-spirituality-what-it-means/) [Tod Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-goldberg/) > [I found the emotion that as an athlete you block out, and it really helped me to understand myself as a person. I'm a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-lewis/i-found-the-emotion-that-as-an-athlete-you-block-out-and-it-really/) [Carl Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-lewis/) > [I always try to see my weakness, work on it, to be better as a person and a player, everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-salah/i-always-try-to-see-my-weakness-work-on-it-to-be-better-as-a-person/) [Mohamed Salah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-salah/) > [Life is like a circle it has no end point and every turn is a challenge did you notice it a circle has every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/life-is-like-a-circle-it-has-no-end-point-and-every-turn-is-a/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [I started running ultras to become a better person,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenn-shelton/i-started-running-ultras-to-become-a-better-person/) Jenn Shelton > [If you live with a single parent, you don't see compromise. 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Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/nobody-ever-feels-100-ready-when-an-opportunity-arises-because-most/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) [Browse all 980 Better person quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-person/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“She was irritated, briefly, by the thought that she might be becoming more mature. 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