--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is embarrassment? In general…" description: "\"“What is embarrassment? In general, embarrassment is an emotional response to an innocent mistake. The major reason that some of us are embarrassment-p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44e/toni-bernhard-51863_embarrassment_what-is-embarrassment-in-general-embarra_1530659.jpg" --- # What is embarrassment? In general, embarrassment is an… ![“What is embarrassment? In general, embarrassment is an emotional response to an innocent mistake. The major reason that some of us are embarrassment-prone is that we’ve been conditioned to set unrealistically high expectations for ourselves and to judge ourselves negatively when we can’t possibly…” quote by Toni Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44e/toni-bernhard-51863_embarrassment_what-is-embarrassment-in-general-embarra_1530659.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44e/toni-bernhard-51863_embarrassment_what-is-embarrassment-in-general-embarra_1530659.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44e/toni-bernhard-51863_embarrassment_what-is-embarrassment-in-general-embarra_1530659.jpg) > ““What is embarrassment? In general, embarrassment is an emotional response to an innocent mistake. The major reason that some of us are embarrassment-prone is that we’ve been conditioned to set unrealistically high expectations for ourselves and to judge ourselves negatively when we can’t possibly meet those standards. A second reason that makes us susceptible to embarrassment is that we’ve been taught to take our cue in evaluating ourselves from what we assume (often erroneously) to be others’ opinions of us.”” [Toni Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bernhard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Embarrassment stems from harsh self‑judgment and over‑reliance on imagined others’ opinions, often due to unrealistic personal standards. **In simple terms:** Embarrassment is self‑criticism and imagined judgment. Key Takeaway Lower expectations and seek authentic feedback. Themes self‑esteem social anxiety perfectionism Mood anxious reflective Type psychological advice When to use this quote - public speaking - first dates - work presentations - social media posting Key Concepts cognitive bias self‑conditioning social comparison Questions to Reflect On - What standards do you set for yourself? - How can you verify others’ true opinions? A Different Perspective If others truly accept you, embarrassment may still persist due to internal standards. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Embarrassment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embarrassment/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Guilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilt/) [High expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-expectations/) [Others' Opinions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/others-opinions/) [Shame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame/) ## Related quotes > [“Whatever has been said about you by others, simply drop it. It is absolutely crap. 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They need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bristol-palin/however-if-you-don-t-agree-with-their-lifestyle-they-spread-the-most/) [Bristol Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bristol-palin/) > [The most important thing in life is to love yourself, because sometimes you're all you've got. Learn to be content with being on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-dye/the-most-important-thing-in-life-is-to-love-yourself-because/) Melissa Dye > [Life is too short to waste any amount of time on wondering what other people think about you. In the first place, if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c-2/life-is-too-short-to-waste-any-amount-of-time-on-wondering-what-other/) [C JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c-2/) > [Whatever differences we have, tolerating others' opinions is a prerequisite to a functioning and free society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-rubin/whatever-differences-we-have-tolerating-others-opinions-is-a/) [Dave Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-rubin/) > [Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/your-time-is-limited-so-don-t-waste-it-living-someone-else-s-life-don-2/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“Word like that, others' opinions of you, shouldn't have that kind of power, Saint." But they did and therein lay the problem. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-crownover/word-like-that-others-opinions-of-you-shouldn-t-have-that-kind-of/) [Jay Crownover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-crownover/) > [“441. While she was no radical, no natural breaker of rules, no seeker of the bold statement, she was in her own serene way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarun-j-tejpal/441-while-she-was-no-radical-no-natural-breaker-of-rules-no-seeker-of/) [Tarun J. Tejpal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarun-j-tejpal/) > [“In order to gain gender equality, women and men must work together, equally, to teach our daughters and sons to embrace our differences, respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basia-christ/in-order-to-gain-gender-equality-women-and-men-must-work-together/) Basia Christ > [“We are not the passive victim of others' opinions. Their opinions are powerless until we validate them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/we-are-not-the-passive-victim-of-others-opinions-their-opinions-are/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [“If I've never stepped outside the role that's been assigned to me since birth, I've never tested myself. I've been too afraid of others'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hoyt/if-i-ve-never-stepped-outside-the-role-that-s-been-assigned-to-me/) [Elizabeth Hoyt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hoyt/) > [No, that dress doesn't make you seem fat...but your dependence on others' opinions definitely makes you seem shallow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-that-dress-doesn-t-make-you-seem-fat-but-your-dependence-on-others/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you live for others' opinions, you are dead. I don't want to live thinking about how I'll be remembered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-slim/when-you-live-for-others-opinions-you-are-dead-i-don-t-want-to-live/) [Carlos Slim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-slim/) ## More by Toni Bernhard > [“Behind every stressful thought is the desire for things to be other than they are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-bernhard/behind-every-stressful-thought-is-the-desire-for-things-to-be-other/) [Toni Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bernhard/) > [“t can be eye-opening to think of some of the unrealistic expectations we hold ourselves to. These are the “shoulds” we set up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-bernhard/t-can-be-eye-opening-to-think-of-some-of-the-unrealistic-expectations/) [Toni Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bernhard/) > [“To go into the dark with a light is to know the light. To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight and find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-bernhard/to-go-into-the-dark-with-a-light-is-to-know-the-light-to-know-the/) [Toni Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bernhard/) > [“You can argue with the way things are. You’ll lose, but only 100% of the time. —BYRON KATIE”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-bernhard/you-can-argue-with-the-way-things-are-you-ll-lose-but-only-100-of-the/) [Toni Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bernhard/) > [“People can be at their most vulnerable, but still tenacious at the same time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-bernhard/people-can-be-at-their-most-vulnerable-but-still-tenacious-at-the/) [Toni Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bernhard/) > [“If this medication helps, that will be great. If it doesn’t, no blame. It wasn’t what my body needed.” “If this doctor turns out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-bernhard/if-this-medication-helps-that-will-be-great-if-it-doesn-t-no-blame-it/) [Toni Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bernhard/) [Explore all 7 Toni Bernhard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bernhard/) ## More Embarrassment quotes > [Having no regrets is very unrealistic. Everyone has that awkward or embarrassing moment they wish they could take back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayden-hayes/having-no-regrets-is-very-unrealistic-everyone-has-that-awkward-or/) [Jayden Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayden-hayes/) > [So many wonderful books to write, and not enough hours in the day. An embarrassment of riches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/so-many-wonderful-books-to-write-and-not-enough-hours-in-the-day-an/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [“George's hand lifted and fell away again. It seemed an insult to imply that anything so small as a touch could stop the raw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mette-ivie-harrison/george-s-hand-lifted-and-fell-away-again-it-seemed-an-insult-to-imply/) [Mette Ivie Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mette-ivie-harrison/) > [Charles Darwin viewed the fossil record more as an embarrassment than as an aid to his theory ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/charles-darwin-viewed-the-fossil-record-more-as-an-embarrassment-than/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [One day each scene that you spent in this life will flash before you, make sure you're not embarrassed watching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senora-roy/one-day-each-scene-that-you-spent-in-this-life-will-flash-before-you/) [Senora Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senora-roy/) > [“-I die. Before I die my body turns hair-side-in. People come from everywhere to see the insides of themselves. But the sight makes them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-haldeman/i-die-before-i-die-my-body-turns-hair-side-in-people-come-from/) [Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/) > [I don't want to be the embarrassment of the galaxy to have had the power to deflect an asteroid, and then not and end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-don-t-want-to-be-the-embarrassment-of-the-galaxy-to-have-had-the/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [That awkward moment, when you're out in public and you hear someone call your name. Just to turn around and figure out that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-swenson/that-awkward-moment-when-you-re-out-in-public-and-you-hear-someone/) [Emma Swenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-swenson/) > [“I understand how families become estranged, not by design, but by embarrassment. You come to a point when so much time has passed that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-richmond/i-understand-how-families-become-estranged-not-by-design-but-by/) [Michelle Richmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-richmond/) > [A bird in the hand may be worth two in the bush, but remember also that a bird in the hand is a positive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ade/a-bird-in-the-hand-may-be-worth-two-in-the-bush-but-remember-also/) [George Ade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ade/) > [“No one has ever died of embarrassment-never, not once in the whole history of time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/no-one-has-ever-died-of-embarrassment-never-not-once-in-the-whole/) [Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/) > [ \[Winning the White House was an achievement\], but as an African-American, \[Barack Obama\], I think the symbolism is in how he conducted himself. The… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/winning-the-white-house-was-an-achievement-but-as-an-african-american/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [The job of the media is not to protect the powerful from embarrassment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-jenkins/the-job-of-the-media-is-not-to-protect-the-powerful-from-embarrassment/) [Simon Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-jenkins/) > [I have no qualms: no shame, no guilt, no embarrassment. I tend to act out a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendon-urie/i-have-no-qualms-no-shame-no-guilt-no-embarrassment-i-tend-to-act-out/) [Brendon Urie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendon-urie/) > [The secret of the creative life is to feel at ease with your own embarrassment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-schrader/the-secret-of-the-creative-life-is-to-feel-at-ease-with-your-own/) [Paul Schrader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-schrader/) [Browse all 633 Embarrassment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embarrassment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What is embarrassment? In general, embarrassment is an emotional response to an innocent mistake. The major reason that some of us are embarrassment-prone is that we’ve been conditioned to set unrealistically high expectations for ourselves and to judge ourselves negatively when we can’t possibly meet those standards. 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