Nervous Quotes

“A nervous silence loosens tongues”
― Jacqueline Carey, Kushiel's Chosen

“Are you going to kiss me?" I blabbered stupidly.
"I'm working up the nerve," he said softly.”
― Liz Reinhardt, Double Clutch

“Pray don't talk to me about the weather, Mr. Worthing. Whenever people talk to me about the weather, I always feel quite certain that they mean something else. And that makes me quite nervous.”
― Oscar Wilde

“Nothing is as irritating to a shy man as a confident girl.”
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

“I don't know why it is, Captain Short, but whenever you start agreeing with me, I get decidedly nervous.”
― Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl

“Relax; the world's not watching that closely. It's too busy contemplating itself in the mirror.”
― Richelle E. Goodrich, Making Wishes: Quotes, Thoughts, & a Little Poetry for Every Day of the Year

“When you feel nervous, recall your pride.”
― Toba Beta, My Ancestor Was an Ancient Astronaut

“Nervous people tend to overreact.”
― Toba Beta, Master of Stupidity

“It’s like this: Me: Hey, brain. Let’s think of something cool to say!

Brain: UHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Me: Okay, it doesn’t have to be cool. Just something semi-coherent . . .

Brain: UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Me: COME ON, BRAIN, GIVE ME SOMETHING.

Brain: white noise

Shit. Shit. Shit.”
― Becky Albertalli, The Upside of Unrequited

“The thought of seeing him had left her a tangled jumble of basket case, complete with a straight jacket for accessory.”
― Kelly Moran, Mistletoe Magic

“Do you ever get so nervous that you pass straight through terror and come out the other side? And then you stop being scared and you start being reckless?”
― Ari North, Always Human

“He was so brilliant he should punch his own face.”
― Kelly Moran, Mistletoe Magic

“If you are getting jealous of someone excellence, believe me it will make you upset, disturbing, nervous, confused, distressing, and so on.”
― Santosh Kumar (San)

“For me, reading was never an antisocial activity. It was deeply social. It was the most profound kind of socialising there was. A deep connection to the imagination of another human being. A way to connect without the many filters society normally demands.”
― Mark Haig

“I stop, staring into the teardrop-shaped room, my heartbeat an alive and determined creature trying to claw its way out of my throat.”
― Sara Raasch, Ice Like Fire

“I'm afraid of everything and nothing.”
― Dana Muwwakkil, The Anxiety Diaries: Volume 1

“October approached.

Nervously, the monsters eyed the calendar between news reports.

Were they scary enough?

The bar was getting a little high.”
― James Mark Miller

“This taught me a lot. I needed to stay relaxed, even when I felt nervous. I had to control my emotions. To keep the horse calm, I had to calm my body and slow my breath.”
― Chris Noble, Why We Climb: The World's Most Inspiring Climbers

“Her nerves vibrated hard enough to shatter her bones while she composed an elaborate mental fantasy of ripping the book out of his hands and throwing it, just to hear it hit the wall. Anything to break the silence.”
― Emily Thiede, This Vicious Grace

“Precedent forces us to suppose that later generations will one day walk around our houses with the same attitude of horror and amusement with which we now consider many of the possessions of the dead. They will marvel at our wallpapers and our sofas and laugh at aesthetic crimes to which we are impervious. This awareness can lend to our affections a fragile, nervous quality.”
― Alain de Botton, The Architecture of Happiness

“Now she hesitated, wondering whether she dare do what she wanted . . . but surely, if they were best friends, it was all right?”
― Robert Galbraith, Troubled Blood

“Safety is a sensual state. You cannot feel sensual unless you’re feeling safe.”
― Lebo Grand

“Was I nervous? Maybe a little, because I didn’t know what my new life would bring. But more than anything, I felt strong. Brave. Independent. Free. And ready to take on whatever I’d find on the other side of the horizon.”
― Amy Purdy, On My Own Two Feet: The Journey from Losing My Legs to Learning the Dance of Life

“I don't know yet," I give her the perfect reply. The political 'I do not recall' get-out-of-jail-free card. Let's see how Ashley handles this verbal razzle-dazzle. "That's not what Chelsea said," Ashley pops my bubble. "What did Chelsea say?" I ask. Now I look silly, not knowing what my apparent girlfriend thinks of our own relationship. "Chelsea thinks you two are dating," Ashley spills the bag and lets the cat out of the beans.”
― Patrick R.F. Blakley, Drummond: Learning to find himself in the music

“My friend Jenny said once that I have a calming presence. Maybe it's because I am so quiet. Dogs and cats always seem relaxed around me. Even the crazy ones. I don't know. I'm a pretty nervous guy on the inside. I think Jenny only talks to me because we work together. It's not like we hang out after work. Most of my life I've had a small group of friends. People make me nervous. They take a lot out of me.”
― Charles Forsman, Celebrated Summer

“The butterflies in her stomach had butterflies in their stomachs.”
― Alex Gino, George

“Do you have a light?" she asked.
"Hmm? Oh, yeah, sure." He reached into his watch pocket and pulled out an old, battered Zippo. He flipped up the lid and lit it, holding it out to her with his free hand cupped to block the light breeze.
Janet inhaled a long, grateful drag. "You cannot imagine how much I needed this," she said, glancing back at her savior. He shrugged, lighting his own. They stood, smoking in silence. Then the silence seemed less companionable to Janet. Then it became uncomfortable. "I'm very nervous," she blurted out. "This is the first time I've done this."
He nodded, encouragingly. "You're very good at it. Most people cough their first time.”
― Brett D. Hainley

“She slept back-to-back with Fenris at night. No one commented. Sometimes he moved and she knew that he was also awake in the darkness, but neither of them quite had the nerve to act on it, not with Agnes and the dust-wife there. I could roll over. I could put my arm around his waist. I could...”
― T. Kingfisher, Nettle & Bone

“The crossbow is where I left it, in the drawer of Dain's desk. I draw it out, cock it back, and point it at Cardan. He draws a ragged breath.

'You're going to shoot me?' He blinks. 'Right now?'

My finger caresses the trigger. I feel calm, gloriously calm. This is weakness, to put fear above ambition, above family, above love, but it feels good. It feels like being powerful.

'I can see why you'd want to,' he says, as though reading my face, and coming to some decision. 'But I'd really prefer if you didn't.'

'Then you shouldn't have smirked at me constantly- you think I am going to stand being mocked, here, now? You still so sure you're better than me?' My voice shakes a little, and I hate him even more for it. I have trained every day to be dangerous, and he is entirely in my power, yet I'm the one who is afraid.

Fearing him is a habit, a habit I could break with a bolt to his heart.

He holds up his hands in protest, long bare fingers splayed. I am the one with the royal ring. 'I'm nervous,' he says. 'I smile a lot when I'm nervous. I can't help it.'

That is not at all what I expected him to say. I lower the crossbow momentarily.

He keeps talking, as though he doesn't want to leave me too much time to think. 'You are terrifying. Nearly my whole family is dead, and while they never had much love for me, I don't want to join them. I've spent all night worrying what you're going to do, and I know exactly what I deserve. I have a reason to be nervous.' He's talking to me as though we're friends instead of enemies. It works, too; I relax a little. When I realise that, I am nearly freaked out enough to shoot him outright.”
― Holly Black, The Cruel Prince

“I have added bonemeal to my bread,' Aslog says. 'Ground just as fine as any grain. My loaves will be more famed than ever before, though not for the same reason. And if I served Queen Gliten the bones of her own consort, at her own table, what of it? It is no more than she deserves, and unlike her, I do pay my debts.'

He snorts, and she looks at him in surprise.

'Well,' he says, 'that's awful, but a little bit funny, too. I mean, did she have him with butter or jam?'

'You always did laugh when you would have been better served staying silent,' she says with a glower. 'I recall that not.'

Cardan doesn't add that he laughs when he is nervous.”
― Holly Black, How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories