Being clever was, after all, my primary source of self-esteem. I’m a very sad person, in all senses of the word, but at least I was going to get into university.
-- Frances (Summer Term (A): “The Narrator”)

Importance: This quote shows the disconnect between the way Frances acts and how she feels. Most importantly, it shows that she is not a manipulative person. Instead, she is someone who struggles with her identity and who she wants to be. On one hand, she calls herself clever and acts as if she relishes in the attention that she gets from being a good student. At the same time, however, she suffers from an extreme lack of confidence and truly believes that she is not worth anything outside of her schoolwork. This is a major character flaw that becomes the starting point for her growth as the novel continues.

I think you work yourself too hard for school anyway...
-- Frances’s Mother (Summer Term (A): “Do What You Want”)