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You can tell all of us are morphing into full-blown…

“You can tell all of us are morphing into full-blown adults, wingtip adults, because all the time now the Big Question is, What are you going to do? After the summer, about your scholarship, about choosing a college, after graduation, with the rest of your life. When you are thirteen, the question…” quote by Brad Barkley
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““You can tell all of us are morphing into full-blown adults, wingtip adults, because all the time now the Big Question is, What are you going to do? After the summer, about your scholarship, about choosing a college, after graduation, with the rest of your life. When you are thirteen, the question is, Smooth or crunchy? That's it. Later, at the onset of full-blown adulthood, the Big Question changes a little bit - instead of, What are you going to do? it turns into, What do you do? I hear it all the time when my parents have parties, all the men standing around. After they talk sports, they always ask, What do you do? It's just part of the code that they mean "for a living" because no one ever answers it by saying, I go for walks and listen to music full-blast and don't care about my hearing thirty years from now, and I drink milk out of the carton, and I cough when someone lights up a cigarette, and I dig rainy days because they make me sad in a way I like, and I read books until I fall asleep holding them, and I put on sock-shoe, sock-shoe instead of sock-sock, shoe-shoe because I think it's better luck. Never that. People are always in something. I'm in advertising. I'm in real estate. I'm in sales and marketing. ””

Brad Barkley

About This Quote

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

The quote contrasts youthful curiosity with adult expectations, highlighting how society pressures people to define themselves by occupations rather than personal passions.

In simple terms: Adults are judged by jobs, not hobbies.

Key Takeaway

Focus on personal fulfillment over external labels.

Themes

identity societal pressure career adulthood self‑definition

Mood

reflective critical contemplative

Type

philosophical social commentary

When to use this quote

  • career planning
  • college decisions
  • personal branding
  • family gatherings
  • self‑reflection

Key Concepts

existentialism social norms role theory

Questions to Reflect On

  • How do you define success beyond a job title?
  • What passions would you pursue if not for societal expectations?
A Different Perspective

It overlooks those who find meaning outside conventional work structures.

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