--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I saw what I had been fighting for: it…" description: "\"I saw what I had been fighting for: it was for me, a scared child...\" — Amy Tan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30e/amy-tan-730_child_i-saw-what-i-had-been-fighting-for-it-wa_573994.jpg" --- # I saw what I had been fighting for: it was for me, a… ![“I saw what I had been fighting for: it was for me, a scared child...” quote by Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30e/amy-tan-730_child_i-saw-what-i-had-been-fighting-for-it-wa_573994.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30e/amy-tan-730_child_i-saw-what-i-had-been-fighting-for-it-wa_573994.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30e/amy-tan-730_child_i-saw-what-i-had-been-fighting-for-it-wa_573994.jpg) > “I saw what I had been fighting for: it was for me, a scared child...” [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑discovery emerges when confronting inner fears and past struggles. **In simple terms:** Facing fear reveals purpose. Key Takeaway Confront fear to find purpose. Themes self‑discovery fear growth Mood reflective introspective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - therapy - career change - personal crisis Key Concepts psychology identity healing Questions to Reflect On - What fear is holding you back? - How can you turn fear into motivation? A Different Perspective Fear can overwhelm and stall progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Joy luck club](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy-luck-club/) ## Related quotes > [I saw what I had been fighting for: It was for me, a scared child, who had run away a long time ago to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-saw-what-i-had-been-fighting-for-it-was-for-me-a-scared-child-who/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [Sick of living but scared to die! Tired of fighting but to scared to stop!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sick-of-living-but-scared-to-die-tired-of-fighting-but-to-scared-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have always known a thing before it happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-have-always-known-a-thing-before-it-happens/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [And below the heimongmong, all along the ground, were weeds already spilling out over the edges, running wild in every direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/and-below-the-heimongmong-all-along-the-ground-were-weeds-already/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [Even though I was young, I could see the pain of the flesh and the worth of the pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/even-though-i-was-young-i-could-see-the-pain-of-the-flesh-and-the/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [My mother had a look on her face that I'll never forget. 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How could I know these things do not mix?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-wanted-my-children-to-have-the-best-combination-american/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [I began to look at all events and all things as relevant, an opportunity to take or avoid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-began-to-look-at-all-events-and-all-things-as-relevant-an/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [It is because I had so much joy that I came to have so much hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/it-is-because-i-had-so-much-joy-that-i-came-to-have-so-much-hate/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [On the third day after someone dies, the soul comes back to settle scores. In my mother's case, this would be the first day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/on-the-third-day-after-someone-dies-the-soul-comes-back-to-settle/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [For woman is yin, the darkness within, where untempered passions lie. And man is yang, bright truth lighting our minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/for-woman-is-yin-the-darkness-within-where-untempered-passions-lie/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [And now I also see what part of me is Chinese. It is so obvious. It is my family. It is in our blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/and-now-i-also-see-what-part-of-me-is-chinese-it-is-so-obvious-it-is/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [And I remember wondering why it was that eating something good could make me feel so terrible, while vomiting something terrible could make me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/and-i-remember-wondering-why-it-was-that-eating-something-good-could/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [I was a very scared child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/i-was-a-very-scared-child/) [Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/) > [The Wicked Witch of the West really scared me as a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-eggers/the-wicked-witch-of-the-west-really-scared-me-as-a-child/) [Robert Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-eggers/) ## More by Amy Tan > [So sad! This is the saddest part when you lose someone you love- that person keeps changing. And later you wonder, Is this the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/so-sad-this-is-the-saddest-part-when-you-lose-someone-you-love-that/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [Too many good things all seem the same after a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/too-many-good-things-all-seem-the-same-after-a-while/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“bad, how likely is it to come”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/bad-how-likely-is-it-to-come/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“A mother is always the beginning. She is how things begin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/a-mother-is-always-the-beginning-she-is-how-things-begin/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [Shanghainese people are good negotiators, they're very persistent, and you grow up in an atmosphere like that - very competitive. 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We become different in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/we-all-become-different-readers-in-how-we-respond-to-books-why-we/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“I was no longer scared. I could see what was inside me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-was-no-longer-scared-i-could-see-what-was-inside-me/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [When I go back and read my journals or fiction, I am always surprised. I may not remember having those thoughts, but they still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/when-i-go-back-and-read-my-journals-or-fiction-i-am-always-surprised/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“I am ashamed she is ashamed. 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Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [Bring up your children in the way you think other peoples children should go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/bring-up-your-children-in-the-way-you-think-other-peoples-children/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. Parents who have little support--from friends, relatives, neighbors, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/parents-who-are-stressed-or-disturbed-will-have-more-difficulty-in/) Sheila Kamerman > [My first three manuscripts were epic fantasy - like high fantasy - and then the fourth one was a historical fantasy about Mozart as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/my-first-three-manuscripts-were-epic-fantasy-like-high-fantasy-and/) [Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/) [Browse all 10,700 Child quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I saw what I had been fighting for: it was for me, a scared child...", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Amy Tan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-saw-what-i-had-been-fighting-for-it-was-for-me-a-scared-child/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Child" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-saw-what-i-had-been-fighting-for-it-was-for-me-a-scared-child/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30e/amy-tan-730_child_i-saw-what-i-had-been-fighting-for-it-wa_573994.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30e/amy-tan-730_child_i-saw-what-i-had-been-fighting-for-it-wa_573994.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30e/amy-tan-730_child_i-saw-what-i-had-been-fighting-for-it-wa_573994.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I saw what I had been fighting for: it was for me, a scared child...” — Amy Tan", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Amy Tan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I saw what I had been...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-saw-what-i-had-been-fighting-for-it-was-for-me-a-scared-child/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-saw-what-i-had-been-fighting-for-it-was-for-me-a-scared-child/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```