--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had very little going for me as a kid…" description: "\"I had very little going for me as a kid except for the fact that I had demanding parents and was very good at filling out bubbles on standardized tests..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00f/andrew-yang-3669_good_i-had-very-little-going-for-me-as-a-kid_1465335.jpg" --- # I had very little going for me as a kid except for the… ![“I had very little going for me as a kid except for the fact that I had demanding parents and was very good at filling out bubbles on standardized tests. I went to the Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University because I did well on the SAT. I went to Exeter because I did well on the SAT.” quote by Andrew Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00f/andrew-yang-3669_good_i-had-very-little-going-for-me-as-a-kid_1465335.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00f/andrew-yang-3669_good_i-had-very-little-going-for-me-as-a-kid_1465335.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00f/andrew-yang-3669_good_i-had-very-little-going-for-me-as-a-kid_1465335.jpg) > “I had very little going for me as a kid except for the fact that I had demanding parents and was very good at filling out bubbles on standardized tests. I went to the Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University because I did well on the SAT. I went to Exeter because I did well on the SAT.” [Andrew Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-yang/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Hard work and test performance opened elite opportunities, but they came with demanding expectations. **In simple terms:** Tests opened doors despite challenges. Key Takeaway Leverage strengths while managing pressure. Themes education achievement pressure Mood thoughtful analytical Type motivational practical When to use this quote - college admissions - career planning - personal development Key Concepts standardized testing gifted programs parental expectations Questions to Reflect On - What non‑test skills can you develop? - How can you balance expectations with self‑care? A Different Perspective Success can be fragile if over‑reliant on external validation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents/) [Sat Went](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sat-went-5303252/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Standardized Tests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/standardized-tests/) [Talented Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talented-youth-5303254/) [Tests Went](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tests-went-5303253/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/) [University Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university-did-549565/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [I took probably about six or seven different tests throughout the U.S. Then I went to Russia and took the cosmonaut tests. I beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-funk/i-took-probably-about-six-or-seven-different-tests-throughout-the-u-s/) [Wally Funk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-funk/) > [I did go to university and I did teach school for a year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-murray/i-did-go-to-university-and-i-did-teach-school-for-a-year/) [Anne Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-murray/) > [A lot of my skills came from university. We did everything from stage work to operating the sound boards to marketing shows and more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvonne-strahovski/a-lot-of-my-skills-came-from-university-we-did-everything-from-stage/) [Yvonne Strahovski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvonne-strahovski/) > [I'm an example of someone who never made it to university. I did have this dream to be a musician. I felt that this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-vedder/i-m-an-example-of-someone-who-never-made-it-to-university-i-did-have/) [Eddie Vedder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-vedder/) > [I did nothing wrongEverything I've done at this university I did the right way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cam-newton/i-did-nothing-wrongeverything-i-ve-done-at-this-university-i-did-the/) [Cam Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cam-newton/) > [I am not against standardized tests. There are tests and tests and tests, and, to simplify, the ones I favor are criterion-referenced tests of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-lemann/i-am-not-against-standardized-tests-there-are-tests-and-tests-and/) [Nicholas Lemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-lemann/) > [I'd been taught from an early age that I was in the 'other' category on the standardized tests. You know, I had to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-peele/i-d-been-taught-from-an-early-age-that-i-was-in-the-other-category-on/) [Jordan Peele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-peele/) > [Sometimes the most brilliant and intelligent minds do not shine in standardized tests because they do not have standardized minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ravitch/sometimes-the-most-brilliant-and-intelligent-minds-do-not-shine-in/) [Diane Ravitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ravitch/) > [Now the problem with standardized tests is that it's based on the mistake that we can simply scale up the education of children like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/now-the-problem-with-standardized-tests-is-that-it-s-based-on-the/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [Standardized tests don't care if you're white or black, short or tall, or even the rate at which you learned the course material. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-crowder/standardized-tests-don-t-care-if-you-re-white-or-black-short-or-tall/) [Steven Crowder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-crowder/) > [The SAT is not perfect. We all know smart, knowledgeable people who do badly on standardized tests. But neither is it useless. SAT scores…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/the-sat-is-not-perfect-we-all-know-smart-knowledgeable-people-who-do/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [“Public schools were not only created in the interests of industrialism—they were created in the image of industrialism. In many ways, they reflect the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/public-schools-were-not-only-created-in-the-interests-of/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [I've made it a point to listen to the voices of students, teachers, and parents in my Administration, and I've heard loud and clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-shapiro/i-ve-made-it-a-point-to-listen-to-the-voices-of-students-teachers-and/) [Josh Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-shapiro/) > [Polls are the corporate media's standardized tests to determine how well we have learned what it has taught us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-smith/polls-are-the-corporate-media-s-standardized-tests-to-determine-how/) [Sam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-smith/) > [The stories on standardized tests don't have one author, therefore they can never authentically be in the first person. Imagine that! Everywhere, there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-zambra/the-stories-on-standardized-tests-don-t-have-one-author-therefore/) [Alejandro Zambra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-zambra/) ## More by Andrew Yang > [When I graduated from Brown, I had a very limited conception of jobs, careers, and what I wanted to do. Basically, I figured I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-yang/when-i-graduated-from-brown-i-had-a-very-limited-conception-of-jobs/) [Andrew Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-yang/) > [The vast majority of companies don't go public and mint dozens of millionaires. And most companies don't go around doling out stock options; private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-yang/the-vast-majority-of-companies-don-t-go-public-and-mint-dozens-of/) [Andrew Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-yang/) > [I have started or run several companies and spent time with dozens of entrepreneurs over the years. Virtually none of them, in my experience,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-yang/i-have-started-or-run-several-companies-and-spent-time-with-dozens-of/) [Andrew Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-yang/) > [A company can set off in one direction, figures out that it's not the right way to go, and then go in an entirely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-yang/a-company-can-set-off-in-one-direction-figures-out-that-it-s-not-the/) [Andrew Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-yang/) > [I've always believed that talking about something is not the same as doing something about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-yang/i-ve-always-believed-that-talking-about-something-is-not-the-same-as/) [Andrew Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-yang/) > [Unfortunately, hardworking, academically gifted young people are kind of lazy when it comes to determining direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-yang/unfortunately-hardworking-academically-gifted-young-people-are-kind/) [Andrew Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-yang/) > [Silicon Valley is like Wall Street in that it will fill and pursue market opportunities to their logical extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-yang/silicon-valley-is-like-wall-street-in-that-it-will-fill-and-pursue/) [Andrew Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-yang/) > [If you can't pay your bills, it has a really tough effect on your mental state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-yang/if-you-can-t-pay-your-bills-it-has-a-really-tough-effect-on-your/) [Andrew Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-yang/) > [Starting a business is similar to an athletic endeavor, like serving a tennis ball. Telling you how to do it is useless. You actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-yang/starting-a-business-is-similar-to-an-athletic-endeavor-like-serving-a/) [Andrew Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-yang/) > [I'm a capitalist, and I believe that universal basic income is necessary for capitalism to continue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-yang/i-m-a-capitalist-and-i-believe-that-universal-basic-income-is/) [Andrew Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-yang/) > [Technology companies tend to operate in winner-take-all spaces and thus adopt a very high-commitment culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-yang/technology-companies-tend-to-operate-in-winner-take-all-spaces-and/) [Andrew Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-yang/) > [After a couple of years in a professional setting, you'll get used to dressing presentably, preparing for meetings, speaking appropriately, showing up on time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-yang/after-a-couple-of-years-in-a-professional-setting-you-ll-get-used-to/) [Andrew Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-yang/) > [I try not to bring my phone to the gym - it's too tempting to play with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-yang/i-try-not-to-bring-my-phone-to-the-gym-it-s-too-tempting-to-play-with/) [Andrew Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-yang/) > [Back in 2001, my first start-up was mentioned in the 'New York Times' and 'USA Today.' I figured that would drive thousands of visitors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-yang/back-in-2001-my-first-start-up-was-mentioned-in-the-new-york-times/) [Andrew Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-yang/) > [Building a successful business requires a combination of human capital, financial resources, market opportunity, persistence, community support, and even luck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-yang/building-a-successful-business-requires-a-combination-of-human/) [Andrew Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-yang/) [Explore all 125 Andrew Yang quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-yang/) ## More Good quotes > [When I came to Chelsea, it was clear that, like many other players, I would first be loaned out. 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It's like everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tricky/sometimes-i-m-in-a-bad-mood-sometimes-i-m-in-a-good-mood-it-s-like/) [Tricky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tricky/) > [Eric Clapton's scales - when he comes off a high note and it's time for a refrain or a little bit of a rest,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-rea/eric-clapton-s-scales-when-he-comes-off-a-high-note-and-it-s-time-for/) [Chris Rea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-rea/) > [I studied all kinds of dance, all types of music. I got good grades. I started hitting the recording studio around 13.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-derulo/i-studied-all-kinds-of-dance-all-types-of-music-i-got-good-grades-i/) [Jason Derulo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-derulo/) > [Everybody has their cliques, and I was very shy. I'm still very shy. Music opened up doors. 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