--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was very driven, very focused, very…" description: "\"I was very driven, very focused, very ambitious. I mean, when I look back on myself in my 20s, part of me just cringes.\" — Anna Quindlen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d25/anna-quindlen-467_ambitious_i-was-very-driven-very-focused-very-ambi_1227869.png" --- # I was very driven, very focused, very ambitious. I mean… ![“I was very driven, very focused, very ambitious. I mean, when I look back on myself in my 20s, part of me just cringes.” quote by Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d25/anna-quindlen-467_ambitious_i-was-very-driven-very-focused-very-ambi_1227869.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d25/anna-quindlen-467_ambitious_i-was-very-driven-very-focused-very-ambi_1227869.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d25/anna-quindlen-467_ambitious_i-was-very-driven-very-focused-very-ambi_1227869.png) > “I was very driven, very focused, very ambitious. I mean, when I look back on myself in my 20s, part of me just cringes.” [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reflecting on youthful ambition, the speaker feels embarrassment at past over‑driven behavior **In simple terms:** Regret over past over‑ambition Key Takeaway Balance drive with self‑compassion Themes ambition reflection regret Mood reflective nostalgic Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - self‑assessment - mid‑life reflection Key Concepts Self‑awareness personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What drives your current ambitions? - How can you temper drive with humility? A Different Perspective Ambition can be healthy, but unchecked it may cause later shame ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambitious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambitious/) [Ambitious Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambitious-mean-3785291/) [Cringe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cringe/) [Driven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/driven/) [Focused](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focused/) [Focused Ambitious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focused-ambitious-3785290/) [Look 20S](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-20s-558259/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) ## Related quotes > [The great thing about modern feminism is that women can define what it means to them: it can mean being ambitious, it can mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-chastain/the-great-thing-about-modern-feminism-is-that-women-can-define-what/) [Jessica Chastain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-chastain/) > [When men call women ambitious they mean pushy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-truss/when-men-call-women-ambitious-they-mean-pushy/) [Liz Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-truss/) > [It's a good giggle to look back at yourself in your 20s. You thought you were so fierce and fabulous, and it's just embarrassing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tabatha-coffey/it-s-a-good-giggle-to-look-back-at-yourself-in-your-20s-you-thought/) [Tabatha Coffey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tabatha-coffey/) > [I look back on my 20s. It's supposed to be the prime of your life, the most vital, the most beautiful. But you're making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/i-look-back-on-my-20s-it-s-supposed-to-be-the-prime-of-your-life-the/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [Thirty was a big deal for me. It was the age where I reevaluated everything - how I approached life and how I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-adams/thirty-was-a-big-deal-for-me-it-was-the-age-where-i-reevaluated/) [Amy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-adams/) > [I had a great time in my youth and I still feel youthful. I've no desire to look as though I'm in my 20s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-cattrall/i-had-a-great-time-in-my-youth-and-i-still-feel-youthful-i-ve-no/) [Kim Cattrall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-cattrall/) > [Trying to be perfect may be inevitable for people who are smart and ambitious and interested in the world and its good opinion...What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/trying-to-be-perfect-may-be-inevitable-for-people-who-are-smart-and/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [I never heard the expression, "A strong man," unless somebody was in the gym lifting a heavy barbell. Why is there a difference between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-griffiths/i-never-heard-the-expression-a-strong-man-unless-somebody-was-in-the/) [Megan Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-griffiths/) > [I'm a very ambitious person. I'm driven. And I'm competitive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-m-a-very-ambitious-person-i-m-driven-and-i-m-competitive/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I'm a very driven, ambitious, positive person. But I'm a spiritual person as well. I believe in creative visualization. So for me to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-beckham/i-m-a-very-driven-ambitious-positive-person-but-i-m-a-spiritual/) [Victoria Beckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-beckham/) > [People can see that we are part of a tradition of absurd comedy, stretching from Spike Milligan and Peter Cook through to Monty Python…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barratt/people-can-see-that-we-are-part-of-a-tradition-of-absurd-comedy/) [Julian Barratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barratt/) > [Whenever I write lyrics and an Americanism slips in, I always cut it straight out. I can't use the word 'babe,' for instance. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-o-sullivan/whenever-i-write-lyrics-and-an-americanism-slips-in-i-always-cut-it/) [Gilbert O'Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-o-sullivan/) > [You can't knock somebody for how they got into the business. I'm sure I'm gonna look back at 'Roswell' and some of my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hanks/you-can-t-knock-somebody-for-how-they-got-into-the-business-i-m-sure/) [Colin Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hanks/) > [I think the first person to call me 'Britain's Obama' was Martin Bright at the New Statesman. Harriet Harman made the comparison once at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuka-umunna/i-think-the-first-person-to-call-me-britain-s-obama-was-martin-bright/) [Chuka Umunna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuka-umunna/) > [Some of the things I've done, like getting Justin Edinburgh sent off in the cup final by going down, I'm embarrassed - I cringe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-savage/some-of-the-things-i-ve-done-like-getting-justin-edinburgh-sent-off/) [Robbie Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-savage/) ## More by Anna Quindlen > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Trying to be perfect may be inevitable for people who are smart and ambitious and interested in the world and its good opinion...What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/trying-to-be-perfect-may-be-inevitable-for-people-who-are-smart-and/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Sometimes change came all at once, with a sound like a fire taking hold of dry wood and paper, with a roar that rose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/sometimes-change-came-all-at-once-with-a-sound-like-a-fire-taking/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Loss as muse. Loss as character. Loss as life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/loss-as-muse-loss-as-character-loss-as-life/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [knowledge of our own mortality is the greatest gift God ever gives us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/knowledge-of-our-own-mortality-is-the-greatest-gift-god-ever-gives-us/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [You teach your 16-year-old with your heart in your mouth to be a good driver and none of that makes any difference when some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/you-teach-your-16-year-old-with-your-heart-in-your-mouth-to-be-a-good/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Every reader, I suspect, has a book like this somewhere in his or her past, a book that seemed to hold within it, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/every-reader-i-suspect-has-a-book-like-this-somewhere-in-his-or-her/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“I’ve finally recognized my body for what it is: a personality-delivery system, designed expressly to carry my character from place to place, now and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-ve-finally-recognized-my-body-for-what-it-is-a-personality-delivery/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [A man who builds his own pedestal had better use strong cement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/a-man-who-builds-his-own-pedestal-had-better-use-strong-cement/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“In England I am always madam; I arrived too late to ever be a miss. In New York I have only been madamed once,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/in-england-i-am-always-madam-i-arrived-too-late-to-ever-be-a-miss-in/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“Yet there was always in me, even when I was very small, the sense that I ought to be somewhere else. And wander I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/yet-there-was-always-in-me-even-when-i-was-very-small-the-sense-that/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [I can't think of a single downside to motherhood now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-can-t-think-of-a-single-downside-to-motherhood-now/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It would take a helluva man to replace no man at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/it-would-take-a-helluva-man-to-replace-no-man-at-all/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Not writing at all leads to nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/not-writing-at-all-leads-to-nothing/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Reading has always been my home, my sustenance, my great invincible companion. "Book love," Trollope called it. "It will make your hours pleasant to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/reading-has-always-been-my-home-my-sustenance-my-great-invincible/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) [Explore all 538 Anna Quindlen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) ## More Ambitious quotes > [I'm hungry and ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julen-lopetegui/i-m-hungry-and-ambitious/) [Julen Lopetegui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julen-lopetegui/) > [I want my squad to be confident, ambitious. They have to believe in big things and we have to set targets internally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-howe/i-want-my-squad-to-be-confident-ambitious-they-have-to-believe-in-big/) [Eddie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-howe/) > [I almost never have a plan for myself... I'm not ambitious in that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/i-almost-never-have-a-plan-for-myself-i-m-not-ambitious-in-that-way/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [“Getting rich is easy, staying rich is impressive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-trip/getting-rich-is-easy-staying-rich-is-impressive/) [Don Trip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-trip/) > [Trying to be perfect may be inevitable for people who are smart and ambitious and interested in the world and its good opinion...What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/trying-to-be-perfect-may-be-inevitable-for-people-who-are-smart-and/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Business is always a struggle. There are always obstacles and competitors. There is never an open road, except the wide road that leads to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kirubi/business-is-always-a-struggle-there-are-always-obstacles-and/) [Chris Kirubi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kirubi/) > [I am ambitious to do more than what has been offered me. I want to be the best in whatever career I choose and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uday-chopra/i-am-ambitious-to-do-more-than-what-has-been-offered-me-i-want-to-be/) [Uday Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uday-chopra/) > [There are four varieties in society — the lovers, the ambitious, observers, and fools. The fools are the happiest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hippolyte-taine/there-are-four-varieties-in-society-the-lovers-the-ambitious/) [Hippolyte Taine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hippolyte-taine/) > [People who are ambitious - politicians who crave power - think that they're in control of it, but at some point, the movement that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/people-who-are-ambitious-politicians-who-crave-power-think-that-they/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [I'm not ambitious. Not a bit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/i-m-not-ambitious-not-a-bit/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [Aggressive and hard-charging women violate unwritten rules about acceptable social conduct. Men are continually applauded for being ambitious and powerful and successful, but women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/aggressive-and-hard-charging-women-violate-unwritten-rules-about/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [I understood early on that I was not the best-looking girl in the room. But I knew my advantage was a hard work ethic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-o-connor/i-understood-early-on-that-i-was-not-the-best-looking-girl-in-the/) [Erin O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-o-connor/) > [It is ordained that to the ambitious, who derive no satisfaction from the gifts of life and the beauty of the world, life shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/it-is-ordained-that-to-the-ambitious-who-derive-no-satisfaction-from/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [If Reagan and John Paul II were linked by anything, it was a grand, ambitious, and generous idea of Western political civilization, one in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/if-reagan-and-john-paul-ii-were-linked-by-anything-it-was-a-grand/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [To talk only about national security, national defense, means to be selfish, ambitious. It is discrimination, isolation. "It is just me. What do I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/to-talk-only-about-national-security-national-defense-means-to-be/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) [Browse all 1,269 Ambitious quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambitious/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was very driven, very focused, very ambitious. 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