--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to…" description: "\"Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28b/anonymous-1_change_yesterday-i-was-clever-so-i-wanted-to-ch_2436454.jpg" --- # Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world… ![“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28b/anonymous-1_change_yesterday-i-was-clever-so-i-wanted-to-ch_2436454.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28b/anonymous-1_change_yesterday-i-was-clever-so-i-wanted-to-ch_2436454.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28b/anonymous-1_change_yesterday-i-was-clever-so-i-wanted-to-ch_2436454.jpg) > “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker contrasts youthful cleverness aimed at changing the world with mature wisdom focused on self‑change. **In simple terms:** Shift from external change to internal growth. Key Takeaway Prioritize personal development. Themes growth wisdom self‑improvement Mood thoughtful motivational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - self‑reflection - therapy - habit formation Key Concepts psychology philosophy change Questions to Reflect On - How does personal growth affect societal change? - What steps will you take to improve yourself? A Different Perspective Self‑change alone may not impact broader issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Change the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-the-world/) [Change World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-world/) [Changing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changing/) [Changing myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changing-myself/) [Today Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today-wise-346501/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wise Changing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise-changing-346499/) [Yesterday Clever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yesterday-clever-346500/) ## Related quotes > [Yesterday I was clever and I wanted to change the world . Today I am wise and I am changing myself .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yesterday-i-was-clever-and-i-wanted-to-change-the-world-today-i-am/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A great soul said Yesterday, I was clever. So I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise. So I am changing myself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-great-soul-said-yesterday-i-was-clever-so-i-wanted-to-change-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Yesterday I was clever, That is why I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, That is why I am changing myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/yesterday-i-was-clever-that-is-why-i-wanted-to-change-the-world-today/) [Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/) > [“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.’ Rumi”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padma-aon-prakasha/yesterday-i-was-clever-so-i-wanted-to-change-the-world-today-i-am/) [Padma Aon Prakasha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padma-aon-prakasha/) > [Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think and twice as beautiful as you'd ever imagined.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/always-remember-you-are-braver-than-you-believe-stronger-than-you-4/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/today-i-am-wise-so-i-am-changing-myself/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [“Yesterday, I was clever, I wanted to be rich. Today, I am wise, I want to be happy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/yesterday-i-was-clever-i-wanted-to-be-rich-today-i-am-wise-i-want-to/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [ONE OF THE BEST SAYING: 'First I was clever so I wanted to change the world Now I'm wise so I'm changing myself.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamza-irshad-butt/one-of-the-best-saying-first-i-was-clever-so-i-wanted-to-change-the/) [Hamza Irshad Butt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamza-irshad-butt/) > [“I can only change the world by changing myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-sorenson/i-can-only-change-the-world-by-changing-myself/) [Toni Sorenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-sorenson/) > [I'm losing myself just to find a place in your mind, I'm changing myself just to stand alone in your eyes...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-losing-myself-just-to-find-a-place-in-your-mind-i-m-changing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't keep changing myself according to how someone sees me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richa-chadha/i-can-t-keep-changing-myself-according-to-how-someone-sees-me/) [Richa Chadha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richa-chadha/) > [To move forward one has to get stated.If not yet stated,never lament.Past is history. Seize the wonder & unique moment of today,be wise enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/to-move-forward-one-has-to-get-stated-if-not-yet-stated-never-lament/) [DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/) > [My upbringing is why I am the person I am today. I have very wise parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keira-knightley/my-upbringing-is-why-i-am-the-person-i-am-today-i-have-very-wise/) [Keira Knightley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keira-knightley/) > [If I'm among men who don't agree at all with my nature, I will hardly be able to accommodate myself to them without greatly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/if-i-m-among-men-who-don-t-agree-at-all-with-my-nature-i-will-hardly/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [I related to 'Sierra' in the fact that I tend to come off as pretty confident in who I am, but definitely in high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-purser/i-related-to-sierra-in-the-fact-that-i-tend-to-come-off-as-pretty/) [Shannon Purser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-purser/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) [Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/) > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. 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