--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Like when people (my parents) ask what…" description: "\"“Like when people (my parents) ask what I'm going to study in college and I say, \"English.\" They say, \"Oh. So you want to be a teacher?\" And I want to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21f/arlaina-tibensky-30414_big-city_like-when-people-my-parents-ask-what-i-m_1790630.jpg" --- # Like when people (my parents) ask what I'm going to study… ![“Like when people (my parents) ask what I'm going to study in college and I say, "English." They say, "Oh. So you want to be a teacher?" And I want to cover my eyes and mouth with duct tape and pretend to be dead and done with it. No, you simpletons. I want to travel and write and live in a big…” quote by Arlaina Tibensky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21f/arlaina-tibensky-30414_big-city_like-when-people-my-parents-ask-what-i-m_1790630.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21f/arlaina-tibensky-30414_big-city_like-when-people-my-parents-ask-what-i-m_1790630.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21f/arlaina-tibensky-30414_big-city_like-when-people-my-parents-ask-what-i-m_1790630.jpg) > ““Like when people (my parents) ask what I'm going to study in college and I say, "English." They say, "Oh. So you want to be a teacher?" And I want to cover my eyes and mouth with duct tape and pretend to be dead and done with it. No, you simpletons. I want to travel and write and live in a big city, and do cool things with my brain. This is not to disparage the fine and noble art of educating in any way. My English teachers have made me who I am today and I love them with a passion that surprises me. I just don't want to be one.”” [Arlaina Tibensky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlaina-tibensky/) ## 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 rejects the expectation that studying English leads to teaching, yearning for creative, urban experiences while honoring past mentors. **In simple terms:** I love English but don’t want to teach; I want adventure and creative work. Key Takeaway Pursue your own path, not others’ assumptions. Themes identity career creativity family expectations self‑determination Mood frustrated hopeful determined Type personal reflective motivational When to use this quote - college decision - career planning - urban living - creative projects Key Concepts vocational pressure artistic ambition mentor gratitude Questions to Reflect On - What would you do if you ignored others’ expectations? - How can you honor mentors while forging a new path? A Different Perspective Family expectations may limit exploration of alternative careers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Big city](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-city/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) ## Related quotes > [I call myself a teacher because they want me to call myself a teacher, but actually, what I'm doing is I'm studying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chick-corea/i-call-myself-a-teacher-because-they-want-me-to-call-myself-a-teacher/) [Chick Corea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chick-corea/) > [Teacher: What do you want to be when you grow up? Marji: I'll be a prophet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/teacher-what-do-you-want-to-be-when-you-grow-up-marji-i-ll-be-a/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [Teacher: DO YOU WANT TO SPEND LUNCH IN MY CLASS?!?!?! Student: Are you asking me out? O\_O](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/teacher-do-you-want-to-spend-lunch-in-my-class-student-are-you-asking/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have always admired teachers because teaching, like the priesthood, medicine and writing, is a vocation. You don't become a teacher because you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/i-have-always-admired-teachers-because-teaching-like-the-priesthood/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [You can't stop a teacher when they want to do something. They just do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-t-stop-a-teacher-when-they-want-to-do-something-they-just-do/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can go to a history class with one teacher and want to stick a pencil in your throat, and then go to another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walton-goggins/you-can-go-to-a-history-class-with-one-teacher-and-want-to-stick-a/) [Walton Goggins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walton-goggins/) > [I would call universities and community colleges and say, 'I really want to go to college. How do I get to college? What do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-fowler/i-would-call-universities-and-community-colleges-and-say-i-really/) [Susan Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-fowler/) > [After I won Miss America, I called my dad, who had four kids in college, to say he no longer had to pay for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-carlson/after-i-won-miss-america-i-called-my-dad-who-had-four-kids-in-college/) [Gretchen Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-carlson/) > [I've met girls in college that say to me, 'Is it bad that I'm 25 and I'm in love with Ross Lynch?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-lynch/i-ve-met-girls-in-college-that-say-to-me-is-it-bad-that-i-m-25-and-i/) [Ross Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-lynch/) > [A lifetime is so little a time that we die before we get ready to live. I should like to study at a college,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/a-lifetime-is-so-little-a-time-that-we-die-before-we-get-ready-to/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [In college you could say 'Coach, let's go to zone,' when you're tired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rasheed-wallace/in-college-you-could-say-coach-let-s-go-to-zone-when-you-re-tired/) [Rasheed Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rasheed-wallace/) > [I had this really intense resolve. I would call universities and community colleges and say, 'I really want to go to college. How do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-fowler/i-had-this-really-intense-resolve-i-would-call-universities-and/) [Susan Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-fowler/) > [You know how in college they say, 'School, sleep, or socializing, pick two out of three?' The two that I picked were school and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pokimane/you-know-how-in-college-they-say-school-sleep-or-socializing-pick-two/) Pokimane > [In college, you always say you're looking for a home. I found my home in Seattle before I did in college. So that's why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquill-griffin/in-college-you-always-say-you-re-looking-for-a-home-i-found-my-home/) [Shaquill Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquill-griffin/) > [I think that during college, I would say I did not enjoy playing soccer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christen-press/i-think-that-during-college-i-would-say-i-did-not-enjoy-playing-soccer/) [Christen Press](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christen-press/) ## More by Arlaina Tibensky > [“Sylvia Plath is there for me when actual living people upon who I have depended upon my whole life, are not. What I mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlaina-tibensky/sylvia-plath-is-there-for-me-when-actual-living-people-upon-who-i/) [Arlaina Tibensky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlaina-tibensky/) > [“Books and movies, they are not mere entertainment. They sustain me and help me cope with my real life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlaina-tibensky/books-and-movies-they-are-not-mere-entertainment-they-sustain-me-and/) [Arlaina Tibensky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlaina-tibensky/) > [“This is the thing about great literature. It reads like truth and sticks to you forever and lets you know that you are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlaina-tibensky/this-is-the-thing-about-great-literature-it-reads-like-truth-and/) [Arlaina Tibensky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlaina-tibensky/) > [“...because being a smart-ass is always preferable to being a dumb-ass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlaina-tibensky/because-being-a-smart-ass-is-always-preferable-to-being-a-dumb-ass/) [Arlaina Tibensky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlaina-tibensky/) > [“Karina, life can overwhelm you. The trick is to put your head down and just get on with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlaina-tibensky/karina-life-can-overwhelm-you-the-trick-is-to-put-your-head-down-and/) [Arlaina Tibensky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlaina-tibensky/) > [“Suffocation is a cruel way to go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlaina-tibensky/suffocation-is-a-cruel-way-to-go/) [Arlaina Tibensky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlaina-tibensky/) > [“Computers are quiet and clean and totally distracting because the Internet is there, lying in wait for a moment of weakness to pounce on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlaina-tibensky/computers-are-quiet-and-clean-and-totally-distracting-because-the/) [Arlaina Tibensky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlaina-tibensky/) > [“Existing is not quite enough. Passionate living is the best revenge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlaina-tibensky/existing-is-not-quite-enough-passionate-living-is-the-best-revenge/) [Arlaina Tibensky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlaina-tibensky/) > [“Reading makes me feel like I've lived a thousand lives in addition to my own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlaina-tibensky/reading-makes-me-feel-like-i-ve-lived-a-thousand-lives-in-addition-to/) [Arlaina Tibensky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlaina-tibensky/) > [“What is family anyway but people who are always supposed to be there for you? Family should be rock solid, the earth beneath your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlaina-tibensky/what-is-family-anyway-but-people-who-are-always-supposed-to-be-there/) [Arlaina Tibensky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlaina-tibensky/) > [“Every time I read a book, especially one that grabs my gus, there is another translucent layer added to what makes me, me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlaina-tibensky/every-time-i-read-a-book-especially-one-that-grabs-my-gus-there-is/) [Arlaina Tibensky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlaina-tibensky/) > [“Crying and scratching. They are both supposed to offer relief, but they don't. My muscles feel bruised and my bones hurt where they get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlaina-tibensky/crying-and-scratching-they-are-both-supposed-to-offer-relief-but-they/) [Arlaina Tibensky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlaina-tibensky/) > [“It is blissfully silent as Matt flutters his hands across my stomach and up the insides of my thigs, making me shiver. He smells…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlaina-tibensky/it-is-blissfully-silent-as-matt-flutters-his-hands-across-my-stomach/) [Arlaina Tibensky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlaina-tibensky/) > [ “Getting all emotionally wrapped up in made-up people's lives gives me a chance to take a break from my own life \[...\].” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlaina-tibensky/getting-all-emotionally-wrapped-up-in-made-up-people-s-lives-gives-me/) [Arlaina Tibensky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlaina-tibensky/) > [“Her entire existence is trying to figure out what her life is supposed to be while her heart breaks a little bit everyday over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlaina-tibensky/her-entire-existence-is-trying-to-figure-out-what-her-life-is/) [Arlaina Tibensky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlaina-tibensky/) [Explore all 17 Arlaina Tibensky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlaina-tibensky/) ## More Big city quotes > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [“Looking at and 'appreciating' art has been understood as an instrument (or at best a result) of upward mobility, in which owning art is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-r-lippard/looking-at-and-appreciating-art-has-been-understood-as-an-instrument/) [Lucy R. Lippard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-r-lippard/) > [I grew up in New York City. We used to diss Long Island and Jersey. Every big city has its own suburb like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-joseph/i-grew-up-in-new-york-city-we-used-to-diss-long-island-and-jersey/) [Max Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-joseph/) > [“Let's make no mistake about this: The American Dream starts with the neighborhoods. If we wish to rebuild our cities, we must first rebuild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/let-s-make-no-mistake-about-this-the-american-dream-starts-with-the/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [“Taste is a matter of taste.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/taste-is-a-matter-of-taste/) [Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/) > [I wasn't one of those kids who was like, 'Get me to New York. Get me to a big city.' I was always much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-allen/i-wasn-t-one-of-those-kids-who-was-like-get-me-to-new-york-get-me-to/) [Joan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-allen/) > [I think the Netherlands will become one big city at a point. It is inevitable when you live in a country with so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theo-jansen/i-think-the-netherlands-will-become-one-big-city-at-a-point-it-is/) [Theo Jansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theo-jansen/) > [“She said that certain facts are accessible only from one point of view – the point of view of the creature who experiences them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/she-said-that-certain-facts-are-accessible-only-from-one-point-of/) [Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/) > [I have always loved Manhattan, the bright lights, the big city!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-farr/i-have-always-loved-manhattan-the-bright-lights-the-big-city/) [Hilary Farr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-farr/) > [“When you live in New York or any big city, it is easy to fail at growing up. The city is designed to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/when-you-live-in-new-york-or-any-big-city-it-is-easy-to-fail-at/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [My experiences growing up - my father lived in New York, so I was going out there in the summers and meeting really interesting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/my-experiences-growing-up-my-father-lived-in-new-york-so-i-was-going/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [When I thought about Detroit, I would think big city, very urban - not a lot of places to walk around, not a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-cummings/when-i-thought-about-detroit-i-would-think-big-city-very-urban-not-a/) [Erin Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-cummings/) > [If you go to a big city anywhere in the world and you need a doctor, just ask me. 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Mary M., Lucas thought, half hypnotized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-stone/there-were-icons-of-the-magdalen-on-the-walls-and-paintings-in-the/) [Robert Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-stone/) [Browse all 264 Big city quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-city/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Like when people (my parents) ask what I'm going to study in college and I say, \"English.\" They say, \"Oh. So you want to be a teacher?\" And I want to cover my eyes and mouth with duct tape and pretend to be dead and done with it. No, you simpletons. I want to travel and write and live in a big city, and do cool things with my brain. This is not to disparage the fine and noble art of educating in any way. My English teachers have made me who I am today and I love them with a passion that surprises me. 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