--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think people tend to see the bigger…" description: "\"I think people tend to see the bigger point, which is maybe not fitting in and feeling like you didn't have the childhood that you expected you would h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e11/augusten-burroughs-603_able_i-think-people-tend-to-see-the-bigger-po_2951488.jpg" --- # I think people tend to see the bigger point, which is… ![“I think people tend to see the bigger point, which is maybe not fitting in and feeling like you didn't have the childhood that you expected you would have, or that you felt lonely or struggled with drugs and alcohol or just that you were able to achieve your dreams.” quote by Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e11/augusten-burroughs-603_able_i-think-people-tend-to-see-the-bigger-po_2951488.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e11/augusten-burroughs-603_able_i-think-people-tend-to-see-the-bigger-po_2951488.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e11/augusten-burroughs-603_able_i-think-people-tend-to-see-the-bigger-po_2951488.jpg) > “I think people tend to see the bigger point, which is maybe not fitting in and feeling like you didn't have the childhood that you expected you would have, or that you felt lonely or struggled with drugs and alcohol or just that you were able to achieve your dreams.” [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes how personal struggles and unmet childhood expectations shape adult dreams and achievements **In simple terms:** Childhood struggles influence adult dreams Key Takeaway Acknowledge past pain to grow Themes growth trauma dreams Mood introspective hopeful Type memoir self‑help When to use this quote - therapy - creative writing - goal setting - support networks Key Concepts psychology self‑actualization Questions to Reflect On - How do early experiences shape your aspirations? - What steps help heal childhood wounds? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex life narratives ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Achieve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achieve/) [Achieve Your Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achieve-your-dreams/) [Achieving your dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achieving-your-dreams/) [Alcohol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcohol/) [Bigger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigger/) [Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Drug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug/) [Drugs and alcohol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drugs-and-alcohol/) [Expected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expected/) [Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling/) [Feeling Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-like/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt/) [Felt Lonely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt-lonely/) [Fitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitting/) [Like you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-you/) [Lonely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lonely/) [Not fitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-fitting/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Struggled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggled/) [Struggled Drugs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggled-drugs-4451258/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Your dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your-dreams/) ## Related quotes > [As I and the rest of my Pittsburgh Steelers teammates prepared that week in late December 1974, we knew one thing: The road to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-greene/as-i-and-the-rest-of-my-pittsburgh-steelers-teammates-prepared-that/) [Joe Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-greene/) > [If you want to achieve your dreams, you must follow them, and the best way to follow them is not to think about wanting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-collins/if-you-want-to-achieve-your-dreams-you-must-follow-them-and-the-best/) [Jackie Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-collins/) > [It's not about how to achieve your dreams, it's about how to lead your life, ... If you lead your life the right way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/it-s-not-about-how-to-achieve-your-dreams-it-s-about-how-to-lead-your/) [Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/) > [I believe every young women needs to know that though you may have to struggle and strive to achieve your dreams, you can have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jacobson/i-believe-every-young-women-needs-to-know-that-though-you-may-have-to/) [Eric Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jacobson/) > [There are a lot of things that are personally uncomfortable to show, especially me without makeup and completely bloated or crying. But I've realized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-perry/there-are-a-lot-of-things-that-are-personally-uncomfortable-to-show/) [Katy Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-perry/) > [When you achieve your Dreams It's not so much what you get, It's who you become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-nyad/when-you-achieve-your-dreams-it-s-not-so-much-what-you-get-it-s-who/) [Diana Nyad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-nyad/) > [When you are faced with choices, you can achieve your dreams without sacrificing your integrity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-whipple/when-you-are-faced-with-choices-you-can-achieve-your-dreams-without/) [Mary Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-whipple/) > [If anyone tells you that you can't achieve your dreams, or puts you down, make your hand into a claw and tell them you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/if-anyone-tells-you-that-you-can-t-achieve-your-dreams-or-puts-you/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [..all I left with was the magnitude of my mistake, of my missing you. And I have to watch you from this distance, watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/all-i-left-with-was-the-magnitude-of-my-mistake-of-my-missing-you-and/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [It takes a lot of hard work to achieve your dreams, but nothing in life is easy. If it's something you really want, go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-sacramone/it-takes-a-lot-of-hard-work-to-achieve-your-dreams-but-nothing-in/) [Alicia Sacramone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-sacramone/) > [To achieve your dreams, you must embrace adversity and make failure a regular part of your life. If you're not failing, you're probably not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/to-achieve-your-dreams-you-must-embrace-adversity-and-make-failure-a/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [There is always going to be a reason why you can't do something; your job is to constantly look for the reasons why you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-miller/there-is-always-going-to-be-a-reason-why-you-can-t-do-something-your/) [Shannon Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-miller/) > [The key is to listen to your heart and let it carry you in the direction of your dreams. I've learned that it's possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dell/the-key-is-to-listen-to-your-heart-and-let-it-carry-you-in-the/) [Michael Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dell/) > [there should be some lessons learned and how you can use the stuff you hear today to achieve your dreams or enable the dreams…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/there-should-be-some-lessons-learned-and-how-you-can-use-the-stuff/) [Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/) > [If we live our lives as a gift it is possible to reach a blissful state of eternal happiness. It is those who live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-we-live-our-lives-as-a-gift-it-is-possible-to-reach-a-blissful/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) ## More by Augusten Burroughs > [There is nothing about myself that I wouldn't reveal or write about. I don't care how horrendous or ridiculous I may appear in person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/there-is-nothing-about-myself-that-i-wouldn-t-reveal-or-write-about-i/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [“We were alone together, we were an us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/we-were-alone-together-we-were-an-us/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [Like every child, I adored her. Until I formed a brain and got to know her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/like-every-child-i-adored-her-until-i-formed-a-brain-and-got-to-know/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [“You must hang onto the scraps of the bucking moment as if your sanity and life depended on it - because actually they do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/you-must-hang-onto-the-scraps-of-the-bucking-moment-as-if-your-sanity/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [Real optimism is not the pep talk you give yourself. It is earned through the labor involved in emotional housekeeping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/real-optimism-is-not-the-pep-talk-you-give-yourself-it-is-earned/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [If you hate your life, you haven't' seen enough of it. If you hate your life, it's because your life is too small and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/if-you-hate-your-life-you-haven-t-seen-enough-of-it-if-you-hate-your/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [I think writers tend to be experience junkies, and I think they also tend to want to be on the outside looking in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-think-writers-tend-to-be-experience-junkies-and-i-think-they-also/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [I think part of the reason I'm attracted to Foster is because he's such a mess. I mean, the people I have loved in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-think-part-of-the-reason-i-m-attracted-to-foster-is-because-he-s/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [“On typical days, (dust) is simply irritating. On Roid Rage days, it made me want to stomp down to the highway, pull drivers out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/on-typical-days-dust-is-simply-irritating-on-roid-rage-days-it-made/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [I'm like the guy who prepares your taxes or a dentist. I'm very conservative and boring in a lot of ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-m-like-the-guy-who-prepares-your-taxes-or-a-dentist-i-m-very/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [“Nothing surprises me now," I tell him. I am stoic. I am Joan of Arc, with liver damage and an unused penis.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/nothing-surprises-me-now-i-tell-him-i-am-stoic-i-am-joan-of-arc-with/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [“It's not that I was an outright nitwit of a child.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/it-s-not-that-i-was-an-outright-nitwit-of-a-child/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [What I really want is to sit next to someone under an L.L. bean blanket on the beach in the fall and drink coffee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/what-i-really-want-is-to-sit-next-to-someone-under-an-l-l-bean/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [“My worth depended on where exactly the decimal was placed among the zeroes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/my-worth-depended-on-where-exactly-the-decimal-was-placed-among-the/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [“Bookman isn't a stable man. He has a lot of problems that run very, very deep." But he was really good at giving head.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/bookman-isn-t-a-stable-man-he-has-a-lot-of-problems-that-run-very/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) [Explore all 448 Augusten Burroughs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) [Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/) > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) [Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think people tend to see the bigger point, which is maybe not fitting in and feeling like you didn't have the childhood that you expected you would have, or that you felt lonely or struggled with drugs and alcohol or just that you were able to achieve your dreams.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Augusten Burroughs" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-think-people-tend-to-see-the-bigger-point-which-is-maybe-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Able" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-think-people-tend-to-see-the-bigger-point-which-is-maybe-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e11/augusten-burroughs-603_able_i-think-people-tend-to-see-the-bigger-po_2951488.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e11/augusten-burroughs-603_able_i-think-people-tend-to-see-the-bigger-po_2951488.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e11/augusten-burroughs-603_able_i-think-people-tend-to-see-the-bigger-po_2951488.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think people tend to see the bigger point, which is maybe not fitting in and feeling like you didn't have…” — Augusten Burroughs", "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": "Augusten Burroughs", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think people tend to see...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-think-people-tend-to-see-the-bigger-point-which-is-maybe-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-think-people-tend-to-see-the-bigger-point-which-is-maybe-not/#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 } } ] } ```