--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was something in me, even leaving…" description: "\"There was something in me, even leaving fifth grade, that hit me and said, \"I have to get out of here. I don't know where, and I don't know what else I..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/babatunde-adebimpe-17662_can-do_there-was-something-in-me-even-leaving-f_2503904.jpg" --- # There was something in me, even leaving fifth grade, that… ![“There was something in me, even leaving fifth grade, that hit me and said, "I have to get out of here. I don't know where, and I don't know what else I can do but I'm really not going to end up like any of these people."” quote by Babatunde Adebimpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/babatunde-adebimpe-17662_can-do_there-was-something-in-me-even-leaving-f_2503904.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/babatunde-adebimpe-17662_can-do_there-was-something-in-me-even-leaving-f_2503904.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/babatunde-adebimpe-17662_can-do_there-was-something-in-me-even-leaving-f_2503904.jpg) > “There was something in me, even leaving fifth grade, that hit me and said, "I have to get out of here. I don't know where, and I don't know what else I can do but I'm really not going to end up like any of these people."” [Babatunde Adebimpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babatunde-adebimpe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A young person feels compelled to escape a limiting environment, uncertain of the future but determined not to repeat others' mistakes. **In simple terms:** Desire to leave a bad situation despite uncertainty. Key Takeaway Seek change before stagnation. Themes self‑determination escape identity future Mood determated reflective Type motivational personal When to use this quote - school transition - career change - personal growth - breaking cycles Key Concepts existential anxiety agency social pressure Questions to Reflect On - What environment is holding you back? - How can you create a clear path forward? A Different Perspective Fear of the unknown may hinder decisive action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Can do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/can-do/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Fifth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fifth/) [Fifth grade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fifth-grade/) [Grade Hit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grade-hit-1088865/) [Grades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grades/) [Hit Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hit-said-1088864/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Leaving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaving/) [Leaving Fifth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaving-fifth-1088863/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) ## Related quotes > [Everybody either wanted to take care of me or push me around, you know? I was teased a lot, sure I was, of course.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-hunt/everybody-either-wanted-to-take-care-of-me-or-push-me-around-you-know/) [Linda Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-hunt/) > [I asked all through third, fourth and fifth grade, when they were asking kids to be in the band, to be in the school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-gordon/i-asked-all-through-third-fourth-and-fifth-grade-when-they-were/) [Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-gordon/) > [My family moved to Israel when I was eight until I was 10, and then we came back, and my parents split up. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/my-family-moved-to-israel-when-i-was-eight-until-i-was-10-and-then-we/) [Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/) > [I did not come from an academic background. My father was a smart man, but he had a fifth-grade education. He and all his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-susskind/i-did-not-come-from-an-academic-background-my-father-was-a-smart-man/) [Leonard Susskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-susskind/) > [But I guess you would look beatific, too, if the man you had been in love with since the fifth grade had told you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/but-i-guess-you-would-look-beatific-too-if-the-man-you-had-been-in/) [Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/) > [I apologize for Pam. I accidentally hit her in the head with a baseball when we were in fifth grade and knocked her out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-apologize-for-pam-i-accidentally-hit-her-in-the-head-with-a/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [I forgive nothing. If you stole my orange crayon in the fifth grade, you're still on my hit list, buddy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/i-forgive-nothing-if-you-stole-my-orange-crayon-in-the-fifth-grade/) [Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/) > [ \[ Mrs. James, my fifth-grade teacher\] introduced us to these authors early on and taught us that their literature is important. Langston Hughes -… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/mrs-james-my-fifth-grade-teacher-introduced-us-to-these-authors-early/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [I loved school. But when I started 'Party of Five' in the fifth grade, I was taken out of school and tutored on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lacey-chabert/i-loved-school-but-when-i-started-party-of-five-in-the-fifth-grade-i/) [Lacey Chabert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lacey-chabert/) > [I was a paper boy, beginning the summer between my fourth-grade and fifth-grade years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boies/i-was-a-paper-boy-beginning-the-summer-between-my-fourth-grade-and/) [David Boies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boies/) > [I never really called people out. It was more along the lines of teasing a person. It started for me in fifth grade on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keyshawn-johnson/i-never-really-called-people-out-it-was-more-along-the-lines-of/) [Keyshawn Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keyshawn-johnson/) > [The most unsuccessful three years in the education of cost estimators appears to be fifth-grade arithmetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/the-most-unsuccessful-three-years-in-the-education-of-cost-estimators/) [Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/) > [If you don't know the difference between dictatorship and leadership then you got to go back to a fifth grade civics class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-kaine/if-you-don-t-know-the-difference-between-dictatorship-and-leadership/) [Tim Kaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-kaine/) > [I wrote a song at age five about algae on the pond by our house, then the next 'real' song was in fifth grade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-salpeter/i-wrote-a-song-at-age-five-about-algae-on-the-pond-by-our-house-then/) [Greta Salpeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-salpeter/) > [I remember in the fifth grade my dad would take me to Manhattan to shop for clothes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophilus-london/i-remember-in-the-fifth-grade-my-dad-would-take-me-to-manhattan-to/) [Theophilus London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophilus-london/) ## More by Babatunde Adebimpe > [I was born in St. Louis and lived in Pittsburgh for a bit, before my family moved to Nigeria, where they're from. We lived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babatunde-adebimpe/i-was-born-in-st-louis-and-lived-in-pittsburgh-for-a-bit-before-my/) [Babatunde Adebimpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babatunde-adebimpe/) > [I feel like now if you're going to start a band you have to have an Instagram full of yourself looking a certain way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babatunde-adebimpe/i-feel-like-now-if-you-re-going-to-start-a-band-you-have-to-have-an/) [Babatunde Adebimpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babatunde-adebimpe/) > [If you push hard enough you can change. You can take everything you know and round it up, turn it into something else, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babatunde-adebimpe/if-you-push-hard-enough-you-can-change-you-can-take-everything-you/) [Babatunde Adebimpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babatunde-adebimpe/) > [ Hearing that \[David\] Bowie passed was like you don't really believe it. It's as if the sky shifted a little bit, to remind you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babatunde-adebimpe/hearing-that-david-bowie-passed-was-like-you-don-t-really-believe-it/) [Babatunde Adebimpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babatunde-adebimpe/) > [There are a lot of spikes that can happen when what you're doing starts to get attention or people start to talk about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babatunde-adebimpe/there-are-a-lot-of-spikes-that-can-happen-when-what-you-re-doing/) [Babatunde Adebimpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babatunde-adebimpe/) > [The cynicism doesn't come across in the final; it can be taken as a very sincere plea for someone to not go away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babatunde-adebimpe/the-cynicism-doesn-t-come-across-in-the-final-it-can-be-taken-as-a/) [Babatunde Adebimpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babatunde-adebimpe/) > [I've had terrible, terrible, terrible shows where I just thought, "That was off-key" or I forgot lines or I thought I looked like an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babatunde-adebimpe/i-ve-had-terrible-terrible-terrible-shows-where-i-just-thought-that/) [Babatunde Adebimpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babatunde-adebimpe/) > [A lot of people have reunion things, but I think bands are supposed to break up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babatunde-adebimpe/a-lot-of-people-have-reunion-things-but-i-think-bands-are-supposed-to/) [Babatunde Adebimpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babatunde-adebimpe/) > [Ten years is a pretty good run for anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babatunde-adebimpe/ten-years-is-a-pretty-good-run-for-anything/) [Babatunde Adebimpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babatunde-adebimpe/) > [I know that being upset without having an avenue to fix anything is a real hard place to be in for too long. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babatunde-adebimpe/i-know-that-being-upset-without-having-an-avenue-to-fix-anything-is-a/) [Babatunde Adebimpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babatunde-adebimpe/) > [The feeling of being halfway through a show and just realizing that there's nothing you can do to save it - it's a horrible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babatunde-adebimpe/the-feeling-of-being-halfway-through-a-show-and-just-realizing-that/) [Babatunde Adebimpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babatunde-adebimpe/) > [I was living in a loft with Dave Sitek - this loft full of people just working on their stuff. Some were painting, some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babatunde-adebimpe/i-was-living-in-a-loft-with-dave-sitek-this-loft-full-of-people-just/) [Babatunde Adebimpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babatunde-adebimpe/) > [Painting and animation can be kind of long work. Music was more immediate and more fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babatunde-adebimpe/painting-and-animation-can-be-kind-of-long-work-music-was-more/) [Babatunde Adebimpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babatunde-adebimpe/) > [Most of the bands that I really like no longer exist. That might just be because I'm in my thirties or whatever. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babatunde-adebimpe/most-of-the-bands-that-i-really-like-no-longer-exist-that-might-just/) [Babatunde Adebimpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babatunde-adebimpe/) > [Being 15 and like a punk in the DIY community, basically being with a group of people like no one else, it was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babatunde-adebimpe/being-15-and-like-a-punk-in-the-diy-community-basically-being-with-a/) [Babatunde Adebimpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babatunde-adebimpe/) [Explore all 36 Babatunde Adebimpe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babatunde-adebimpe/) ## More Can do quotes > [Changes before your eyes, things you can do and things you can't. My attitude is always let it keep rolling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-malick/changes-before-your-eyes-things-you-can-do-and-things-you-can-t-my/) [Terrence Malick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrence-malick/) > [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/) [Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/) > [If I had a million dollars, I just wouldn't just completely set back. I'd have to get out there and show my face to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muddy-waters/if-i-had-a-million-dollars-i-just-wouldn-t-just-completely-set-back-i/) [Muddy Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muddy-waters/) > [Anybody can be Prince Charming one day a year, with the dinner and the flowers and all that. But you know what impresses me?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-howard/anybody-can-be-prince-charming-one-day-a-year-with-the-dinner-and-the/) [Ryan Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-howard/) > [And if the mind thinks with a believing attitude one can do amazing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/and-if-the-mind-thinks-with-a-believing-attitude-one-can-do-amazing/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The amount of things you can do with a kettlebell is unsurpassed by any other training equipment - dumbbells, resistance machines, free weights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-hamilton/the-amount-of-things-you-can-do-with-a-kettlebell-is-unsurpassed-by/) [Laird Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-hamilton/) > [It's nice when you've done enough movies that you can do your own anthology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/it-s-nice-when-you-ve-done-enough-movies-that-you-can-do-your-own/) [John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/) > [If people don't have their own vision, all they can do is 'sign-up' for someone else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/if-people-don-t-have-their-own-vision-all-they-can-do-is-sign-up-for/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [The one thing that flies in the face of all human history and experience, is that the government can do a superior job than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/the-one-thing-that-flies-in-the-face-of-all-human-history-and/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [...what I can do is offer myself, wholehearted and present, to walk with the people I love through the fear and the mess. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/what-i-can-do-is-offer-myself-wholehearted-and-present-to-walk-with/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [Whether that's speaking up in your job or asking for a promotion or saying, 'I think I can do that.' Using your voice in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-shriver/whether-that-s-speaking-up-in-your-job-or-asking-for-a-promotion-or/) [Maria Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-shriver/) > [The average ordinary citizen can do a lot of different things when it comes to the climate crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/the-average-ordinary-citizen-can-do-a-lot-of-different-things-when-it/) [Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/) > [A professional is a man who can do his job when he doesn't feel like it. An amateur is a man who can't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/a-professional-is-a-man-who-can-do-his-job-when-he-doesn-t-feel-like/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) > [The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, as it pleases him, for he can do all things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/the-lord-gives-and-the-lord-takes-away-as-it-pleases-him-for-he-can/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) > [I'm not an educated man. I only know what I'm told, and I'm not told that much; I have no frame of reference for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-m-not-an-educated-man-i-only-know-what-i-m-told-and-i-m-not-told/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) [Browse all 5,673 Can do quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/can-do/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There was something in me, even leaving fifth grade, that hit me and said, \"I have to get out of here. 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