--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was really young, my ambition…" description: "\"When I was really young, my ambition wasn't to do science. I didn't really know that I could. It was to write a great novel.\" — Barry Barish" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a57/barry-barish-17802_ambition_when-i-was-really-young-my-ambition-wasn_1350962.jpg" --- # When I was really young, my ambition wasn't to do science… ![“When I was really young, my ambition wasn't to do science. I didn't really know that I could. It was to write a great novel.” quote by Barry Barish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a57/barry-barish-17802_ambition_when-i-was-really-young-my-ambition-wasn_1350962.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a57/barry-barish-17802_ambition_when-i-was-really-young-my-ambition-wasn_1350962.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a57/barry-barish-17802_ambition_when-i-was-really-young-my-ambition-wasn_1350962.jpg) > “When I was really young, my ambition wasn't to do science. I didn't really know that I could. It was to write a great novel.” [Barry Barish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-barish/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A childhood dream of writing a novel reflects early creative ambition before discovering science. **In simple terms:** Child wanted to write a novel before science. Key Takeaway Explore early passions to guide future paths. Themes creativity ambition career growth Mood nostalgic reflective Type inspirational personal When to use this quote - school projects - career planning - creative writing - science education Key Concepts identity self‑discovery inspiration Questions to Reflect On - What early dream still influences you? - How can you blend past passions with current work? A Different Perspective Early goals may shift, requiring flexibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [Acting was a way out at first. A way out of not knowing what to do, a way of focusing ambitions. And the ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harrison-ford/acting-was-a-way-out-at-first-a-way-out-of-not-knowing-what-to-do-a/) [Harrison Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harrison-ford/) > [“The science was on Smith’s side, but it didn’t seem to matter to ranchers and hunters, or to state legislators. The debate wasn’t about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-blakeslee/the-science-was-on-smith-s-side-but-it-didn-t-seem-to-matter-to/) Nate Blakeslee > [Be sure of this, O young ambition, all mortal greatness is but disease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/be-sure-of-this-o-young-ambition-all-mortal-greatness-is-but-disease/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [When I was young, my ambition was to be one of the people who made a difference in this world. My hope is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-henson/when-i-was-young-my-ambition-was-to-be-one-of-the-people-who-made-a/) [Jim Henson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-henson/) > [“There was so much medical science didn’t know about the brain . . . probably never would.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-was-so-much-medical-science-didn-t-know-about-the-brain/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Many respectable physicists said that they weren't going to stand for this -- partly because it was a debasement of science, but mostly because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/many-respectable-physicists-said-that-they-weren-t-going-to-stand-for/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [I very much enjoyed my career in science. I didn't leave science because I was disillusioned, but felt I'd done my bit for it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-polkinghorne/i-very-much-enjoyed-my-career-in-science-i-didn-t-leave-science/) [John Polkinghorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-polkinghorne/) > [I don't impose political responsibilities on my fiction. The last thing I would ever want to do, for example, is write a novel that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-goldman/i-don-t-impose-political-responsibilities-on-my-fiction-the-last/) [Francisco Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-goldman/) > [I was always attracted most to joining City, and I am pleased to be at such a good club with such a big ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edin-dzeko/i-was-always-attracted-most-to-joining-city-and-i-am-pleased-to-be-at/) [Edin Dzeko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edin-dzeko/) > [“I was ambitious and desperate to direct my first film, so I capitulated and blew it. Never again. Never fucking again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/i-was-ambitious-and-desperate-to-direct-my-first-film-so-i/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [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/) > [A man's worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-s-worth-is-no-greater-than-the-worth-of-his-ambitions/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [One needs more than ambition and talent to make a success of anything, really. There must be love and a vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessye-norman/one-needs-more-than-ambition-and-talent-to-make-a-success-of-anything/) [Jessye Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessye-norman/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) ## More by Barry Barish > [The waves are subtle, altering spacetime and the distance between objects as far apart as the Earth and the Moon by much less than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-barish/the-waves-are-subtle-altering-spacetime-and-the-distance-between/) [Barry Barish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-barish/) > [When the signal reached LIGO from a collision of two stellar black holes that occurred 1.3 billion years ago, the 1,000-scientist-strong LIGO Scientific Collaboration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-barish/when-the-signal-reached-ligo-from-a-collision-of-two-stellar-black/) [Barry Barish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-barish/) > [It's hard to do large, expensive projects without some sort of hierarchical structure where somebody can tell you - maybe softly, but at least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-barish/it-s-hard-to-do-large-expensive-projects-without-some-sort-of/) [Barry Barish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-barish/) > [The detection of gravitational waves is truly a triumph of modern large-scale experimental physics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-barish/the-detection-of-gravitational-waves-is-truly-a-triumph-of-modern/) [Barry Barish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-barish/) > [It's very difficult to tell when you're successful, because it's so hard to make measurements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-barish/it-s-very-difficult-to-tell-when-you-re-successful-because-it-s-so/) [Barry Barish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-barish/) > [I live on the Santa Monica Beach and bike up and down almost every day. I like exercise, and I like literature a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-barish/i-live-on-the-santa-monica-beach-and-bike-up-and-down-almost-every/) [Barry Barish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-barish/) > [I think the scientific goals and the technical challenges were the two things that equally motivated me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-barish/i-think-the-scientific-goals-and-the-technical-challenges-were-the/) [Barry Barish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-barish/) > [There's some aura about a Nobel Prize, there's a prestige, that gives me a responsibility that I didn't have before, that goes beyond my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-barish/there-s-some-aura-about-a-nobel-prize-there-s-a-prestige-that-gives/) [Barry Barish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-barish/) > [I have somewhat ambivalent feelings about the recognition of individuals when so much of this was a team effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-barish/i-have-somewhat-ambivalent-feelings-about-the-recognition-of/) [Barry Barish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-barish/) > [Anything that makes us take more seriously scientists - or economists or chemists or physicists or biologists - I think is helpful in times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-barish/anything-that-makes-us-take-more-seriously-scientists-or-economists/) [Barry Barish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-barish/) > [If we are going to build an ambitious machine, then it's got to be a global machine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-barish/if-we-are-going-to-build-an-ambitious-machine-then-it-s-got-to-be-a/) [Barry Barish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-barish/) > [The first instrument is not the final instrument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-barish/the-first-instrument-is-not-the-final-instrument/) [Barry Barish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-barish/) > [Scientists, especially physicists, we're presumptuous and think we can do everything better than everybody else. And one thing that I realized early is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-barish/scientists-especially-physicists-we-re-presumptuous-and-think-we-can/) [Barry Barish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-barish/) > [I can't imagine that, now that we have another way to look at the universe, that there isn't going to be some enormous surprises.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-barish/i-can-t-imagine-that-now-that-we-have-another-way-to-look-at-the/) [Barry Barish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-barish/) > [In a small lab, if you make a mistake, you can go in the next day and fix it. But here, when you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-barish/in-a-small-lab-if-you-make-a-mistake-you-can-go-in-the-next-day-and/) [Barry Barish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-barish/) [Explore all 36 Barry Barish quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-barish/) ## More Ambition quotes > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [One needs more than ambition and talent to make a success of anything, really. There must be love and a vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessye-norman/one-needs-more-than-ambition-and-talent-to-make-a-success-of-anything/) [Jessye Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessye-norman/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [A man's worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-s-worth-is-no-greater-than-the-worth-of-his-ambitions/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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 was ambitious and desperate to direct my first film, so I capitulated and blew it. Never again. Never fucking again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/i-was-ambitious-and-desperate-to-direct-my-first-film-so-i/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [I was always attracted most to joining City, and I am pleased to be at such a good club with such a big ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edin-dzeko/i-was-always-attracted-most-to-joining-city-and-i-am-pleased-to-be-at/) [Edin Dzeko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edin-dzeko/) > [Work towards your goal and dont watch the post size,its either they hate,or like you.there is no room for both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-buabeng/work-towards-your-goal-and-dont-watch-the-post-size-its-either-they/) [Isaac Buabeng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-buabeng/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [I play for high stakes and given an audience - there is no act too daring or too noble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-play-for-high-stakes-and-given-an-audience-there-is-no-act-too/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [There's nothing worse than a leader who lacks ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-nothing-worse-than-a-leader-who-lacks-ambition/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If i can't even protect my captain's dream, then whatever ambition i have is nothing but talk..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoro/if-i-can-t-even-protect-my-captain-s-dream-then-whatever-ambition-i/) [Zoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoro/) > [It may seem unattainable but if you put actions, your heart and your mind into it, you will prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-mond/it-may-seem-unattainable-but-if-you-put-actions-your-heart-and-your/) [London Mond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-mond/) > [Obligation is what's leading us to toward successful, and what keeps us moving towards the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wazim-shaw/obligation-is-what-s-leading-us-to-toward-successful-and-what-keeps/) [Wazim Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wazim-shaw/) [Browse all 4,601 Ambition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was really young, my ambition wasn't to do science. 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