--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you can't read or write at 14 or 15…" description: "\"When you can't read or write at 14 or 15, in most cases you're headed for trouble, and trouble was finding me.\" — Bob Beamon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d61/bob-beamon-33877_cases_when-you-can-t-read-or-write-at-14-or-15_1640984.png" --- # When you can't read or write at 14 or 15, in most cases… ![“When you can't read or write at 14 or 15, in most cases you're headed for trouble, and trouble was finding me.” quote by Bob Beamon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d61/bob-beamon-33877_cases_when-you-can-t-read-or-write-at-14-or-15_1640984.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d61/bob-beamon-33877_cases_when-you-can-t-read-or-write-at-14-or-15_1640984.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d61/bob-beamon-33877_cases_when-you-can-t-read-or-write-at-14-or-15_1640984.png) > “When you can't read or write at 14 or 15, in most cases you're headed for trouble, and trouble was finding me.” [Bob Beamon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beamon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Illiteracy at a young age predicts future difficulties and trouble. **In simple terms:** Being illiterate early leads to trouble. Key Takeaway Promote early literacy to prevent future problems. Themes education literacy youth development Mood concerned hopeful Type advice social When to use this quote - school systems - family support - policy making Key Concepts reading programs school funding community tutoring Questions to Reflect On - How can communities support early readers? - What other factors influence youth outcomes? A Different Perspective Literacy alone may not solve all issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [15 Cases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/15-cases-567474/) [Cases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cases/) [Finding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finding/) [Headed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/headed/) [Headed Trouble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/headed-trouble-567473/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/most/) [Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read/) [Trouble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trouble/) [Trouble Trouble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trouble-trouble-456389/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write 14](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-14-567472/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [The first time I tried to write was when I was 14, after I got an electric guitar. I put a song together, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/the-first-time-i-tried-to-write-was-when-i-was-14-after-i-got-an/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [I had to have experience, you know what I mean? Because I've been doing this since I was 14... I couldn't write about anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mnek/i-had-to-have-experience-you-know-what-i-mean-because-i-ve-been-doing/) [MNEK](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mnek/) > [Ryan Seacrest: Trouble, trouble trouble. So why do girls go for the bad guys, what is it Taylor Swift? Why? Taylor Swift: Because maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/ryan-seacrest-trouble-trouble-trouble-so-why-do-girls-go-for-the-bad/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [“Thinking you’re not in trouble and not being in trouble are two different things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-johnson/thinking-you-re-not-in-trouble-and-not-being-in-trouble-are-two/) [Craig Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-johnson/) > [Don't trouble the trouble if you don't want the trouble to trouble you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hlovate/don-t-trouble-the-trouble-if-you-don-t-want-the-trouble-to-trouble-you/) [Hlovate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hlovate/) > [I don't go looking for trouble. Trouble usually finds me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-go-looking-for-trouble-trouble-usually-finds-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am not a trouble maker. I don't make trouble, trouble finds me, I just make it interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/i-am-not-a-trouble-maker-i-don-t-make-trouble-trouble-finds-me-i-just/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [There is a country proverb which says, 'If you don't trouble trouble - trouble won't trouble you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-wentworth/there-is-a-country-proverb-which-says-if-you-don-t-trouble-trouble/) [Patricia Wentworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-wentworth/) > [A trouble is a trouble, and the general idea, in the country, is to treat it as such, rather than to snatch the knotted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcfee/a-trouble-is-a-trouble-and-the-general-idea-in-the-country-is-to/) [William McFee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcfee/) > [It's very hard to write about that which is always beautiful and pleasant and good. You don't get anywhere with it. There's no friction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bowles/it-s-very-hard-to-write-about-that-which-is-always-beautiful-and/) [Paul Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bowles/) > [I don't go looking for trouble. Trouble usually finds me. J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jk-rowling/i-don-t-go-looking-for-trouble-trouble-usually-finds-me-j-k-rowling/) [JK Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jk-rowling/) > [Better never trouble trouble until trouble troubles you; for you only make your trouble double trouble when you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-keppel/better-never-trouble-trouble-until-trouble-troubles-you-for-you-only/) [Robert D Keppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-keppel/) > [Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russyb/never-trouble-trouble-till-trouble-troubles-you/) [Russyb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russyb/) > [“never trouble trouble until trouble troubles you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-mccoll/never-trouble-trouble-until-trouble-troubles-you/) [Pamela Mccoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-mccoll/) > [“I could use language in a way that would get me into trouble and out of trouble.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-could-use-language-in-a-way-that-would-get-me-into-trouble-and-out/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Bob Beamon > [My participation in the Art of the Olympians is a natural extension of my athletic career. I find creating a piece of art in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beamon/my-participation-in-the-art-of-the-olympians-is-a-natural-extension/) [Bob Beamon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beamon/) > [In Jamaica High School in New York, my coach was Larry Ellis, and he said I could probably make the Olympic team. He gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beamon/in-jamaica-high-school-in-new-york-my-coach-was-larry-ellis-and-he/) [Bob Beamon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beamon/) > [Whatever you do, don't do it halfway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beamon/whatever-you-do-don-t-do-it-halfway/) [Bob Beamon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beamon/) > [Basketball is big stuff in New York. If you're good in it, everybody respects you. Nobody would want to ruin your shooting eye or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beamon/basketball-is-big-stuff-in-new-york-if-you-re-good-in-it-everybody/) [Bob Beamon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beamon/) > [I was lucky. My grandmother stepped up for me and said she would take responsibility for me and a compassionate juvenile judge took a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beamon/i-was-lucky-my-grandmother-stepped-up-for-me-and-said-she-would-take/) [Bob Beamon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beamon/) > [I like to listen to my iPod and also play music. I've been doing percussion since I was eight or nine. Rhythm is crucial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beamon/i-like-to-listen-to-my-ipod-and-also-play-music-i-ve-been-doing/) [Bob Beamon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beamon/) > [I'm Chief Executive Officer at Art of the Olympians Museum in Fort Myers, Florida, which was founded by my Mexico City teammate Al Oerter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beamon/i-m-chief-executive-officer-at-art-of-the-olympians-museum-in-fort/) [Bob Beamon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beamon/) > [Sometimes when you've reached a peak experience, you look for other peak experiences... I'd always been interested in art. I was looking for other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beamon/sometimes-when-you-ve-reached-a-peak-experience-you-look-for-other/) [Bob Beamon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beamon/) > [I've found that there's a lot to invigorate in any country or destination - it's all about how you look at it. I've never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beamon/i-ve-found-that-there-s-a-lot-to-invigorate-in-any-country-or/) [Bob Beamon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beamon/) > [I think track is still one of the most exciting participant sports, but we haven't been able to capitalize on that excitement through television…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beamon/i-think-track-is-still-one-of-the-most-exciting-participant-sports/) [Bob Beamon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beamon/) > [I had to get beat to understand how to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beamon/i-had-to-get-beat-to-understand-how-to-win/) [Bob Beamon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beamon/) > [I always look back at when I didn't have a dream, when I didn't have a spirit. I didn't know what the Olympics was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beamon/i-always-look-back-at-when-i-didn-t-have-a-dream-when-i-didn-t-have-a/) [Bob Beamon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beamon/) > [If my dreams can happen to me, your dreams can happen to you. Champions are not made on the track or field; champions are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beamon/if-my-dreams-can-happen-to-me-your-dreams-can-happen-to-you-champions/) [Bob Beamon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beamon/) [Explore all 14 Bob Beamon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beamon/) ## More Cases quotes > [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [I'd always have grease in at least two places, in case the umpires would ask me to wipe one off. I never wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-perry/i-d-always-have-grease-in-at-least-two-places-in-case-the-umpires/) [Gaylord Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-perry/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [You gonna take the case?" It's not a case. It's a missing person. Sort of." You're gonna have a devil of a time finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/you-gonna-take-the-case-it-s-not-a-case-it-s-a-missing-person-sort-of/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [I think we've all had enough of Coltrane saxophonists. There's a case of someone ruining a generation of saxophonists, as Louis Armstrong may have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bley/i-think-we-ve-all-had-enough-of-coltrane-saxophonists-there-s-a-case/) [Paul Bley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bley/) > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [The world around us is an increasingly hostile and sinful place. Occasionally that splashes onto us, and perhaps, in the case of a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-world-around-us-is-an-increasingly-hostile-and-sinful-place/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [If you followed the media you'd think that everybody in Africa was starving to death, and that's not the case; so it's important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/if-you-followed-the-media-you-d-think-that-everybody-in-africa-was/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [ \[As in the case of\] alcohol prohibition, illegality has driven organized crime, sent countless people to jail, and killed many thousands. Repression does not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-branson/as-in-the-case-of-alcohol-prohibition-illegality-has-driven-organized/) [Sam Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-branson/) > [He emphasised basic truths: you are not dying yet, you have to live your life until you are. Underpinning them was the belief that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/he-emphasised-basic-truths-you-are-not-dying-yet-you-have-to-live/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [Athletes at all ages are bigger and stronger than ever before. And they are being encouraged - sometimes even incentivized, as we recently learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-jain/athletes-at-all-ages-are-bigger-and-stronger-than-ever-before-and/) [Naveen Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-jain/) > [Each Act of Parliament intended to address harassment and discrimination has faced objections on the basis of 'you'll never be able to prove...' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-field/each-act-of-parliament-intended-to-address-harassment-and/) [Tim Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-field/) > [The Cheney team had, for example, technological supremacy over the National Security Council staff. That is to say, they could read their e-mails. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wilkerson/the-cheney-team-had-for-example-technological-supremacy-over-the/) [Lawrence Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wilkerson/) > [If you want good behavior, don't pay on a commission basis. Our judges aren't paid so much a case. We keep them pretty well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/if-you-want-good-behavior-don-t-pay-on-a-commission-basis-our-judges/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) [Browse all 6,420 Cases quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cases/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you can't read or write at 14 or 15, in most cases you're headed for trouble, and trouble was finding me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bob Beamon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beamon/when-you-can-t-read-or-write-at-14-or-15-in-most-cases-you-re-headed/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cases" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beamon/when-you-can-t-read-or-write-at-14-or-15-in-most-cases-you-re-headed/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d61/bob-beamon-33877_cases_when-you-can-t-read-or-write-at-14-or-15_1640984.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d61/bob-beamon-33877_cases_when-you-can-t-read-or-write-at-14-or-15_1640984.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d61/bob-beamon-33877_cases_when-you-can-t-read-or-write-at-14-or-15_1640984.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When you can't read or write at 14 or 15, in most cases you're headed for trouble, and trouble was finding me.” — Bob Beamon", "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": "Bob Beamon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beamon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When you can't read or write...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beamon/when-you-can-t-read-or-write-at-14-or-15-in-most-cases-you-re-headed/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beamon/when-you-can-t-read-or-write-at-14-or-15-in-most-cases-you-re-headed/#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 } } ] } ```