--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only good things about his eighteenth…" description: "\"“The only good things about his eighteenth year were the things he hadn’t done: He hadn’t murdered anybody or sold drugs.”\" — Caroline B. Cooney" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/143/caroline-b-cooney-5045_eighteenth_the-only-good-things-about-his-eighteent_1431787.png" --- # The only good things about his eighteenth year were the… ![“The only good things about his eighteenth year were the things he hadn’t done: He hadn’t murdered anybody or sold drugs.” quote by Caroline B. Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/143/caroline-b-cooney-5045_eighteenth_the-only-good-things-about-his-eighteent_1431787.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/143/caroline-b-cooney-5045_eighteenth_the-only-good-things-about-his-eighteent_1431787.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/143/caroline-b-cooney-5045_eighteenth_the-only-good-things-about-his-eighteent_1431787.png) > ““The only good things about his eighteenth year were the things he hadn’t done: He hadn’t murdered anybody or sold drugs.”” [Caroline B. Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-b-cooney/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A teenage boy reflects that not committing crimes is a positive aspect of his year. **In simple terms:** He sees innocence in not doing bad things. Key Takeaway Appreciate simple moral choices. Themes youth morality reflection Mood thoughtful contemplative Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - school life - family discussions - personal journals Key Concepts ethics coming of age Questions to Reflect On - What defines a good year for you? - How do you measure moral growth? A Different Perspective Focusing on non‑actions may overlook positive actions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eighteenth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eighteenth/) [Good things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-things/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) ## Related quotes > [When you come out the streets. I ain't braggin'. I never sold drugs but I kept a joint on me. 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Move out and live on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-arterburn/upon-my-eighteenth-birthday-i-was-given-three-choices-1-join-the/) [Stephen Arterburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-arterburn/) > [Book reviewing dates only to the eighteenth century, when, for the first time, there were so many books being printed that magazines - they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/book-reviewing-dates-only-to-the-eighteenth-century-when-for-the/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [Before the rise of the nation-state, between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries, the world was mostly tribal. Tribes were united by language, religion, blood,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/before-the-rise-of-the-nation-state-between-the-eighteenth-and/) [Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/) > [One thing that always frustrated me was that, while Benjamin Franklin's was the best-known face of the eighteenth century, no one ever took his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/one-thing-that-always-frustrated-me-was-that-while-benjamin-franklin/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [The man who bears my name, and who claims to be me, was born on July 15, 1865, the sixth in a family of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-housman/the-man-who-bears-my-name-and-who-claims-to-be-me-was-born-on-july-15/) [Laurence Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-housman/) ## More by Caroline B. Cooney > [“The letter, crumpled in her purse, felt as large as any Rocky Mountain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-b-cooney/the-letter-crumpled-in-her-purse-felt-as-large-as-any-rocky-mountain/) [Caroline B. Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-b-cooney/) > [“It was darker in the tower than any place Devnee had ever been. The dark had textures, some velvet, some satin. The dark shifted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-b-cooney/it-was-darker-in-the-tower-than-any-place-devnee-had-ever-been-the/) [Caroline B. Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-b-cooney/) > [“I stalked you. Don’t be mad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-b-cooney/i-stalked-you-don-t-be-mad/) [Caroline B. Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-b-cooney/) > [“He shrugged and sipped his root beer. It came in a bottle. 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It gave them protection; they could stand neatly behind their courtesy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-b-cooney/but-west-like-the-rest-of-the-trevors-was-endlessly-polite-it-gave/) [Caroline B. Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-b-cooney/) > [“I thought of the parable of the prodigal son. We had made merry for the beloved child's return too - but what happens when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-b-cooney/i-thought-of-the-parable-of-the-prodigal-son-we-had-made-merry-for/) [Caroline B. Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-b-cooney/) > [“I actually thought you would be kind," said the vampire. "Go away!" screamed Devnee. He did not answer. "I didn't have to be kind,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-b-cooney/i-actually-thought-you-would-be-kind-said-the-vampire-go-away/) [Caroline B. Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-b-cooney/) > [But I found my family. I found the right thing to do. I found the way home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-b-cooney/but-i-found-my-family-i-found-the-right-thing-to-do-i-found-the-way/) [Caroline B. Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-b-cooney/) > [“When you were steadily dating a boy, as she was Reeve, and this was known to everybody, it freed you up to be friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-b-cooney/when-you-were-steadily-dating-a-boy-as-she-was-reeve-and-this-was/) [Caroline B. Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-b-cooney/) > [“He would have said Stephen was a sort of human tire iron;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-b-cooney/he-would-have-said-stephen-was-a-sort-of-human-tire-iron/) [Caroline B. Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-b-cooney/) [Explore all 104 Caroline B. Cooney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-b-cooney/) ## More Eighteenth quotes > [The man who bears my name, and who claims to be me, was born on July 15, 1865, the sixth in a family of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-housman/the-man-who-bears-my-name-and-who-claims-to-be-me-was-born-on-july-15/) [Laurence Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-housman/) > [However, the sciences of society and of history retained their old subservient relation to metaphysics for a long time - well into the eighteenth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-dilthey/however-the-sciences-of-society-and-of-history-retained-their-old/) [Wilhelm Dilthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-dilthey/) > [If Joan of Arc could turn the tide of an entire war before her eighteenth birthday, you can get out of bed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-jean-carroll/if-joan-of-arc-could-turn-the-tide-of-an-entire-war-before-her/) [E. Jean Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-jean-carroll/) > [One thing that always frustrated me was that, while Benjamin Franklin's was the best-known face of the eighteenth century, no one ever took his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/one-thing-that-always-frustrated-me-was-that-while-benjamin-franklin/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [Before the rise of the nation-state, between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries, the world was mostly tribal. Tribes were united by language, religion, blood,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/before-the-rise-of-the-nation-state-between-the-eighteenth-and/) [Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/) > [Book reviewing dates only to the eighteenth century, when, for the first time, there were so many books being printed that magazines - they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/book-reviewing-dates-only-to-the-eighteenth-century-when-for-the/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [“Upon my eighteenth birthday I was given three choices: 1. Join the church, and live at home. 2. Move out and live on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-arterburn/upon-my-eighteenth-birthday-i-was-given-three-choices-1-join-the/) [Stephen Arterburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-arterburn/) > [“I never go into the country for a change of air and a holiday. I always go instead into the eighteenth century.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/i-never-go-into-the-country-for-a-change-of-air-and-a-holiday-i/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [“Under the eighteenth century fashion people did not so much all pretend to be young, as all agree to be old.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/under-the-eighteenth-century-fashion-people-did-not-so-much-all/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“There's always this build-up to your eighteenth, and when it finally comes around you realize it's just the day after you were seventeen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lola-jaye/there-s-always-this-build-up-to-your-eighteenth-and-when-it-finally/) [Lola Jaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lola-jaye/) [Browse all 11 Eighteenth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eighteenth/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The only good things about his eighteenth year were the things he hadn’t done: He hadn’t murdered anybody or sold drugs.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Caroline B. 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