--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was a clarity to the Nineties. It…" description: "\"There was a clarity to the Nineties. It was pre-9/11, before that anxiety kicked in that exists right now about the financial crisis or terrorism. We w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a3/carrie-brownstein-1580_anxiety_there-was-a-clarity-to-the-nineties-it-w_70524.png" --- # There was a clarity to the Nineties. It was pre-9/11… ![“There was a clarity to the Nineties. It was pre-9/11, before that anxiety kicked in that exists right now about the financial crisis or terrorism. We were all just going to move forward into the millennium and everything was always going to get better. Then, whoops, that didn't happen.” quote by Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a3/carrie-brownstein-1580_anxiety_there-was-a-clarity-to-the-nineties-it-w_70524.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a3/carrie-brownstein-1580_anxiety_there-was-a-clarity-to-the-nineties-it-w_70524.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a3/carrie-brownstein-1580_anxiety_there-was-a-clarity-to-the-nineties-it-w_70524.png) > “There was a clarity to the Nineties. It was pre-9/11, before that anxiety kicked in that exists right now about the financial crisis or terrorism. We were all just going to move forward into the millennium and everything was always going to get better. Then, whoops, that didn't happen.” [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects on the naive optimism of the 1990s, contrasting it with the later disillusionment caused by crises like 9/11 and financial collapse. **In simple terms:** Nineties optimism shattered by later crises Key Takeaway Optimism can be fragile Themes nostalgia optimism historical perspective crisis cultural shift Mood reflective melancholic thoughtful Type observational cultural critique historical reflection When to use this quote - reflecting on past decades - analyzing cultural mood - teaching history - writing editorial pieces Key Concepts collective mindset future expectations impact of trauma Practical Applications - historical analysis - cultural commentary Questions to Reflect On - What events most altered public optimism? - How do societies recover from collective disillusionment? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anxiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) [Clarity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clarity/) [Crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/) [Financial crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/financial-crisis/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Millennium](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/millennium/) [Move forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/move-forward/) [Nineties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nineties/) [Terrorism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorism/) ## Related quotes > [“Terrorism is just a whole other level of anger management issues.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thisuri-wanniarachchi/terrorism-is-just-a-whole-other-level-of-anger-management-issues/) [Thisuri Wanniarachchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thisuri-wanniarachchi/) > [“Terrorism is not just about indiscriminate violence. As its name suggests, it is about instilling paranoia”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-priest/terrorism-is-not-just-about-indiscriminate-violence-as-its-name/) [Dana Priest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-priest/) > [“The Female Orgasm. The Big O. That elusive, reclusive Loch Ness of the labia. Does it prove the existence of God, or just His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirstie-collins-brote/the-female-orgasm-the-big-o-that-elusive-reclusive-loch-ness-of-the/) Kirstie Collins Brote > [I grew up with Burberry; as a kid in London in the nineties and early noughties it was everywhere and we all coveted it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-ackie/i-grew-up-with-burberry-as-a-kid-in-london-in-the-nineties-and-early/) [Naomi Ackie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-ackie/) > [Glimpses is dead-on about the high and tight nineties even as it reaches out for the sweet hereafter of the sixties. It longs for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-barthelme/glimpses-is-dead-on-about-the-high-and-tight-nineties-even-as-it/) [Frederick Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-barthelme/) > [Nobody uses skits at all anymore, so it seems like I use a lot. That's how I grew up on tapes. Biggie tapes, Biggie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-east/nobody-uses-skits-at-all-anymore-so-it-seems-like-i-use-a-lot-that-s/) [Dave East](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-east/) > [It's very difficult today for girls to become supermodels. There is a lot more competition, a lot of countries in the East have opened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-schiffer/it-s-very-difficult-today-for-girls-to-become-supermodels-there-is-a/) [Claudia Schiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-schiffer/) > [I don't spend much time listening to the records when they're done. Usually I let go of it. Especially in the Eighties and Nineties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-perry/i-don-t-spend-much-time-listening-to-the-records-when-they-re-done/) [Joe Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-perry/) > [I used really into inline skating when it was the craze in the nineties and I got a really bad scar to prove it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro-capo/i-used-really-into-inline-skating-when-it-was-the-craze-in-the/) [Pedro Capo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro-capo/) > [Bands in the Nineties seem to forget the entertainment aspect of rock music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-bellamy/bands-in-the-nineties-seem-to-forget-the-entertainment-aspect-of-rock/) [Matt Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-bellamy/) > [There was a period in the Nineties when the BBC wanted to act as if it was a trendy Soho independent. They broke up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-armstrong/there-was-a-period-in-the-nineties-when-the-bbc-wanted-to-act-as-if/) [Alexander Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-armstrong/) > [Much else than liberalization has happened in the nineties (in India)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-dreze/much-else-than-liberalization-has-happened-in-the-nineties-in-india/) Jean Dreze > [We might take it for granted now, but back in the nineties, who was talking about mental health?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-corrin/we-might-take-it-for-granted-now-but-back-in-the-nineties-who-was/) [Emma Corrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-corrin/) > [When you're in your nineties and looking back, it's not going to be how much money you made or how many awards you've won.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-dole/when-you-re-in-your-nineties-and-looking-back-it-s-not-going-to-be/) [Elizabeth Dole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-dole/) > [Going back to the films I made in the nineties, they might not have been the most thought-provoking movies, but there was always this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-steele/going-back-to-the-films-i-made-in-the-nineties-they-might-not-have/) [Taylor Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-steele/) ## More by Carrie Brownstein > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) > [Much of the music I remember from camp was unofficial: the songs a counselor would play for us on acoustic guitar or that an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/much-of-the-music-i-remember-from-camp-was-unofficial-the-songs-a/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) > [Rihanna has guts and she always seems to be singing from someplace honest, dark and fierce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/rihanna-has-guts-and-she-always-seems-to-be-singing-from-someplace/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) > [I think there's a lot of wonderful comics that leave you hanging in a state of apprehension or anxiety before alleviating that tension with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-think-there-s-a-lot-of-wonderful-comics-that-leave-you-hanging-in-a/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) > [Well, in some ways I had sort of the opposite experience of other people that are sort of dreaming of being in a rock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/well-in-some-ways-i-had-sort-of-the-opposite-experience-of-other/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) > [I think people would describe a lot of Sleater-Kinney as unsettling. And I don't think our best moments have sonic assonance to them. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-think-people-would-describe-a-lot-of-sleater-kinney-as-unsettling/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) > [I'm always trying to encourage people not to limit themselves in the same way that many of our parents stayed with one job forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-m-always-trying-to-encourage-people-not-to-limit-themselves-in-the/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) > [The game Rock Band has been haunting me like a bad ring tone. It gets stuck in my head and momentarily effaces all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/the-game-rock-band-has-been-haunting-me-like-a-bad-ring-tone-it-gets/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) > [I've mostly been focusing on writing, and I've really enjoyed not playing music. It will always be part of my life, but I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-ve-mostly-been-focusing-on-writing-and-i-ve-really-enjoyed-not/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) > [To me, curiosity is married to optimism. And that's where a lot of my motivation comes from. A lot of my way out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/to-me-curiosity-is-married-to-optimism-and-that-s-where-a-lot-of-my/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) > [ \[I hate\] the ways that people want their special needs to be met, whether it's their food allergies or their special lotions or shoes.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-hate-the-ways-that-people-want-their-special-needs-to-be-met/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) > [No matter what people are struggling with, or based on whatever. Sexuality, ethnicity, economic status, size. I don't wish smallness for anyone. It's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/no-matter-what-people-are-struggling-with-or-based-on-whatever/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) > [I would not call myself an optimist, even though I would aspire to be. I am innately a skeptic. There's kind of an incessant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-would-not-call-myself-an-optimist-even-though-i-would-aspire-to-be/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) > [I always find that nostalgia is sort of like memory without the pain. And that's why it feels so good to kind of bask…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-always-find-that-nostalgia-is-sort-of-like-memory-without-the-pain/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) > [I think music took hold of me and captured my imagination at such a formative age that I ascribe a mysteriousness to it, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-think-music-took-hold-of-me-and-captured-my-imagination-at-such-a/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Explore all 226 Carrie Brownstein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) ## More Anxiety quotes > [“Anything that you find yourself worrying about regularly may find you suddenly wanting unrealistic changes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagisa-tatsumi/anything-that-you-find-yourself-worrying-about-regularly-may-find-you/) Nagisa Tatsumi > [Bein Crazy is the least of my worries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/bein-crazy-is-the-least-of-my-worries/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [“Fear of seeing a police car pull into the drive. Fear of falling asleep at night. Fear of not falling asleep. Fear of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-carver/fear-of-seeing-a-police-car-pull-into-the-drive-fear-of-falling/) [Raymond Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-carver/) > [I get nervous when I don't get nervous. If I'm nervous I know I'm going to have a good show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beyonce-knowles/i-get-nervous-when-i-don-t-get-nervous-if-i-m-nervous-i-know-i-m/) [Beyonce Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beyonce-knowles/) > [“Every invention comes through anxiousness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakesh-wadhwani/every-invention-comes-through-anxiousness/) [Rakesh Wadhwani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakesh-wadhwani/) > [“Do Not Be Anxious 25 e “Therefore I tell you,  f do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-not-be-anxious-25-e-therefore-i-tell-you-f-do-not-be-anxious-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Nothing happens on its own, you have to make things happen. If you really want to come out of your stressful situation than you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subodh-gupta/nothing-happens-on-its-own-you-have-to-make-things-happen-if-you/) [Subodh Gupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subodh-gupta/) > [“I guess if we're talking about my anxiety, the even truthier truth is it started way before that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-winfrey/i-guess-if-we-re-talking-about-my-anxiety-the-even-truthier-truth-is/) [Kerry Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-winfrey/) > [I was a very good student. Procrastinating gives me anxiety, and getting a B really ticked me off. Sure, I didn't always want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-loren/i-was-a-very-good-student-procrastinating-gives-me-anxiety-and/) [Josie Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-loren/) > [“The suspense: the fearful, acute suspense: of standing idly by while the life of one we dearly love, is trembling in the balance; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-suspense-the-fearful-acute-suspense-of-standing-idly-by-while-the/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [As you know, I have been very open about my struggle with social anxiety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-walker/as-you-know-i-have-been-very-open-about-my-struggle-with-social/) [Summer Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-walker/) > [Anxiety is not to be managed it is a sin that needs to be repented of](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-driscoll/anxiety-is-not-to-be-managed-it-is-a-sin-that-needs-to-be-repented-of/) [Mark Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-driscoll/) > [“I’ve always seen this in you, ever since you were a little girl — this hunger to love other people into their highest selves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-elisabeth/i-ve-always-seen-this-in-you-ever-since-you-were-a-little-girl-this/) [Jennifer Elisabeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-elisabeth/) [Browse all 4,944 Anxiety quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There was a clarity to the Nineties. 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