--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Of course, as a kid, I had no idea what…" description: "\"Of course, as a kid, I had no idea what was practical: I wanted to be a paleontologist, then an astronaut.\" — Celeste Ng" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/celeste-ng-1718_astronaut_of-course-as-a-kid-i-had-no-idea-what-wa_3004112.jpg" --- # Of course, as a kid, I had no idea what was practical: I… ![“Of course, as a kid, I had no idea what was practical: I wanted to be a paleontologist, then an astronaut.” quote by Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/celeste-ng-1718_astronaut_of-course-as-a-kid-i-had-no-idea-what-wa_3004112.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/celeste-ng-1718_astronaut_of-course-as-a-kid-i-had-no-idea-what-wa_3004112.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/celeste-ng-1718_astronaut_of-course-as-a-kid-i-had-no-idea-what-wa_3004112.jpg) > “Of course, as a kid, I had no idea what was practical: I wanted to be a paleontologist, then an astronaut.” [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A child’s early aspirations reveal the fluidity of identity before practical constraints set in. **In simple terms:** Kids imagine many futures before reality narrows choices. Key Takeaway Encourage exploration before limiting expectations. Themes identity aspiration growth practicality childhood Mood hopeful reflective Type literary psychological When to use this quote - career counseling - education planning - parental guidance Key Concepts developmental psychology social expectations Questions to Reflect On - How do early dreams shape adult choices? - What supports flexible identity development? A Different Perspective Early dreams may clash with later realities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Astronaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronaut/) [Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) [Kid Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kid-idea-815854/) [Paleontologist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paleontologist/) [Paleontologist Astronaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paleontologist-astronaut-4784122/) [Practical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practical/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Then](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/then/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) [Wanted Paleontologist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted-paleontologist-1164826/) ## Related quotes > [My kids and I sometimes will just sit in my office and talk about what the world was like 68 million years ago. Amanda,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-mickelson/my-kids-and-i-sometimes-will-just-sit-in-my-office-and-talk-about/) [Phil Mickelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-mickelson/) > [Also I wanted to be an explorer when I was a kid. 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And I want to be a humanitarian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myles-garrett/i-want-to-be-a-paleontologist-whether-it-s-amateur-or-professional/) [Myles Garrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myles-garrett/) > [It remains true, as every paleontologist knows, that most new species, genera, and families, and that nearly all categories above the level of families,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gaylord-simpson/it-remains-true-as-every-paleontologist-knows-that-most-new-species/) [George Gaylord Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gaylord-simpson/) > [“I nurtured my dinomania with documentaries, delighted in the dino-themed B movies I brought home from the video store, and tore up my grandparents'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-switek/i-nurtured-my-dinomania-with-documentaries-delighted-in-the-dino/) [Brian Switek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-switek/) > [I dreamed of becoming a scientist, in general, and a paleontologist, in particular, ever since the Tyrannosaurus skeleton awed and scared me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-dreamed-of-becoming-a-scientist-in-general-and-a-paleontologist-in/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [“In the end, only the truth will survive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/in-the-end-only-the-truth-will-survive/) [Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/) > [“I have blogged previously about the dangerous and deadly effects of science denialism, from the innocent babies unnecessarily exposed to deadly diseases by other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-r-prothero/i-have-blogged-previously-about-the-dangerous-and-deadly-effects-of/) [Donald R. Prothero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-r-prothero/) ## More by Celeste Ng > [When you mention to people growing up in Cleveland they bring up the river catching on fire, or LeBron James leaving, they have these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/when-you-mention-to-people-growing-up-in-cleveland-they-bring-up-the/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [It's so easy, as a writer, to get stuck in your own head, to live in the little worlds you create. 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'DO I DARE DISTURB THE UNIVERSE?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/i-have-measured-my-life-with-coffee-spoons-and-do-i-dare-to-eat-a/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“No one, she had learned from experience, could stand such silence for long. If you waited long enough, someone would start talking, and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/no-one-she-had-learned-from-experience-could-stand-such-silence-for/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“Most of the time, everyone deserves more than one chance. We all do things we regret now and then. You just have to carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/most-of-the-time-everyone-deserves-more-than-one-chance-we-all-do/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“Though she would never quite articulate it this way, resentment began to sheathe concern. ANGER IS FEAR'S BODYGUARD, a poster in the hospital hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/though-she-would-never-quite-articulate-it-this-way-resentment-began/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [Spend too much time alone with your own words, and your writing grows anemic, in dire need of a transfusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/spend-too-much-time-alone-with-your-own-words-and-your-writing-grows/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“Everyone sees race, Lex," said Moody. "The only difference is who pretends not to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/everyone-sees-race-lex-said-moody-the-only-difference-is-who-pretends/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [Writers, most of them, don't have a lot of resources.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/writers-most-of-them-don-t-have-a-lot-of-resources/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [Browse Amazon reviews, and you'll see a surprising number of readers who believe one novel can summarize a country, its culture, and its people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/browse-amazon-reviews-and-you-ll-see-a-surprising-number-of-readers/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [Short of the dishonest, the illegal, and the cruel, there's only one thing my son could do that would really disappoint me: not liking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/short-of-the-dishonest-the-illegal-and-the-cruel-there-s-only-one/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) [Explore all 212 Celeste Ng quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) ## More Astronaut quotes > [I went to school at night in L.A. to brush up on my engineering while I applied to the astronaut program. 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And just like New York taxis, they're all going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/nasa-is-developing-space-taxis-to-shuttle-astronauts-to-the/) [Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/) > [I stayed in the astronaut program until 1993. People ask me why I left. 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A kid cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/whilst-my-mother-couldn-t-give-me-access-to-the-world-she-at-least/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) [Browse all 463 Astronaut quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronaut/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Of course, as a kid, I had no idea what was practical: I wanted to be a paleontologist, then an astronaut.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Celeste Ng" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/of-course-as-a-kid-i-had-no-idea-what-was-practical-i-wanted-to-be-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Astronaut" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/of-course-as-a-kid-i-had-no-idea-what-was-practical-i-wanted-to-be-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/celeste-ng-1718_astronaut_of-course-as-a-kid-i-had-no-idea-what-wa_3004112.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/celeste-ng-1718_astronaut_of-course-as-a-kid-i-had-no-idea-what-wa_3004112.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e83/celeste-ng-1718_astronaut_of-course-as-a-kid-i-had-no-idea-what-wa_3004112.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Of course, as a kid, I had no idea what was practical: I wanted to be a paleontologist, then an astronaut.” — Celeste Ng", "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": "Celeste Ng", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Of course, as a kid, I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/of-course-as-a-kid-i-had-no-idea-what-was-practical-i-wanted-to-be-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/of-course-as-a-kid-i-had-no-idea-what-was-practical-i-wanted-to-be-a/#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 } } ] } ```