---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was 16 was just thinking about the…"
description: "\"When I was 16 was just thinking about the future and - it sounds so stupid - but what my goal was going to be in life. I guess I was thinking about gir..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/438/christian-madsen-51657_artistic_when-i-was-16-was-just-thinking-about-th_1266366.jpg"
---

#  When I was 16 was just thinking about the future and - it…

![“When I was 16 was just thinking about the future and - it sounds so stupid - but what my goal was going to be in life. I guess I was thinking about girls too. No girls liked me. That was bothering me. I was thinking about my height - I had a growth spurt right before high school and then that's…” quote by Christian Madsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/438/christian-madsen-51657_artistic_when-i-was-16-was-just-thinking-about-th_1266366.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/438/christian-madsen-51657_artistic_when-i-was-16-was-just-thinking-about-th_1266366.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/438/christian-madsen-51657_artistic_when-i-was-16-was-just-thinking-about-th_1266366.jpg)

> “When I was 16 was just thinking about the future and - it sounds so stupid - but what my goal was going to be in life. I guess I was thinking about girls too. No girls liked me. That was bothering me. I was thinking about my height - I had a growth spurt right before high school and then that's when sports coaches started coming up to me, but that's when I had this artistic turn.”

[Christian Madsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-madsen/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Adolescent self‑doubt about appearance, abilities, and future goals leads to identity questioning.

**In simple terms:** Teen doubts about future and self.

Key Takeaway

Seek supportive mentors and explore diverse interests.

Themes

identity self‑esteem growth

Mood

hopeful introspective

Type

advice inspirational

When to use this quote

- school
- sports
- arts
- social circles

Key Concepts

developmental psychology adolescence

Questions to Reflect On

- What activities make you feel confident?
- How can you turn perceived flaws into strengths?

A Different Perspective

Focusing on one area may limit broader self‑discovery.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Artistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artistic/) [Bother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bother/) [Coaches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coaches/) [Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) [Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Height Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/height-growth-4043849/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sports/) [Sports coach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sports-coach/) [Sports Coaches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sports-coaches-217795/) [Stupid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupid/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thinking about the future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking-about-the-future/) [Thinking Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking-future-247080/) [Thinking Girls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking-girls-2680336/) [Thinking Height](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking-height-4043848/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [“When the time comes, &amp; I hope it comes soon, to bury this era of moral rot &amp; the defiling of our communal, social,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/when-the-time-comes-i-hope-it-comes-soon-to-bury-this-era-of-moral/)

[Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/)

> [“Politicians and sports coaches both need to be smart enough to master the game, but dumb enough to think it matters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/politicians-and-sports-coaches-both-need-to-be-smart-enough-to-master/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [For reasons that baffle me still, my high school sports coaches put me in the first division of the rugby, cricket, and soccer teams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamish-bowles/for-reasons-that-baffle-me-still-my-high-school-sports-coaches-put-me/)

[Hamish Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamish-bowles/)

> [“Some sports coaches have painted the locker rooms used by opposing teams in pink, which can cause people looking at it to feel tired.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fazi-fuad/some-sports-coaches-have-painted-the-locker-rooms-used-by-opposing/)

[Fazi Fuad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fazi-fuad/)

> [“You're one of them thinking girls, ain't you? I once knew a girl kinda like you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-re-one-of-them-thinking-girls-ain-t-you-i-once-knew-a-girl-kinda/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I like girls who really don't care what other people are thinking - girls who are a little goofy. I think that's sexy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-lochte/i-like-girls-who-really-don-t-care-what-other-people-are-thinking/)

[Ryan Lochte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-lochte/)

> [When my son said, "I can't stop thinking about girls," I said, "That's not gonna stop. Congratulations. You're in the club. From now until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-reiser/when-my-son-said-i-can-t-stop-thinking-about-girls-i-said-that-s-not/)

[Paul Reiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-reiser/)

> [A good coach will make his players see what they can be rather than what they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ara-parseghian/a-good-coach-will-make-his-players-see-what-they-can-be-rather-than/)

[Ara Parseghian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ara-parseghian/)

> [A common mistake among those who work in sport is spending a disproportional amount of time on "x's and o's" as compared to time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krzyzewski/a-common-mistake-among-those-who-work-in-sport-is-spending-a/)

[Mike Krzyzewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krzyzewski/)

> [Remember this, the choices you make in life, make you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/remember-this-the-choices-you-make-in-life-make-you/)

[John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/)

> [A player who makes a team great is better than a great player.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/a-player-who-makes-a-team-great-is-better-than-a-great-player/)

[John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/)

> [I think you can accomplish anything if you're willing to pay the price.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-lombardi/i-think-you-can-accomplish-anything-if-you-re-willing-to-pay-the-price/)

[Vince Lombardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-lombardi/)

> [The hardest skill to acquire in this sport is the one where you compete all out, give it all you have, and you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-reese/the-hardest-skill-to-acquire-in-this-sport-is-the-one-where-you/)

[Eddie Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-reese/)

> [I think sports gave me the first place where this awkward girl could feel comfortable in my own skin. I think that's true for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teri-mckeever/i-think-sports-gave-me-the-first-place-where-this-awkward-girl-could/)

[Teri McKeever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teri-mckeever/)

> [There are only two options regarding commitment; you’re either in or you’re out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-riley/there-are-only-two-options-regarding-commitment-you-re-either-in-or/)

[Pat Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-riley/)

## More by Christian Madsen

> [When I was auditioning for Divergent, I was kind of in the dumps. I wasn't really happy with acting, and I didn't know if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-madsen/when-i-was-auditioning-for-divergent-i-was-kind-of-in-the-dumps-i/)

[Christian Madsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-madsen/)

> [I knew nothing about hockey when I came to Chicago and then became the biggest fan - went to every playoff game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-madsen/i-knew-nothing-about-hockey-when-i-came-to-chicago-and-then-became/)

[Christian Madsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-madsen/)

> [I kind of hid acting from my dad because I knew what he thought about acting at the time. His advice was "Don't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-madsen/i-kind-of-hid-acting-from-my-dad-because-i-knew-what-he-thought-about/)

[Christian Madsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-madsen/)

> [I met Harrison Ford when I was at Comic Con. I didn't know what to say. He was standing behind these two bodyguards -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-madsen/i-met-harrison-ford-when-i-was-at-comic-con-i-didn-t-know-what-to-say/)

[Christian Madsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-madsen/)

> [Having my parents be divorced, you're forced to realize, "Sooner or later I'm going to be on my own and have to figure it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-madsen/having-my-parents-be-divorced-you-re-forced-to-realize-sooner-or/)

[Christian Madsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-madsen/)

> [I moved in with my grandma when I was 17 and she had this giant bookshelf and it was fascinating to me. She got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-madsen/i-moved-in-with-my-grandma-when-i-was-17-and-she-had-this-giant/)

[Christian Madsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-madsen/)

[Explore all 7 Christian Madsen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-madsen/)

## More Artistic quotes

> [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/)

[Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/)

> [We don't make glamorous movies today. Everything now is very realistic, artistic - and depressing. When is the last time you you saw a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-head/we-don-t-make-glamorous-movies-today-everything-now-is-very-realistic/)

[Edith Head](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-head/)

> [Unfortunately, moral beauty in art - like physical beauty in a person - is extremely perishable. It is nowhere so durable as artistic or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/unfortunately-moral-beauty-in-art-like-physical-beauty-in-a-person-is/)

[Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/)

> [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/)

[Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/)

> [In a personal way, to do with family and the father-son relationship, in a kind of artistic way with regard to him being an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/in-a-personal-way-to-do-with-family-and-the-father-son-relationship/)

[Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/)

> [It took me a long time to get to where I am, but I am here and it is everywhere I want to be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/princess-nokia/it-took-me-a-long-time-to-get-to-where-i-am-but-i-am-here-and-it-is/)

[Princess Nokia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/princess-nokia/)

> [When we idealize the real, we sacrifice to artistic fancy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fuseli/when-we-idealize-the-real-we-sacrifice-to-artistic-fancy/)

[Henry Fuseli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fuseli/)

> [For now, I'm supposing that all movements are equal, which they're not, except in this respect: that none of them gives a damn about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/for-now-i-m-supposing-that-all-movements-are-equal-which-they-re-not/)

[Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/)

> [At a time when painting itself often seems to be a threatened, even despised, form of artistic activity, Andrew Salgado emerges as a dazzlingly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucie-smith/at-a-time-when-painting-itself-often-seems-to-be-a-threatened-even/)

[Edward Lucie-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucie-smith/)

> [I think once the artistic world of the type designer merged with the scientific world of the computer programmer, you began to see this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bierut/i-think-once-the-artistic-world-of-the-type-designer-merged-with-the/)

[Michael Bierut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bierut/)

> [Abstract Expressionism was invented by New York drunks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/abstract-expressionism-was-invented-by-new-york-drunks/)

[Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/)

> [Writers and musicians know well the importance of extensive reading for successful writing or extensive listening for musical composition. Likewise, visual artists... understand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laseau/writers-and-musicians-know-well-the-importance-of-extensive-reading/)

[Paul Laseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laseau/)

> [Being a Catholic, I was drawn to the mystery of the Latin and the smoke and the mirrors and all of that. That part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sarandon/being-a-catholic-i-was-drawn-to-the-mystery-of-the-latin-and-the/)

[Susan Sarandon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sarandon/)

> [It is, of course, a luxury to create art and, on top of this, to insist on expressing one's own artistic opinion. Nothing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-beckmann/it-is-of-course-a-luxury-to-create-art-and-on-top-of-this-to-insist/)

[Max Beckmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-beckmann/)

> [Niches set back in the walls contained polished marble statues of entwined bodies. Will looked away from them hastily, and then back. It wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/niches-set-back-in-the-walls-contained-polished-marble-statues-of/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

[Browse all 1,574 Artistic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artistic/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When I was 16 was just thinking about the future and - it sounds so stupid - but what my goal was going to be in life. I guess I was thinking about girls too. No girls liked me. That was bothering me. I was thinking about my height - I had a growth spurt right before high school and then that's when sports coaches started coming up to me, but that's when I had this artistic turn.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Christian Madsen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-madsen/when-i-was-16-was-just-thinking-about-the-future-and-it-sounds-so/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Artistic"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-madsen/when-i-was-16-was-just-thinking-about-the-future-and-it-sounds-so/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/438/christian-madsen-51657_artistic_when-i-was-16-was-just-thinking-about-th_1266366.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/438/christian-madsen-51657_artistic_when-i-was-16-was-just-thinking-about-th_1266366.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/438/christian-madsen-51657_artistic_when-i-was-16-was-just-thinking-about-th_1266366.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When I was 16 was just thinking about the future and - it sounds so stupid - but what my goal was going to…” — Christian Madsen",
                "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": "Christian Madsen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-madsen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When I was 16 was just...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-madsen/when-i-was-16-was-just-thinking-about-the-future-and-it-sounds-so/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-madsen/when-i-was-16-was-just-thinking-about-the-future-and-it-sounds-so/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
