--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was seventeen when I finally came out…" description: "\"I was seventeen when I finally came out. The first time I actually said it was on my best friend's answering machine. I wanted to tell her in person bu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27d/cole-escola-6042_best_i-was-seventeen-when-i-finally-came-out_2138680.jpg" --- # I was seventeen when I finally came out. The first time I… ![“I was seventeen when I finally came out. The first time I actually said it was on my best friend's answering machine. I wanted to tell her in person but I got too nervous so immediately after she left I called her phone knowing she wouldn't be there to pick it up and I left a message. She called…” quote by Cole Escola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27d/cole-escola-6042_best_i-was-seventeen-when-i-finally-came-out_2138680.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27d/cole-escola-6042_best_i-was-seventeen-when-i-finally-came-out_2138680.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27d/cole-escola-6042_best_i-was-seventeen-when-i-finally-came-out_2138680.jpg) > “I was seventeen when I finally came out. The first time I actually said it was on my best friend's answering machine. I wanted to tell her in person but I got too nervous so immediately after she left I called her phone knowing she wouldn't be there to pick it up and I left a message. She called me back. She was so sweet and proud and happy for me.” [Cole Escola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-escola/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Coming out is a personal milestone that often involves fear of rejection but can lead to acceptance and support from loved ones. **In simple terms:** Coming out can be scary but friends can be supportive. Key Takeaway Share truth with trusted friends. Themes identity courage acceptance Mood anxious hopeful relieved Type personal inspirational When to use this quote - coming out to friends - family discussions - support groups - online forums Key Concepts self‑disclosure social support Questions to Reflect On - How might you prepare for a difficult reaction? - What support can you seek after sharing? A Different Perspective Not everyone reacts positively; fear of loss can linger. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Best friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-friend/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Homosexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homosexuality/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“In most cases, it is more satisfying to get a friend's answering machine and leave a cheery, tangible trace of your sincere commitment to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-krouse-rosenthal/in-most-cases-it-is-more-satisfying-to-get-a-friend-s-answering/) [Amy Krouse Rosenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-krouse-rosenthal/) > [It's great to just disappear, grab a suitcase, switch the answering machine on and just go somewhere else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dido-armstrong/it-s-great-to-just-disappear-grab-a-suitcase-switch-the-answering/) [Dido Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dido-armstrong/) > [“He suddenly remembered the tape he had taken from Susan’s answering machine, and hoped to God there wasn’t anything more important in Gordon’s message…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/he-suddenly-remembered-the-tape-he-had-taken-from-susan-s-answering/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [I don't even like hearing my own voice on an answering machine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-chow/i-don-t-even-like-hearing-my-own-voice-on-an-answering-machine/) [China Chow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-chow/) > [No one is calling me. I can’t check the answering machine because I have been here all this time. If I go out, someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/no-one-is-calling-me-i-can-t-check-the-answering-machine-because-i/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [Like most people, you listen to yourself on the phone or an answering machine and you're like, 'Ugh.' So to do something with just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/like-most-people-you-listen-to-yourself-on-the-phone-or-an-answering/) [Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/) > [I have a friend of mine who does me on his answering machine, and when I call him, I answer. It's pretty strange.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/i-have-a-friend-of-mine-who-does-me-on-his-answering-machine-and-when/) [Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/) > [I think people who aren't in film experience that when they hear their voice on an answering machine or something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-portman/i-think-people-who-aren-t-in-film-experience-that-when-they-hear/) [Natalie Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-portman/) > [“She stared at me "You have a message," she said. "On you machine." I looked over at my answering machine. Sure enough, the light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/she-stared-at-me-you-have-a-message-she-said-on-you-machine-i-looked/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [“A few days later, as I was going through the messages on my answering machine, I heard over the speaker, “I’M FREE! I’M FREE!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliana-olivia/a-few-days-later-as-i-was-going-through-the-messages-on-my-answering/) Elliana Olivia > [Did you ever hear one of those corny, positive messages on someone's answering machine? 'Hi, it's a great day and I'm out enjoying it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/did-you-ever-hear-one-of-those-corny-positive-messages-on-someone-s/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [I'm definitely a child of the 21st century and I prefer texting to phone calls, but I would prefer an answering machine over all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-dooling/i-m-definitely-a-child-of-the-21st-century-and-i-prefer-texting-to/) [Brendan Dooling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-dooling/) > [I don't really have time to sit down and write. But when I think of a melody, I call up my answering machine and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/britney-spears/i-don-t-really-have-time-to-sit-down-and-write-but-when-i-think-of-a/) [Britney Spears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/britney-spears/) > [“She had started driving past his apartment to see whether or not his car was out front. She had looked up his phone number,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-pascal/she-had-started-driving-past-his-apartment-to-see-whether-or-not-his/) [Francine Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-pascal/) > [Fax me a fact and I'll telegram a hologram or telephone the son of man and tell him he is done. Leave a message…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-williams/fax-me-a-fact-and-i-ll-telegram-a-hologram-or-telephone-the-son-of/) [Saul Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-williams/) ## More by Cole Escola > [I would love to write something that I'm not in and just be in a rehearsal room as a writer. But I love theater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-escola/i-would-love-to-write-something-that-i-m-not-in-and-just-be-in-a/) [Cole Escola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-escola/) > [I grew up in Oregon. I have a younger brother and an older sister. We were very poor. VERY POOR. We lived in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-escola/i-grew-up-in-oregon-i-have-a-younger-brother-and-an-older-sister-we/) [Cole Escola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-escola/) > [I tend to be very pessimistic and not let myself enjoy things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-escola/i-tend-to-be-very-pessimistic-and-not-let-myself-enjoy-things/) [Cole Escola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-escola/) > [I grew up in a trailer until I was 5 or 6, and then my dad chased us out with a gun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-escola/i-grew-up-in-a-trailer-until-i-was-5-or-6-and-then-my-dad-chased-us/) [Cole Escola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-escola/) > [I do have that secret desire to be a cabaret star and just sing Cole Porter medleys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-escola/i-do-have-that-secret-desire-to-be-a-cabaret-star-and-just-sing-cole/) [Cole Escola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-escola/) > [I just wanted to make the stupidest, funniest thing possible. My version of Mary Todd Lincoln is basically just me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-escola/i-just-wanted-to-make-the-stupidest-funniest-thing-possible-my/) [Cole Escola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-escola/) > [The first Broadway show that I ever saw was 'Kiss Me, Kate.' I was in New York, on a school trip.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-escola/the-first-broadway-show-that-i-ever-saw-was-kiss-me-kate-i-was-in-new/) [Cole Escola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-escola/) > [There's something so embarrassing about doing characters and talking about it. It's humiliating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-escola/there-s-something-so-embarrassing-about-doing-characters-and-talking/) [Cole Escola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-escola/) > [It's embarrassing to be ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-escola/it-s-embarrassing-to-be-ambitious/) [Cole Escola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-escola/) > [I went to school at Marymount Manhattan College for a year, and then I dropped out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-escola/i-went-to-school-at-marymount-manhattan-college-for-a-year-and-then-i/) [Cole Escola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-escola/) > [I like playing extremes. I don't really know how to not be a 10.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-escola/i-like-playing-extremes-i-don-t-really-know-how-to-not-be-a-10/) [Cole Escola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-escola/) > [I don't understand relationships. I feel like I'm pretending when I'm in one. Like, 'Oh yeah, I love eating with my left hand. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-escola/i-don-t-understand-relationships-i-feel-like-i-m-pretending-when-i-m/) [Cole Escola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-escola/) > [I used to run home after the pool closed in the summer to watch 'Newhart.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-escola/i-used-to-run-home-after-the-pool-closed-in-the-summer-to-watch/) [Cole Escola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-escola/) > [Dirk Bogarde was very handsome, very hot, and a brilliant actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-escola/dirk-bogarde-was-very-handsome-very-hot-and-a-brilliant-actor/) [Cole Escola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-escola/) > [I mean, I don't like horror movies. I just don't like being scared for the sake of being scared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-escola/i-mean-i-don-t-like-horror-movies-i-just-don-t-like-being-scared-for/) [Cole Escola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-escola/) [Explore all 100 Cole Escola quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-escola/) ## More Best quotes > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/) [Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/) > [Scepticism and cynicism about politics is so great that one of the best counters to it is what you can do at a local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-miliband/scepticism-and-cynicism-about-politics-is-so-great-that-one-of-the/) [Ed Miliband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-miliband/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [It's no wonder Pep is one of the best coaches in the world. When I knew I could work with him I was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ederson/it-s-no-wonder-pep-is-one-of-the-best-coaches-in-the-world-when-i/) [Ederson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ederson/) > [“Before you were my enemy, you were my best friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/before-you-were-my-enemy-you-were-my-best-friend/) [Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/) > [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I want to be perceived as a guy who played his best in all facets, not just scoring. A guy who loved challenges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jordan/i-want-to-be-perceived-as-a-guy-who-played-his-best-in-all-facets-not/) [Michael Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jordan/) > [I feel like I'm the best, but you're not going to get me to say that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-rice/i-feel-like-i-m-the-best-but-you-re-not-going-to-get-me-to-say-that/) [Jerry Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-rice/) > [Life is where you love people and use things not use people and love things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/life-is-where-you-love-people-and-use-things-not-use-people-and-love/) [Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/) > [With every product, the delta between the brand and the reality determines its power over the minds of consumers, and with Trump, that delta…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-wilson/with-every-product-the-delta-between-the-brand-and-the-reality/) [Rick Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-wilson/) > [The human element should be the two players on the court, not the officials. The best officials are the ones you never notice. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-scott/the-human-element-should-be-the-two-players-on-the-court-not-the/) Gene Scott > [I'm looking to fight the best guys in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yair-rodriguez/i-m-looking-to-fight-the-best-guys-in-the-world/) [Yair Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yair-rodriguez/) > [Batley and Spen has a high proportion of people working in manufacturing, and we can boast the full range of industries, including high-skilled, precision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-cox/batley-and-spen-has-a-high-proportion-of-people-working-in/) [Jo Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-cox/) > [It is no secret that I have read 'The Da Vinci Code' several times. I genuinely believe that 'The Da Vinci Code' and 'Angels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/it-is-no-secret-that-i-have-read-the-da-vinci-code-several-times-i/) [Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/) > [Any position I was going to be in, I was going to make the best of it. I always do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bledsoe/any-position-i-was-going-to-be-in-i-was-going-to-make-the-best-of-it/) [Eric Bledsoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bledsoe/) Browse all 21,674 Best quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was seventeen when I finally came out. The first time I actually said it was on my best friend's answering machine. I wanted to tell her in person but I got too nervous so immediately after she left I called her phone knowing she wouldn't be there to pick it up and I left a message. She called me back. She was so sweet and proud and happy for me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cole Escola" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-escola/i-was-seventeen-when-i-finally-came-out-the-first-time-i-actually/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Best" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-escola/i-was-seventeen-when-i-finally-came-out-the-first-time-i-actually/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27d/cole-escola-6042_best_i-was-seventeen-when-i-finally-came-out_2138680.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27d/cole-escola-6042_best_i-was-seventeen-when-i-finally-came-out_2138680.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27d/cole-escola-6042_best_i-was-seventeen-when-i-finally-came-out_2138680.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was seventeen when I finally came out. The first time I actually said it was on my best friend's answering…” — Cole Escola", "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": "Cole Escola", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-escola/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was seventeen when I finally...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-escola/i-was-seventeen-when-i-finally-came-out-the-first-time-i-actually/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-escola/i-was-seventeen-when-i-finally-came-out-the-first-time-i-actually/#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 } } ] } ```