--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was very physical as a child - we lived…" description: "\"I was very physical as a child - we lived on a smallholding, and I was always outside making mud pies or building structures up trees.\" — Cornelia Parker" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77f/cornelia-parker-4217_always_i-was-very-physical-as-a-child-we-lived_361190.jpg" --- # I was very physical as a child - we lived on a… ![“I was very physical as a child - we lived on a smallholding, and I was always outside making mud pies or building structures up trees.” quote by Cornelia Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77f/cornelia-parker-4217_always_i-was-very-physical-as-a-child-we-lived_361190.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77f/cornelia-parker-4217_always_i-was-very-physical-as-a-child-we-lived_361190.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77f/cornelia-parker-4217_always_i-was-very-physical-as-a-child-we-lived_361190.jpg) > “I was very physical as a child - we lived on a smallholding, and I was always outside making mud pies or building structures up trees.” [Cornelia Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-parker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She reflects on a childhood of outdoor, tactile play. **In simple terms:** She recalls active, hands‑on childhood experiences. Key Takeaway Embrace creative play. Themes creativity childhood nature construction Mood nostalgic inspired Type personal educational When to use this quote - education - artistic development - family activities Key Concepts playful learning hands‑on creativity Questions to Reflect On - How did early play shape your creativity? - What activities can you incorporate now? A Different Perspective May romanticize past; not universally applicable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees/) ## Related quotes > [I was a very physical child... I was a tree-climber; I was a tomboy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-dormer/i-was-a-very-physical-child-i-was-a-tree-climber-i-was-a-tomboy/) [Natalie Dormer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-dormer/) > [Even as a child she had lived her own small life within herself. At a very early period she had apprehended instinctively the dual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-chopin/even-as-a-child-she-had-lived-her-own-small-life-within-herself-at-a/) [Kate Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-chopin/) > [“Child who does not play is not a child, but the man who does not play has lost forever the child who lived within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/child-who-does-not-play-is-not-a-child-but-the-man-who-does-not-play/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [A child who does not play is not a child, but the man who doesn't play has lost forever the child who lived in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/a-child-who-does-not-play-is-not-a-child-but-the-man-who-doesn-t-play/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [“The feeling that she had never really lived in this world caught her by surprise. It was a fact. She had never lived. Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/han-kang/the-feeling-that-she-had-never-really-lived-in-this-world-caught-her-2/) [Han Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/han-kang/) > [“She was in her element walking the concrete sidewalks, listening to the buzz of traffic and the hum of city life. One reason was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-e-riegel/she-was-in-her-element-walking-the-concrete-sidewalks-listening-to/) Richard E. Riegel > [Because I was an only child, I lived in a very grown-up world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-fosse/because-i-was-an-only-child-i-lived-in-a-very-grown-up-world/) [Nicole Fosse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-fosse/) > [“She had believed in her own inherent goodness, her humanity, and lived accordingly, never causing anyone harm. Her devotion to doing things the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/han-kang/she-had-believed-in-her-own-inherent-goodness-her-humanity-and-lived/) [Han Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/han-kang/) > [“To the woman in the restaurant today, the doll in her arms was the real child who still lived in her memories.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shogo-oketani/to-the-woman-in-the-restaurant-today-the-doll-in-her-arms-was-the/) Shogo Oketani > [As a child, we lived in flats, and I was never allowed pets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-pigott-smith/as-a-child-we-lived-in-flats-and-i-was-never-allowed-pets/) [Tim Pigott-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-pigott-smith/) > [Our love was born outside the walls, in the wind, in the night, in the earth, and that's why the clay and the flower,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/our-love-was-born-outside-the-walls-in-the-wind-in-the-night-in-the/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [From my image of digging around in the mud like a grunt, I preferred fighting the war from ships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haskell-wexler/from-my-image-of-digging-around-in-the-mud-like-a-grunt-i-preferred/) [Haskell Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haskell-wexler/) > [I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around. Lucky me, lucky mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-some-of-the-mud-that-got-to-sit-up-and-look-around-lucky-me/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [One may not doubt that, somehow Good Shall come of Water and of Mud; And sure, the reverent eye must see A purpose in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-brooke/one-may-not-doubt-that-somehow-good-shall-come-of-water-and-of-mud/) [Rupert Brooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-brooke/) > [Even mud gives the illusion of depth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/even-mud-gives-the-illusion-of-depth/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) ## More by Cornelia Parker > [People often want the big dramatic works, not the smaller quieter ones, but I don't worry about how it fits together anymore; I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-parker/people-often-want-the-big-dramatic-works-not-the-smaller-quieter-ones/) [Cornelia Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-parker/) > [I like the idea of taking three-dimensional objects and making them two-dimensional so that they look like cartoons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-parker/i-like-the-idea-of-taking-three-dimensional-objects-and-making-them/) [Cornelia Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-parker/) > [As you get older, things don't work as well. I do Pilates, and that helps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-parker/as-you-get-older-things-don-t-work-as-well-i-do-pilates-and-that-helps/) [Cornelia Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-parker/) > [The main trouble with this civilized world isn't that we adventure too much, but that we fail to adventure enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-parker/the-main-trouble-with-this-civilized-world-isn-t-that-we-adventure/) [Cornelia Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-parker/) > [I'm from a working-class background - I had free school meals all my life and then spent six years in art school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-parker/i-m-from-a-working-class-background-i-had-free-school-meals-all-my/) [Cornelia Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-parker/) > [Violence is part of everybody's life, whether you like or express it or not. My work utilises all the energies that I have, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-parker/violence-is-part-of-everybody-s-life-whether-you-like-or-express-it/) [Cornelia Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-parker/) > [Dust, in the end, settles on everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-parker/dust-in-the-end-settles-on-everything/) [Cornelia Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-parker/) > [If I'm not doing the work I want, I usually suffer a psychological allergic reaction and get ill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-parker/if-i-m-not-doing-the-work-i-want-i-usually-suffer-a-psychological/) [Cornelia Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-parker/) > [After leaving college, I was in a show called Sculpture by Women where I was asked to talk about my history of victimisation in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-parker/after-leaving-college-i-was-in-a-show-called-sculpture-by-women-where/) [Cornelia Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-parker/) > [I think my work is like a spiral: you keep coming back on yourself, but you're at a different place. It's like reading 'Nineteen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-parker/i-think-my-work-is-like-a-spiral-you-keep-coming-back-on-yourself-but/) [Cornelia Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-parker/) > [I think your subconscious knows far more than your conscious, so I trust it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-parker/i-think-your-subconscious-knows-far-more-than-your-conscious-so-i/) [Cornelia Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-parker/) > [Paul Auster is my favourite writer, and I'm sure he'd be a very interesting person to share a journey with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-parker/paul-auster-is-my-favourite-writer-and-i-m-sure-he-d-be-a-very/) [Cornelia Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-parker/) > [Heaven grants the human being who has learned to live alone a deep measure of such rewards that verily would one hesitate to sacrifice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-parker/heaven-grants-the-human-being-who-has-learned-to-live-alone-a-deep/) [Cornelia Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-parker/) > [As a working-class girl, receiving free school dinners, I studied art history. Having never had the chance to visit art galleries, I devoured the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-parker/as-a-working-class-girl-receiving-free-school-dinners-i-studied-art/) [Cornelia Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-parker/) > [My mother was German, and I was brought up with 'Struwwelpeter' stories, which are invested with all sorts of horrors waiting for you if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-parker/my-mother-was-german-and-i-was-brought-up-with-struwwelpeter-stories/) [Cornelia Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-parker/) [Explore all 114 Cornelia Parker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-parker/) ## More Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/) [Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/) Browse all 36,048 Always quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was very physical as a child - we lived on a smallholding, and I was always outside making mud pies or building structures up trees.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cornelia Parker" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-parker/i-was-very-physical-as-a-child-we-lived-on-a-smallholding-and-i-was/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Always" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-parker/i-was-very-physical-as-a-child-we-lived-on-a-smallholding-and-i-was/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77f/cornelia-parker-4217_always_i-was-very-physical-as-a-child-we-lived_361190.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77f/cornelia-parker-4217_always_i-was-very-physical-as-a-child-we-lived_361190.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77f/cornelia-parker-4217_always_i-was-very-physical-as-a-child-we-lived_361190.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was very physical as a child - we lived on a smallholding, and I was always outside making mud pies or…” — Cornelia Parker", "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": "Cornelia Parker", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-parker/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was very physical as a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-parker/i-was-very-physical-as-a-child-we-lived-on-a-smallholding-and-i-was/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-parker/i-was-very-physical-as-a-child-we-lived-on-a-smallholding-and-i-was/#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 } } ] } ```