--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being raised in an unstable household…" description: "\"Being raised in an unstable household makes you understand that the world doesn't exist to accommodate you, which... is something a lot of people strug..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/curtis-sittenfeld-1731_adulthood_being-raised-in-an-unstable-household-ma_264826.png" --- # Being raised in an unstable household makes you understand… ![“Being raised in an unstable household makes you understand that the world doesn't exist to accommodate you, which... is something a lot of people struggle to understand well into their adulthood. It makes you realize how quickly a situation can shift, how danger really is everywhere. But crises…” quote by Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/curtis-sittenfeld-1731_adulthood_being-raised-in-an-unstable-household-ma_264826.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/curtis-sittenfeld-1731_adulthood_being-raised-in-an-unstable-household-ma_264826.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/curtis-sittenfeld-1731_adulthood_being-raised-in-an-unstable-household-ma_264826.png) > “Being raised in an unstable household makes you understand that the world doesn't exist to accommodate you, which... is something a lot of people struggle to understand well into their adulthood. It makes you realize how quickly a situation can shift, how danger really is everywhere. But crises when the occur, do not catch you off guard; you have never believed you lived under a shelter of some essential benevolence. And an unstable childhood makes you appreciate calmness and not crave excitement.” [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An unstable childhood teaches that life is unpredictable and safety is not guaranteed, fostering appreciation for calm. **In simple terms:** Unstable upbringing reveals life's uncertainty. Key Takeaway Value stability and calm. Themes resilience uncertainty growth Mood thoughtful empathetic Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - career challenges - relationship building - stress management Key Concepts psychological safety adaptability Questions to Reflect On - How do you find calm in chaos? - What lessons from childhood shape your adult stability? A Different Perspective Not everyone can control early life conditions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adulthood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adulthood/) [Appreciate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciate/) [Benevolence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/benevolence/) [Calmness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calmness/) [Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Crises Occur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crises-occur-2602820/) [Crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/) [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Essentials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essentials/) [Excitement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excitement/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Household](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/household/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Raised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/raised/) [Realizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realizing/) [Really Crises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-crises-2602821/) [Shelter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shelter/) [Situation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situation/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Understand Adulthood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-adulthood-1587230/) [Unstable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unstable/) [Unstable Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unstable-childhood-1587226/) [Unstable Household](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unstable-household-1587229/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“Far in the future, Hannah will have a boyfriend named Mike with whom she'll talk about her father. She'll say she isn't sorry about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/far-in-the-future-hannah-will-have-a-boyfriend-named-mike-with-whom/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [And an unstable childhood makes you appreciate calmness and not crave excitement. To spend a Saturday afternoon mopping your kitchen floor while listening to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/and-an-unstable-childhood-makes-you-appreciate-calmness-and-not-crave/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [At present, financial crises occur, chiefly because the paper currency is redeemable in gold only.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-buchanan-robinson/at-present-financial-crises-occur-chiefly-because-the-paper-currency/) [John Buchanan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-buchanan-robinson/) > [The future is going to require really smart people. What we think are crises today probably will be no big deal, and we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-kamen/the-future-is-going-to-require-really-smart-people-what-we-think-are/) [Dean Kamen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-kamen/) > [Happiness that depends mainly on physical pleasure is unstable; one day it's there, the next day it may not be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/happiness-that-depends-mainly-on-physical-pleasure-is-unstable-one/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [I grew up in an unstable environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-morgan/i-grew-up-in-an-unstable-environment/) [Liv Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-morgan/) > [Gold is not less but more rational than paper money. Money holds value so long as it is in limited supply; gold will always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-e-rees/gold-is-not-less-but-more-rational-than-paper-money-money-holds-value/) [William E. Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-e-rees/) > [The specific disease doctrine is the grand refuge of weak, uncultured, unstable minds, such as now rule in the medical profession. There are no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-nightingale/the-specific-disease-doctrine-is-the-grand-refuge-of-weak-uncultured/) [Florence Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-nightingale/) > [It is the greenback which is unstable, and not bullion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-pick/it-is-the-greenback-which-is-unstable-and-not-bullion/) [Franz Pick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-pick/) > [“The difference between President Trump and Steven Magee? Steven Magee publicly acknowledges his mental illnesses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-difference-between-president-trump-and-steven-magee-steven-magee/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“Happiness that you obtain from others is very unstable. If you cannot capture it yourself no one else will come and grab it for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-street/happiness-that-you-obtain-from-others-is-very-unstable-if-you-cannot/) [Cat Street](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-street/) > [It's a scary endeavor to pursue acting because so much of it is unstable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ego-nwodim/it-s-a-scary-endeavor-to-pursue-acting-because-so-much-of-it-is/) [Ego Nwodim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ego-nwodim/) > [The Holy Ghost is the greatest guarantor of inward peace in our unstable world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/the-holy-ghost-is-the-greatest-guarantor-of-inward-peace-in-our/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [Memory is like fiction; or else it's fiction that's like memory. This really came home to me once I started writing fiction, that memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/memory-is-like-fiction-or-else-it-s-fiction-that-s-like-memory-this/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Growing up I did commercials and things like that, but nothing serious. As I got older, my family is really hardcore into academics. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-doubleday/growing-up-i-did-commercials-and-things-like-that-but-nothing-serious/) [Portia Doubleday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/portia-doubleday/) ## More by Curtis Sittenfeld > [The best part of being a writer for me is immersing myself in a fictional world, which is the opposite of being on social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/the-best-part-of-being-a-writer-for-me-is-immersing-myself-in-a/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [“I think adults forget just how much faith teenagers can have in them, just how willing to believe that adults, by virtue of being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/i-think-adults-forget-just-how-much-faith-teenagers-can-have-in-them/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [“She came down to my dorm that night, knocking on the door around nine o'clock. Martha was at the library, and I was eating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/she-came-down-to-my-dorm-that-night-knocking-on-the-door-around-nine/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [My boarding school experience was the only thing I had strong enough feelings to write about for hundreds and hundreds of pages. I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/my-boarding-school-experience-was-the-only-thing-i-had-strong-enough/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [Of course a magazine is usually more interesting than a conversation, because so much more time and preparation has gone into it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/of-course-a-magazine-is-usually-more-interesting-than-a-conversation/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [I feel that Pride and Prejudice is an incredibly well constructed novel on every level. The dialogue is great. The character development is great.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/i-feel-that-pride-and-prejudice-is-an-incredibly-well-constructed/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [I should probably be careful admitting this, but sometimes, when my characters are having a disagreement, it's a disagreement I'm having with myself. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/i-should-probably-be-careful-admitting-this-but-sometimes-when-my/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [“Approaching each other, him from the gym, me from the library- this was when I walked down the aisle and he was waiting, this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/approaching-each-other-him-from-the-gym-me-from-the-library-this-was/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [After I’d told her – the mall, the taxi, Cross stroking my hair – she said, ‘Did he kiss you?’ ‘John and Martin totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/after-i-d-told-her-the-mall-the-taxi-cross-stroking-my-hair-she-said/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [There's an ongoing 'water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink' situation at my house in terms of both pens and paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/there-s-an-ongoing-water-water-everywhere-and-not-a-drop-to-drink/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [She opened her mouth but did not immediately speak, and I felt, simultaneously, the impulse to coax the words from her and the impulse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/she-opened-her-mouth-but-did-not-immediately-speak-and-i-felt/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [“But the truth was that I didn't want to stay in Riley. The pulls of familial love and obligation could not, for the moment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/but-the-truth-was-that-i-didn-t-want-to-stay-in-riley-the-pulls-of/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [“Profii de aici le-au vazut pe toate. Noi ne percepem ca individualitati distincte, dar in ochii lor nu suntem decat o masa de nevoi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/profii-de-aici-le-au-vazut-pe-toate-noi-ne-percepem-ca/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [When I was writing my first two books I was also freelancing and teaching and doing other odd jobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/when-i-was-writing-my-first-two-books-i-was-also-freelancing-and/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [“When I think of Henry and Oliver and Mike, I feel as if they are three different models - templates, almost - and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/when-i-think-of-henry-and-oliver-and-mike-i-feel-as-if-they-are-three/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) [Explore all 212 Curtis Sittenfeld quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) ## More Adulthood quotes > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [People often say that you should never work with child actors. I think that's all wrong. Children have not had the imagination kicked out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/people-often-say-that-you-should-never-work-with-child-actors-i-think/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [Two things suck about becoming an adult male - paying taxes and getting a finger in your butt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-code/two-things-suck-about-becoming-an-adult-male-paying-taxes-and-getting/) [Guy Code](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-code/) > [You can only pretend for so long before reality hits and you realize he/she is not who you thought or what you truly want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/you-can-only-pretend-for-so-long-before-reality-hits-and-you-realize/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [If I were entering adulthood now instead of in the environment of fifty years ago, I would choose a career that kept me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/if-i-were-entering-adulthood-now-instead-of-in-the-environment-of/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [“English: "Being an adult doesn't mean killing the child we once were; it means being able to protect him." Česky: „Být dospělým neznamená zabít…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebasti-n-wortys/english-being-an-adult-doesn-t-mean-killing-the-child-we-once-were-it/) [Sebastián Wortys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebasti-n-wortys/) > [“I wondered what a man I had encountered the day before on the plane en route to Chicago's O'Hare airport would have made of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/i-wondered-what-a-man-i-had-encountered-the-day-before-on-the-plane/) [Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/) > [“Sometimes your kids will say the nastiest things, won't they, Rose? You want to ask,'Whose child is this?'" Rose chuckled. "But usually, they're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/sometimes-your-kids-will-say-the-nastiest-things-won-t-they-rose-you/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [No one, it has been said, will ever look at the Moon in the same way again. More significantly can one say that no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/no-one-it-has-been-said-will-ever-look-at-the-moon-in-the-same-way/) [Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [Being an adult is the ability to postpone a want for the sake of a family need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hogan/being-an-adult-is-the-ability-to-postpone-a-want-for-the-sake-of-a/) [Chris Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hogan/) > [“one Secret of Adulthood is “Never start a sentence with the words ‘No offense’”? “And”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/one-secret-of-adulthood-is-never-start-a-sentence-with-the-words-no/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [In their youth, mortals behave more like nymphs. Adulthood seems impossibly distant, let alone the enfeeblement of old age. But ponderously, inevitably, it overtakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-mull/in-their-youth-mortals-behave-more-like-nymphs-adulthood-seems/) [Brandon Mull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-mull/) > [Public schools were designed as the great equalizers of our society - the place where all children could have access to educational opportunities to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-napolitano/public-schools-were-designed-as-the-great-equalizers-of-our-society/) [Janet Napolitano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-napolitano/) > [“Yet GenX'er teens didn't slow down--they were just as likely to drive, drink alcohol, and date as their Boomer peers and more likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-m-twenge/yet-genx-er-teens-didn-t-slow-down-they-were-just-as-likely-to-drive/) [Jean M. Twenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-m-twenge/) > [“The entrepreneurs are only about my age, probably younger, but they don't seem so. Their tailored clothes and unbending hairdos, their clipboards and laser…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/the-entrepreneurs-are-only-about-my-age-probably-younger-but-they-don/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) [Browse all 651 Adulthood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adulthood/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Being raised in an unstable household makes you understand that the world doesn't exist to accommodate you, which... is something a lot of people struggle to understand well into their adulthood. It makes you realize how quickly a situation can shift, how danger really is everywhere. But crises when the occur, do not catch you off guard; you have never believed you lived under a shelter of some essential benevolence. And an unstable childhood makes you appreciate calmness and not crave excitement.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Curtis Sittenfeld" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/being-raised-in-an-unstable-household-makes-you-understand-that-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adulthood" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/being-raised-in-an-unstable-household-makes-you-understand-that-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/curtis-sittenfeld-1731_adulthood_being-raised-in-an-unstable-household-ma_264826.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/curtis-sittenfeld-1731_adulthood_being-raised-in-an-unstable-household-ma_264826.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/curtis-sittenfeld-1731_adulthood_being-raised-in-an-unstable-household-ma_264826.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Being raised in an unstable household makes you understand that the world doesn't exist to accommodate you…” — Curtis Sittenfeld", "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": "Curtis Sittenfeld", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Being raised in an unstable household...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/being-raised-in-an-unstable-household-makes-you-understand-that-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/being-raised-in-an-unstable-household-makes-you-understand-that-the/#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 } } ] } ```