--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was this kid's age, you'd be…" description: "\"“When I was this kid's age, you'd be burned alive for such talk. Being a homosexual was unthinkable, and so you denied it, and found a girlfriend who w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a10/david-sedaris-333_homosexual_when-i-was-this-kid-s-age-you-d-be-burne_970141.png" --- # When I was this kid's age, you'd be burned alive for such… ![“When I was this kid's age, you'd be burned alive for such talk. Being a homosexual was unthinkable, and so you denied it, and found a girlfriend who was willing to settle for the sensitive type. On dates, you'd remind her that sex before marriage was just that, sex: what dogs did in the front…” quote by David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a10/david-sedaris-333_homosexual_when-i-was-this-kid-s-age-you-d-be-burne_970141.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a10/david-sedaris-333_homosexual_when-i-was-this-kid-s-age-you-d-be-burne_970141.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a10/david-sedaris-333_homosexual_when-i-was-this-kid-s-age-you-d-be-burne_970141.png) > ““When I was this kid's age, you'd be burned alive for such talk. Being a homosexual was unthinkable, and so you denied it, and found a girlfriend who was willing to settle for the sensitive type. On dates, you'd remind her that sex before marriage was just that, sex: what dogs did in the front yard. This as opposed to making love, which was more what you were about. A true union of souls could take anywhere from eight to ten years to properly establish, but you were willing to wait, and for this the mothers loved you. You sometimes discussed it with them over an iced tea, preferably on the back porch when you girlfriend's brother was mowing the lawn with his shirt off.”” [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societal pressure forces individuals to hide true identity, leading to forced relationships and delayed authentic connections. **In simple terms:** Society pushes people to hide who they are. Key Takeaway Live authentically despite pressure. Themes identity societal norms love Mood reflective empathetic Type personal social commentary When to use this quote - dating - family expectations - personal growth Key Concepts conformity self-acceptance Questions to Reflect On - What would you change about societal attitudes? - How can you support others in authentic expression? A Different Perspective Authenticity may clash with cultural expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Girlfriend Willing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girlfriend-willing-1856012/) [Homosexual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homosexual/) [Iced tea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iced-tea/) [Making love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-love/) [Marriage Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage-just/) [Mowing the lawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mowing-the-lawn/) [Sex before marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex-before-marriage/) [Sex Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex-marriage/) [Talk Homosexual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talk-homosexual-1856011/) [Ten years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ten-years/) [Willing to wait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willing-to-wait/) ## Related quotes > [I grew up at my grandmother's house, and she had a beautiful garden. 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If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daria-werbowy/when-i-was-a-kid-i-was-always-around-boys-i-was-always-trying-to-keep/) [Daria Werbowy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daria-werbowy/) > [You could make an analogy to a security guard who, three weeks prior, was mowing lawns for a living. The second he puts a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-depp/you-could-make-an-analogy-to-a-security-guard-who-three-weeks-prior/) [Johnny Depp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-depp/) > [I spend hours mowing the lawn in absolutely straight lines on my tractor. 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Men like to be admired for what they do, for their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-mccormick/but-men-and-women-are-different-in-the-way-that-they-feel-loved-men/) [Carol McCormick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-mccormick/) > [“People pooh-pooh Bud. It’s an extremely well-made beer. It’s clean, it’s refreshing. If you’re mowing the lawn and you come in and you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/people-pooh-pooh-bud-it-s-an-extremely-well-made-beer-it-s-clean-it-s/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [My bodyguard was mowing the lawn in a pink bikini when the body fell from the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/my-bodyguard-was-mowing-the-lawn-in-a-pink-bikini-when-the-body-fell/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [“If one has failed to develop curiosity and interest in the early years, it is a good idea to acquire them now, before it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/if-one-has-failed-to-develop-curiosity-and-interest-in-the-early/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) ## More by David Sedaris > [“Plenty of animals had pets, but few were more devoted than the mouse, who owned a baby corn snake—“A rescue snake, she’d be quick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/plenty-of-animals-had-pets-but-few-were-more-devoted-than-the-mouse/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“never fall asleep in a Dumpster, never underestimate a bee, never drive a convertible behind a flatbed truck, never get old, never get drunk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/never-fall-asleep-in-a-dumpster-never-underestimate-a-bee-never-drive/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“It was a father, one hand resting teapot-style on his hip, and the other - what would be the spout - formed into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/it-was-a-father-one-hand-resting-teapot-style-on-his-hip-and-the/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“A Japanese woman we’d met in Paris came to the apartment yesterday and spent several hours explaining our appliances. 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"I'm guessing you must be Catholic, am I right?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/you-have-how-many-children-in-your-family-the-teacher-would-ask-i-m/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“Like most seasoned phonies, I roundly suspect that everyone is as disingenuous as I am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/like-most-seasoned-phonies-i-roundly-suspect-that-everyone-is-as/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [As a child I assumed that when I reached adulthood, I would have grown-up thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/as-a-child-i-assumed-that-when-i-reached-adulthood-i-would-have-grown/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“You just take and take don´t you? Out there with your thumb in the air—not a care in the world, just grabbing whatever you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/you-just-take-and-take-don-t-you-out-there-with-your-thumb-in-the-air/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [In other parts of the country people tried to stay together for the sake of the children. In New York they tried to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/in-other-parts-of-the-country-people-tried-to-stay-together-for-the/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [My boyfriend got me a computer three years ago. I'll admit it does make things a lot easier. When I was working on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/my-boyfriend-got-me-a-computer-three-years-ago-i-ll-admit-it-does/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [I spent months searching for some secret code before I realized that common sense has nothing to do with it. Hysteria, psychosis, torture, depression:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-spent-months-searching-for-some-secret-code-before-i-realized-that/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [I hated leaving a hole in the smoking world, and so I recruited someone to take my place. People have given me a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-hated-leaving-a-hole-in-the-smoking-world-and-so-i-recruited/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [Write relentlessly, until you find your voice. Then, use it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/write-relentlessly-until-you-find-your-voice-then-use-it/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) [Explore all 667 David Sedaris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) ## More Homosexual quotes > [I'm homosexual. How and why are idle questions. It's a little like wanting to know why my eyes are green.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-genet/i-m-homosexual-how-and-why-are-idle-questions-it-s-a-little-like/) [Jean Genet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-genet/) > [Personally, I think that children should be left alone, they should be given an opportunity to grow up, to become aware of themselves and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/personally-i-think-that-children-should-be-left-alone-they-should-be/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [People are messy and complex, particularly in the homosexual world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milo-yiannopoulos/people-are-messy-and-complex-particularly-in-the-homosexual-world/) [Milo Yiannopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milo-yiannopoulos/) > [Hitler recruited around him homosexuals to make up his Stormtroopers, they were his enforcers, they were his thugs. And Hitler discovered that he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-fischer/hitler-recruited-around-him-homosexuals-to-make-up-his-stormtroopers/) [Bryan Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-fischer/) > [Selfish hedonism is not a pejorative. It is a description - an exactly accurate description of what is involved in homosexual relations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-keyes/selfish-hedonism-is-not-a-pejorative-it-is-a-description-an-exactly/) [Alan Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-keyes/) > [Persons who have cleansed themselves of any transgression and who have shown their ability to deal with homosexual inclinations and put them in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallin-h-oaks/persons-who-have-cleansed-themselves-of-any-transgression-and-who/) [Dallin H. Oaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallin-h-oaks/) > [I believe that homosexual acts between individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts. I do not believe that the Armed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-pace/i-believe-that-homosexual-acts-between-individuals-are-immoral-and/) [Peter Pace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-pace/) > [Something inside of me tells me that being homosexual is probably wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milo-yiannopoulos/something-inside-of-me-tells-me-that-being-homosexual-is-probably/) [Milo Yiannopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milo-yiannopoulos/) > [New Rule: I don't give two fingleberries and a McShit-all that Dumbledore is gay. 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I say no. (...) I'll not do anything to discriminate you, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gianfranco-fini/if-you-ask-me-an-openly-homosexual-teacher-can-work-as-a-teacher-i/) [Gianfranco Fini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gianfranco-fini/) > [Homosexuals are not monogamous. They want to destroy the institution of marriage. It will destroy marriage. It will destroy the Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dobson/homosexuals-are-not-monogamous-they-want-to-destroy-the-institution/) [James Dobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dobson/) > [I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-martin/i-am-proud-to-say-that-i-am-a-fortunate-homosexual-man-i-am-very/) [Ricky Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-martin/) [Browse all 594 Homosexual quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homosexual/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When I was this kid's age, you'd be burned alive for such talk. Being a homosexual was unthinkable, and so you denied it, and found a girlfriend who was willing to settle for the sensitive type. On dates, you'd remind her that sex before marriage was just that, sex: what dogs did in the front yard. This as opposed to making love, which was more what you were about. A true union of souls could take anywhere from eight to ten years to properly establish, but you were willing to wait, and for this the mothers loved you. 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