--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was 4, I had a schedule. I was…" description: "\"When I was 4, I had a schedule. I was playing softball. My brother was playing football. My parents were teachers, and they'd owned businesses. We like..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3af/dawn-richard-7962_books_when-i-was-4-i-had-a-schedule-i-was-play_2038501.jpg" --- # When I was 4, I had a schedule. I was playing softball. My… ![“When I was 4, I had a schedule. I was playing softball. My brother was playing football. My parents were teachers, and they'd owned businesses. We like to work hard. Work and then books. Books and then work. We just knew that we had to excel. It sounds militant, but trust me, it was fun.” quote by Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3af/dawn-richard-7962_books_when-i-was-4-i-had-a-schedule-i-was-play_2038501.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3af/dawn-richard-7962_books_when-i-was-4-i-had-a-schedule-i-was-play_2038501.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3af/dawn-richard-7962_books_when-i-was-4-i-had-a-schedule-i-was-play_2038501.jpg) > “When I was 4, I had a schedule. I was playing softball. My brother was playing football. My parents were teachers, and they'd owned businesses. We like to work hard. Work and then books. Books and then work. We just knew that we had to excel. It sounds militant, but trust me, it was fun.” [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote describes a disciplined, work‑hard ethic cultivated in childhood, balancing sports, education, and family expectations, framed as fun despite its intensity. **In simple terms:** Childhood routine combined work, sports, and study, fostering excellence. Key Takeaway Adopt disciplined routines for growth. Themes education family discipline Mood reflective optimistic Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - time management - goal setting Key Concepts work ethic balanced life personal development Questions to Reflect On - How does early discipline affect later creativity? - What balance is healthy between work and play? A Different Perspective The narrative may overlook the pressure and lack of flexibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Playing football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-football/) [Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Work hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-hard/) ## Related quotes > [When you do your first book, you're just like, "This is my work." And it's just this whole other world that you throw yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-lee-o-malley/when-you-do-your-first-book-you-re-just-like-this-is-my-work-and-it-s/) [Bryan Lee O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-lee-o-malley/) > [My husband is my part of my greatest joys, so it doesn't feel like work or like I'm balancing anything. My husband and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-denise-brown/my-husband-is-my-part-of-my-greatest-joys-so-it-doesn-t-feel-like/) [Monica Denise Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-denise-brown/) > [There's not anyone in particular I'd like to work with. I just want to continue doing work that I have a passion for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tye-sheridan/there-s-not-anyone-in-particular-i-d-like-to-work-with-i-just-want-to/) [Tye Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tye-sheridan/) > [When I finish playing football, I would like to work with kids and sleep!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-strahan/when-i-finish-playing-football-i-would-like-to-work-with-kids-and/) [Michael Strahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-strahan/) > [I've always just operated with the attitude that if I work just as hard as I can, everything will be fine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-saffitz/i-ve-always-just-operated-with-the-attitude-that-if-i-work-just-as/) [Claire Saffitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-saffitz/) > [One thing I struggled with the most was my brother started playing football, AFL and I remember I went down and wanted to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-alcott/one-thing-i-struggled-with-the-most-was-my-brother-started-playing/) [Dylan Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-alcott/) > [We are just going to keep putting the work in and just wait until it pays off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julio-jones/we-are-just-going-to-keep-putting-the-work-in-and-just-wait-until-it/) [Julio Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julio-jones/) > [I do work hard, but I have a passion for work. That's just who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marillyn-hewson/i-do-work-hard-but-i-have-a-passion-for-work-that-s-just-who-i-am/) [Marillyn Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marillyn-hewson/) > [If we fix a goal and work towards it, then we are never just passing time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-neagle/if-we-fix-a-goal-and-work-towards-it-then-we-are-never-just-passing/) [Anna Neagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-neagle/) > [I don't want to do random work, just for the sake of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kunal-kapoor/i-don-t-want-to-do-random-work-just-for-the-sake-of-it/) [Kunal Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kunal-kapoor/) > [If you live in America, you don't have to work. You can just drift along in the smiling and nodding racket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/if-you-live-in-america-you-don-t-have-to-work-you-can-just-drift/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [It's a pleasure to work with someone who is just as strong as you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/it-s-a-pleasure-to-work-with-someone-who-is-just-as-strong-as-you-are/) [Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/) > [It's thought of as an eccentric thing for an actor to really try to maintain quality control through the whole career. Most people think,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-reilly/it-s-thought-of-as-an-eccentric-thing-for-an-actor-to-really-try-to/) [John C. Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-reilly/) > [I don't care where I have to go for work. I just care that it's a good project. That's what I want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-del-castillo/i-don-t-care-where-i-have-to-go-for-work-i-just-care-that-it-s-a-good/) [Kate del Castillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-del-castillo/) > [Nobody drives to work------------there is just to much traffic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nobody-drives-to-work-there-is-just-to-much-traffic/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Dawn Richard > [The problem with Danity Kane is everybody wanted to play everybody's role, and when you're in a group like that, that can't survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/the-problem-with-danity-kane-is-everybody-wanted-to-play-everybody-s/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [I couldn't do a record without knowing I'll translate it into something visual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/i-couldn-t-do-a-record-without-knowing-i-ll-translate-it-into/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [I've had two platinum albums. I have worked with thousands of people. But the most rewarding feeling is to see people on Twitter say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/i-ve-had-two-platinum-albums-i-have-worked-with-thousands-of-people/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [How many people can say they had Anna Wintour on a record? Not even an album, just a mixtape? It's audacious, disrespectful, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/how-many-people-can-say-they-had-anna-wintour-on-a-record-not-even-an/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [I'd only do a deal with a label if it allowed me to still be indie and have that indie mentality. I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/i-d-only-do-a-deal-with-a-label-if-it-allowed-me-to-still-be-indie/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [My grandmother had a Ph.D in library science, so I grew up in a library, and I would appreciate those books and the smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/my-grandmother-had-a-ph-d-in-library-science-so-i-grew-up-in-a/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > ['Redemption' is about understanding myself and not worrying about my relationship with the industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/redemption-is-about-understanding-myself-and-not-worrying-about-my/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [People want to peg you as alternative R&B when they hear soul or see the color of your skin. It's comfortable when people see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/people-want-to-peg-you-as-alternative-r-b-when-they-hear-soul-or-see/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [Just as much as you need the people who love you, you need the people who doubt you - to prove them wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/just-as-much-as-you-need-the-people-who-love-you-you-need-the-people/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [I'm not mainstream. You gotta find me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/i-m-not-mainstream-you-gotta-find-me/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [I did write more mainstream stuff with DK. But you could always tell the records that I wrote in contrast with everybody else's because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/i-did-write-more-mainstream-stuff-with-dk-but-you-could-always-tell/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [I watched my parents lose everything, from a house to birth certificates. We were homeless for about six months, then we stayed in Baltimore,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/i-watched-my-parents-lose-everything-from-a-house-to-birth/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [When I was growing up, there was no one. There were very few black women in tech; there were very few black women in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/when-i-was-growing-up-there-was-no-one-there-were-very-few-black/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [I had no idea that what I thought was my low wasn't really my low. That's what a lot of people think - then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/i-had-no-idea-that-what-i-thought-was-my-low-wasn-t-really-my-low/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) > [My uncle is in the hall of fame for creating by hand some of the most intricate Indian Mardi Gras garb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-richard/my-uncle-is-in-the-hall-of-fame-for-creating-by-hand-some-of-the-most/) [Dawn Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) [Explore all 85 Dawn Richard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-richard/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was 4, I had a schedule. I was playing softball. My brother was playing football. My parents were teachers, and they'd owned businesses. We like to work hard. Work and then books. Books and then work. We just knew that we had to excel. 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