--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Grownups! Everyone remembers them. How…" description: "\"Grownups! Everyone remembers them. How strange and even sad it is that we never became what they were: beings noble, infallible, and free. We never bec..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/elizabeth-enright-22441_childhood_grownups-everyone-remembers-them-how-str_2160404.jpg" --- # Grownups! Everyone remembers them. How strange and even… ![“Grownups! Everyone remembers them. How strange and even sad it is that we never became what they were: beings noble, infallible, and free. We never became them. One of the things we discover as we live is that we never become anything different from what we are. We are no less ourselves at forty…” quote by Elizabeth Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/elizabeth-enright-22441_childhood_grownups-everyone-remembers-them-how-str_2160404.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/elizabeth-enright-22441_childhood_grownups-everyone-remembers-them-how-str_2160404.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/elizabeth-enright-22441_childhood_grownups-everyone-remembers-them-how-str_2160404.jpg) > “Grownups! Everyone remembers them. How strange and even sad it is that we never became what they were: beings noble, infallible, and free. We never became them. One of the things we discover as we live is that we never become anything different from what we are. We are no less ourselves at forty than we were at four, and because of this we know grownups as Grownups only once in life: during our own childhood. We never meet them in our lives again, and we will miss them always.” [Elizabeth Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-enright/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We idealize adult perfection but realize we remain the same person throughout life, missing the idealized version only in childhood memories. **In simple terms:** Adults are imagined as perfect, but we stay the same person. Key Takeaway Accept yourself at every age. Themes identity growth nostalgia Mood reflective melancholy Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - childhood reflections - adult self‑assessment - intergenerational expectations Key Concepts self‑acceptance life stages Questions to Reflect On - How does nostalgia shape your view of adulthood? - What expectations do you hold for your future self? A Different Perspective Idealized adults are unattainable, leading to disappointment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adolescence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adolescence/) [Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noble/) ## Related quotes > [We thought we were running away from the grownups, and now we are the grownups.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/we-thought-we-were-running-away-from-the-grownups-and-now-we-are-the/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Kids are beautiful, man. And they know much more than grownups think they know. Kids are just perfect people until grownups get their hands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/kids-are-beautiful-man-and-they-know-much-more-than-grownups-think/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I am curious about grownups, not children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerzy-kosi-ski/i-am-curious-about-grownups-not-children/) [Jerzy Kosinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerzy-kosi-ski/) > [I believe that children long for form just as grownups do, and that it releases rather than cramps creative energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/i-believe-that-children-long-for-form-just-as-grownups-do-and-that-it/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [Children from the age of five to ten should watch more television. Television depicts adults as rotten SOB's given to fistfights, gunplay, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/children-from-the-age-of-five-to-ten-should-watch-more-television/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [It's easier to be a grownup than to be a kid. When you're a kid, you lie constantly and people are always calling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-rich/it-s-easier-to-be-a-grownup-than-to-be-a-kid-when-you-re-a-kid-you/) [Simon Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-rich/) > [This is not a game, ... Debt has become a part of who we are. It's become that spoiled child in the grocery store…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/this-is-not-a-game-debt-has-become-a-part-of-who-we-are-it-s-become/) [Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/) > [“Using intuition is a hard thing for grownups to do, and”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/using-intuition-is-a-hard-thing-for-grownups-to-do-and/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [That's what my books are, now that I'm a grownup - mosaics of jokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/that-s-what-my-books-are-now-that-i-m-a-grownup-mosaics-of-jokes/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Kaoru: Grownups are so tiresome. They fake their smiles all day long and they try to force us to do the same. It's no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bisco-hatori/kaoru-grownups-are-so-tiresome-they-fake-their-smiles-all-day-long/) [Bisco Hatori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bisco-hatori/) > [Growing up I never had a perfume. I was like oh, one day when I'm grownup and have money I'm going to wear perfume.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-robbie/growing-up-i-never-had-a-perfume-i-was-like-oh-one-day-when-i-m/) [Margot Robbie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-robbie/) > [As a young girl, I used to dream of giving an interview. You dream of stardom as a kid. People think they don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sania-mirza/as-a-young-girl-i-used-to-dream-of-giving-an-interview-you-dream-of/) [Sania Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sania-mirza/) > [What is difficult about learning - any kind of learning - is that you have to give up what you know already to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-furlong/what-is-difficult-about-learning-any-kind-of-learning-is-that-you/) [Monica Furlong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-furlong/) > [A lot of times it's the child that sees something and not the grownup. I love that because, when readers get older, they start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-brett/a-lot-of-times-it-s-the-child-that-sees-something-and-not-the-grownup/) [Jan Brett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-brett/) > [“The cactus thrives in the desert while the fern thrives in the wetland. The fool will try to plant them in the same flowerbox.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/the-cactus-thrives-in-the-desert-while-the-fern-thrives-in-the/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) ## More by Elizabeth Enright > [“Each day the sun shone, the birds lingered, though the trees were turning, purely out of habit, and their rose and yellow and rust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-enright/each-day-the-sun-shone-the-birds-lingered-though-the-trees-were/) [Elizabeth Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-enright/) > [“All over the city lights were coming on in the purple-blue dusk. The street lights looked delicate and frail, as though they might suddenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-enright/all-over-the-city-lights-were-coming-on-in-the-purple-blue-dusk-the/) [Elizabeth Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-enright/) > [“Self-pity is the hens' besetting sin," remarked Mr. Payton. "Foolish fowl. How they came to achieve anything as perfect as the egg I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-enright/self-pity-is-the-hens-besetting-sin-remarked-mr-payton-foolish-fowl/) [Elizabeth Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-enright/) > [“October sunshine bathed the park with such a melting light that it had the dimmed impressive look of a landscape by an old master.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-enright/october-sunshine-bathed-the-park-with-such-a-melting-light-that-it/) [Elizabeth Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-enright/) > [“Garnet was very happy. She was so happy, for no especial reason, that she felt as if she must move carefully so she wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-enright/garnet-was-very-happy-she-was-so-happy-for-no-especial-reason-that/) [Elizabeth Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-enright/) > [Never plan a picnic' Father said. 'Plan a dinner, yes, or a house, or a budget, or an appointment with the dentist, but never,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-enright/never-plan-a-picnic-father-said-plan-a-dinner-yes-or-a-house-or-a/) [Elizabeth Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-enright/) > [“In Nina Kimbereley's garden the scabiosa flowers were dark as garnet brooches; the nicotiana a veil of tossing crimson stars. Nothing was usual, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-enright/in-nina-kimbereley-s-garden-the-scabiosa-flowers-were-dark-as-garnet/) [Elizabeth Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-enright/) > [“Already he knew that to overdo a thing is to destroy it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-enright/already-he-knew-that-to-overdo-a-thing-is-to-destroy-it/) [elizabeth enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-enright/) > [“Each golden day was cherished to the full, for one had the feeling that each must be the last. Tomorrow it would be winter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-enright/each-golden-day-was-cherished-to-the-full-for-one-had-the-feeling/) [Elizabeth Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-enright/) > [“Now isn't that nice!' said the old lady. 'If cousins are the right kind, they're best of all: kinder than sisters and brothers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-enright/now-isn-t-that-nice-said-the-old-lady-if-cousins-are-the-right-kind/) [Elizabeth Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-enright/) > [“I thought of many an autumn I had known: Seemly autumns approaching deliberately, with amplitude. I thought of wild asters, Michaelmas daisies, mushrooms, leaves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-enright/i-thought-of-many-an-autumn-i-had-known-seemly-autumns-approaching/) [Elizabeth Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-enright/) > [“I loved the flash of jewels and the luster of satin. In those days women dressed. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-enright/i-loved-the-flash-of-jewels-and-the-luster-of-satin-in-those-days/) [Elizabeth Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-enright/) > [ “The dishes," \[Garnet\] said. "Oh, let them stand for once!" cried Mrs. Linden grandly, "we can do them when we come home. This is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-enright/the-dishes-garnet-said-oh-let-them-stand-for-once-cried-mrs-linden/) [Elizabeth Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-enright/) > [“Garnet woke up early. Before she was quite wide awake she lay with her eyes closed, half afraid to look for fear it might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-enright/garnet-woke-up-early-before-she-was-quite-wide-awake-she-lay-with-her/) [Elizabeth Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-enright/) > [“Mr. Payton was at work on his pipe again, lighting and coaxing it. "They need constant attention, pipes, like babies and guinea hens," he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-enright/mr-payton-was-at-work-on-his-pipe-again-lighting-and-coaxing-it-they/) [Elizabeth Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-enright/) [Explore all 27 Elizabeth Enright quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-enright/) ## More Adolescence quotes > [They must move from a psychological state of victimization to a psychological state of accepting responsibility. The Palestinians must leave behind their revolutionary adolescence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-shavit/they-must-move-from-a-psychological-state-of-victimization-to-a/) [Ari Shavit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-shavit/) > [Having children truly ends adolescence. We are all either parents or children: responsibility-takers or those who demand from others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shapiro/having-children-truly-ends-adolescence-we-are-all-either-parents-or/) [Ben Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shapiro/) > [Teenage girls are extremists who see the world in black-and- white terms, missing shades of gray. Life is either marvelous or notworth living. School…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pipher/teenage-girls-are-extremists-who-see-the-world-in-black-and-white/) [Mary Pipher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pipher/) > [Teenagers complain there's nothing to do, then stay out all night doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-phillips/teenagers-complain-there-s-nothing-to-do-then-stay-out-all-night/) [Bob Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-phillips/) > [The idols of one's adolescence tend to endure - you never forget how you worshipped them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/the-idols-of-one-s-adolescence-tend-to-endure-you-never-forget-how/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [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/) > [The donning of the ear buds marks the beginning of teen life, when children set off on their own for the passage through adolescence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amity-shlaes/the-donning-of-the-ear-buds-marks-the-beginning-of-teen-life-when/) [Amity Shlaes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amity-shlaes/) > [Adolescence is when the very worst and best impulses in the human soul struggle against each other for possession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-stanley-hall/adolescence-is-when-the-very-worst-and-best-impulses-in-the-human/) [G. Stanley Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-stanley-hall/) > [Most adults would not dream of belittling, humiliating, or bullying (verbally or physically) another adult. But many of the same adults think nothing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-steinberg/most-adults-would-not-dream-of-belittling-humiliating-or-bullying/) [Laurence Steinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-steinberg/) > [If you can't count, they can cheat you. If you can't read, they can beat you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/if-you-can-t-count-they-can-cheat-you-if-you-can-t-read-they-can-beat/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“He'd possessed all the key elements of a school shooter: hormones, misery, ammunition. People wondered how something like Columbine could happen. Jude wondered why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/he-d-possessed-all-the-key-elements-of-a-school-shooter-hormones/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [ I remember realizing, when I did Little Women \[1994\], that that was the only time girls that age were being written about. It was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/i-remember-realizing-when-i-did-little-women-1994-that-that-was-the/) [Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/) > [Content without style is propaganda or adolescence. Style without content is decadence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mae-brown/content-without-style-is-propaganda-or-adolescence-style-without/) [Rita Mae Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mae-brown/) > [Adolescence is interesting. I mean, all of life is interesting and all of life is transitionary. But I think there is an exponential growth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-henson/adolescence-is-interesting-i-mean-all-of-life-is-interesting-and-all/) [Bill Henson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-henson/) > [“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/) [Browse all 787 Adolescence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adolescence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Grownups! Everyone remembers them. How strange and even sad it is that we never became what they were: beings noble, infallible, and free. We never became them. One of the things we discover as we live is that we never become anything different from what we are. 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