---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was little, I had to write down…"
description: "\"When I was little, I had to write down what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I wrote, 'I want to be an actress-singer-dancer because you can be a ric..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/445/ellen-greene-36951_because_when-i-was-little-i-had-to-write-down-wh_2418552.png"
---

#  When I was little, I had to write down what I wanted to be…

![“When I was little, I had to write down what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I wrote, 'I want to be an actress-singer-dancer because you can be a rich fairy princess and tell someone off.'” quote by Ellen Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/445/ellen-greene-36951_because_when-i-was-little-i-had-to-write-down-wh_2418552.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/445/ellen-greene-36951_because_when-i-was-little-i-had-to-write-down-wh_2418552.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/445/ellen-greene-36951_because_when-i-was-little-i-had-to-write-down-wh_2418552.png)

> “When I was little, I had to write down what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I wrote, 'I want to be an actress-singer-dancer because you can be a rich fairy princess and tell someone off.'”

[Ellen Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-greene/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

She imagined a whimsical, powerful future self—an actress‑singer‑dancer fairy princess—reflecting childhood aspirations for fame and rebelliousness.

**In simple terms:** She wanted a magical, empowered identity as a child.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate confidence while staying grounded.

Themes

ambition fantasy empowerment rebellion

Mood

inspirational hopeful

Type

career personal development

When to use this quote

- career planning
- performing arts training
- creative play

Key Concepts

childhood dreams role models self‑concept

Questions to Reflect On

- What aspects of that fairy‑princess vision still inspire you?
- How can you channel that rebellious spirit constructively?

A Different Perspective

Idealized visions can clash with realistic career paths.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) [Fairy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairy/) [Fairy princess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairy-princess/) [Princess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/princess/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [“She had a brief affair with a novelist, W. L. River, whose Death of a Young Man had been published several years earlier. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/she-had-a-brief-affair-with-a-novelist-w-l-river-whose-death-of-a/)

[Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/)

> [And isn't that, at it's core, what the princess fantasy is about for all of us? "Princess" is how we tell little girls that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-orenstein/and-isn-t-that-at-it-s-core-what-the-princess-fantasy-is-about-for/)

[Peggy Orenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-orenstein/)

> [If I wasn't a singer, I would be a fairy princess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dua-lipa/if-i-wasn-t-a-singer-i-would-be-a-fairy-princess/)

[Dua Lipa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dua-lipa/)

> [My mother always seemed to me like a fairy princess: a radiant being possessed of limitless riches and power. She shone for me like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/my-mother-always-seemed-to-me-like-a-fairy-princess-a-radiant-being/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [I can't just only be on reality TV and show everything when it's the fairy princess, fairytale, and then not take my hits when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethenny-frankel/i-can-t-just-only-be-on-reality-tv-and-show-everything-when-it-s-the/)

[Bethenny Frankel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethenny-frankel/)

> [“As someone else once said, "Write what you know". Well I know very little, so I write, and illustrate, Nonsense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-h-tubb/as-someone-else-once-said-write-what-you-know-well-i-know-very-little/)

Paul H Tubb

> [I used to want to be a children's writer, because I would have all these great ideas when I was little, and I'd write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jena-malone/i-used-to-want-to-be-a-children-s-writer-because-i-would-have-all/)

[Jena Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jena-malone/)

> [If you write for God you will reach many men and bring them joy. If you write for men--you may make some money and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/if-you-write-for-god-you-will-reach-many-men-and-bring-them-joy-if/)

[Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/)

> [The BALLPOINT PENGUINS, black and white, Do little else but write and write. Although they've nothing much to say, They write and write it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-prelutsky/the-ballpoint-penguins-black-and-white-do-little-else-but-write-and/)

[Jack Prelutsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-prelutsky/)

> [“People who write novels only write them when they have very little else to write”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-markson/people-who-write-novels-only-write-them-when-they-have-very-little/)

[David Markson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-markson/)

> [I've had journals ever since I was really little. Sometimes I write poems and stuff, but for the most part I write down what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-cosgrove/i-ve-had-journals-ever-since-i-was-really-little-sometimes-i-write/)

[Miranda Cosgrove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-cosgrove/)

> [No music. No rituals. At home I write in my office or on the laptop in the kitchen where our puppy likes to sleep,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carson-levine/no-music-no-rituals-at-home-i-write-in-my-office-or-on-the-laptop-in/)

[Gail Carson Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carson-levine/)

> [“Beckett watched as Kyle danced. “Looks like Fairy Princess has wings.” It was as if she were alone in the room. She owned the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-anastasia/beckett-watched-as-kyle-danced-looks-like-fairy-princess-has-wings-it/)

[Debra Anastasia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-anastasia/)

> [“Though Beckett remained confined to the same claustrophobic hotel room that had housed him for weeks now, he’d attended the wedding in every sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-anastasia/though-beckett-remained-confined-to-the-same-claustrophobic-hotel/)

[Debra Anastasia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-anastasia/)

> [“Where’s the bride-to-be?” Beckett held his arms open for Kyle and gave her a gentle hug. “Good on you, Fairy Princess, making an honest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-anastasia/where-s-the-bride-to-be-beckett-held-his-arms-open-for-kyle-and-gave/)

[Debra Anastasia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-anastasia/)

## More by Ellen Greene

> [Suddenly she was here. And I was no longer pregnant; I was a mother. I never believed in miracles before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-greene/suddenly-she-was-here-and-i-was-no-longer-pregnant-i-was-a-mother-i/)

[Ellen Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-greene/)

> [Some call it schizophrenia, I call it a career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-greene/some-call-it-schizophrenia-i-call-it-a-career/)

[Ellen Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-greene/)

> [I think creating of any sort, whatever line you're in, is paramount - you can be an architect, you can be a banker, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-greene/i-think-creating-of-any-sort-whatever-line-you-re-in-is-paramount-you/)

[Ellen Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-greene/)

> [It's a very hard thing for all of us to accept ourselves at all the different stages - the horrible side, the wonderful side,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-greene/it-s-a-very-hard-thing-for-all-of-us-to-accept-ourselves-at-all-the/)

[Ellen Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-greene/)

> [A bunch of six nicer people, I couldn’t be more fortunate to call my family — from Lee Pace, who is so dear. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-greene/a-bunch-of-six-nicer-people-i-couldn-t-be-more-fortunate-to-call-my/)

[Ellen Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-greene/)

> [Sometimes the adversities you go through help you become a person you are proud of, and instead of hating what you're going through, maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-greene/sometimes-the-adversities-you-go-through-help-you-become-a-person-you/)

[Ellen Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-greene/)

> [I'm proud of myself, people love me and respect me, and I like me. I like who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-greene/i-m-proud-of-myself-people-love-me-and-respect-me-and-i-like-me-i/)

[Ellen Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-greene/)

> [Life is going by, and if you don't do something about your dreams and make them a reality and start to love who you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-greene/life-is-going-by-and-if-you-don-t-do-something-about-your-dreams-and/)

[Ellen Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-greene/)

> [I like kindness. Who doesn't? Life is definitely too short for self-centered, abusive people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-greene/i-like-kindness-who-doesn-t-life-is-definitely-too-short-for-self/)

[Ellen Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-greene/)

> [I grew up watching old black and white movies where Marlene Dietrich or Jean Harlow would go walking down some cobblestone street in ripped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-greene/i-grew-up-watching-old-black-and-white-movies-where-marlene-dietrich/)

[Ellen Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-greene/)

> [There was a time in my life that my mother told me that they didn't know whether they were going to send me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-greene/there-was-a-time-in-my-life-that-my-mother-told-me-that-they-didn-t/)

[Ellen Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-greene/)

[Explore all 12 Ellen Greene quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-greene/)

## More Because quotes

> [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/)

[Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/)

> [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/)

[David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/)

> [There were songs that we cut out after we chose the name, because 'Praise Break' turned out to be an underlying concept that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/there-were-songs-that-we-cut-out-after-we-chose-the-name-because/)

[Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/)

> [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/)

[Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/)

> [I was also known as Frodo because I was an early adopter of 'The Lord of the Rings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-was-also-known-as-frodo-because-i-was-an-early-adopter-of-the-lord/)

[Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/)

> [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/)

[Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/)

> [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/)

[Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/)

> [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/)

> [Sometimes, when full and in fear that I will continue to eat unwanted food just because it's staring at me, I will place my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-nichols/sometimes-when-full-and-in-fear-that-i-will-continue-to-eat-unwanted/)

[Rachel Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-nichols/)

> [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/)

[Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/)

> [I was contacted by Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, MP, through the Pune Film Institute and offered the post in the NFDC. I accepted it for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suresh-gopi/i-was-contacted-by-rajyavardhan-singh-rathore-mp-through-the-pune/)

[Suresh Gopi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suresh-gopi/)

> [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/)

[Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/)

> [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/)

[John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/)

Browse all 15,485 Because quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When I was little, I had to write down what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I wrote, 'I want to be an actress-singer-dancer because you can be a rich fairy princess and tell someone off.'",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ellen Greene"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-greene/when-i-was-little-i-had-to-write-down-what-i-wanted-to-be-when-i-grew/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Because"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-greene/when-i-was-little-i-had-to-write-down-what-i-wanted-to-be-when-i-grew/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/445/ellen-greene-36951_because_when-i-was-little-i-had-to-write-down-wh_2418552.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/445/ellen-greene-36951_because_when-i-was-little-i-had-to-write-down-wh_2418552.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/445/ellen-greene-36951_because_when-i-was-little-i-had-to-write-down-wh_2418552.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When I was little, I had to write down what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I wrote, 'I want to be an…” — Ellen Greene",
                "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": "Ellen Greene",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-greene/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When I was little, I had...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-greene/when-i-was-little-i-had-to-write-down-what-i-wanted-to-be-when-i-grew/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-greene/when-i-was-little-i-had-to-write-down-what-i-wanted-to-be-when-i-grew/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
