--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can't keep wanting to be 20 years…" description: "\"You can't keep wanting to be 20 years old. Everybody knows that, but what's in the next room?\" — Ethan Hawke" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e56/ethan-hawke-1828_knows_you-can-t-keep-wanting-to-be-20-years-ol_2806474.png" --- # You can't keep wanting to be 20 years old. Everybody knows… ![“You can't keep wanting to be 20 years old. Everybody knows that, but what's in the next room?” quote by Ethan Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e56/ethan-hawke-1828_knows_you-can-t-keep-wanting-to-be-20-years-ol_2806474.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e56/ethan-hawke-1828_knows_you-can-t-keep-wanting-to-be-20-years-ol_2806474.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e56/ethan-hawke-1828_knows_you-can-t-keep-wanting-to-be-20-years-ol_2806474.png) > “You can't keep wanting to be 20 years old. Everybody knows that, but what's in the next room?” [Ethan Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-hawke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Desire to stay young is futile; focus on what lies ahead. **In simple terms:** Can't stay 20 forever; look forward. Key Takeaway Embrace present and future. Themes aging expectations growth Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical personal When to use this quote - career planning - personal development - mindfulness Key Concepts life stages self‑reflection Questions to Reflect On - What does “the next room” symbolize? - How do you let go of past ages? A Different Perspective Youth nostalgia can hinder progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [20 Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/20-years/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Next](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next/) [Room](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/room/) [Rooms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rooms/) [Wanting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanting/) [Wanting 20](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanting-20-3489385/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Years Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-old/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [I think that every technology company that's more than 20 years old will break up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-andreessen/i-think-that-every-technology-company-that-s-more-than-20-years-old/) [Marc Andreessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-andreessen/) > [When you are 20 years old, you are immature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melky-cabrera/when-you-are-20-years-old-you-are-immature/) [Melky Cabrera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melky-cabrera/) > [Me coming in the NFL 20 years old, very young, not really knowing the right and wrong thing to do, I had to learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desean-jackson/me-coming-in-the-nfl-20-years-old-very-young-not-really-knowing-the/) [DeSean Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desean-jackson/) > [When I was 20 years old, I was living in Ireland, going to school in Cork. There was this girl in my film class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sacca/when-i-was-20-years-old-i-was-living-in-ireland-going-to-school-in/) [Chris Sacca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sacca/) > [When I was 20 years old, I had no plans to ever be a filmmaker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/when-i-was-20-years-old-i-had-no-plans-to-ever-be-a-filmmaker/) [Spike Jonze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/) > [Here is a fear for me, I never wanted to be one of those guys that was defined by a body of work 20…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-mcfarlane/here-is-a-fear-for-me-i-never-wanted-to-be-one-of-those-guys-that-was/) [Todd McFarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-mcfarlane/) > [The first time that I went to the United States was in 1974. I was 20 years old. America was in crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-hollande/the-first-time-that-i-went-to-the-united-states-was-in-1974-i-was-20/) [Francois Hollande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-hollande/) > [I was 20 years old at Pearl Harbor. I was in the Navy about a year and four months before the war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barney-ross/i-was-20-years-old-at-pearl-harbor-i-was-in-the-navy-about-a-year-and/) [Barney Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barney-ross/) > [I don't know who's 18 years old today that, 20 years hence, is going to be a jazz fan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-granz/i-don-t-know-who-s-18-years-old-today-that-20-years-hence-is-going-to/) [Norman Granz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-granz/) > [If someone's 20 years old and every third line out of their mouth is anti-something specific, then draw your own conclusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronson-pinchot/if-someone-s-20-years-old-and-every-third-line-out-of-their-mouth-is/) [Bronson Pinchot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronson-pinchot/) > [I started writing music around 20 years old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-d/i-started-writing-music-around-20-years-old/) [J.I.D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-d/) > [When I was born in 1920, the auto was only 20 years old. Radio didn't exist. TV didn't exist. I was born at just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/when-i-was-born-in-1920-the-auto-was-only-20-years-old-radio-didn-t/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Collaboration is just, really, a group of people getting in a room with their eye on a very similar prize and wanting to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/collaboration-is-just-really-a-group-of-people-getting-in-a-room-with/) [Harold Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/) > [And last, my mom. I don’t think you know what you did. You had my brother when you were 18 years old. Three years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-durant/and-last-my-mom-i-don-t-think-you-know-what-you-did-you-had-my/) [Kevin Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-durant/) > [I took a wrong turn on the way to the bathroom and found myself in a beautifully proportioned room I had never seen before,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-took-a-wrong-turn-on-the-way-to-the-bathroom-and-found-myself-in-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Ethan Hawke > [If you study the history of mankind, it seems to be a history of violence. Certainly the history of art, whether you look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-hawke/if-you-study-the-history-of-mankind-it-seems-to-be-a-history-of/) [Ethan Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-hawke/) > [Time is what creates trust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-hawke/time-is-what-creates-trust/) [Ethan Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-hawke/) > [To be married to another famous person was a huge pressure, one I didn't enjoy. And it had nothing to do with her. She's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-hawke/to-be-married-to-another-famous-person-was-a-huge-pressure-one-i-didn/) [Ethan Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-hawke/) > [Friends can hurt you, but the possibility of pain with lovers is so much greater because your expectations are so high. You don't ask…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-hawke/friends-can-hurt-you-but-the-possibility-of-pain-with-lovers-is-so/) [Ethan Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-hawke/) > [If you don't risk doing something foolish, you'll never do anything special.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-hawke/if-you-don-t-risk-doing-something-foolish-you-ll-never-do-anything/) [Ethan Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-hawke/) > [Most of us float with the river and there are a few people who move the river. 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All you need is to tell the truth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-hawke/there-is-no-trick-to-writing-a-believable-love-story-a-heartbreaking/) [Ethan Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-hawke/) > [There's some kind of actors that can radically change who they are from movie to movie. I've never really been that kind of actor.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-hawke/there-s-some-kind-of-actors-that-can-radically-change-who-they-are/) [Ethan Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-hawke/) > [It's a really unique job that is a little schizophrenic and you have to kind of do it with a sense of humor.The trick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-hawke/it-s-a-really-unique-job-that-is-a-little-schizophrenic-and-you-have/) [Ethan Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-hawke/) > [My first car was kind of sad. My first car was when my parents had completely worn out their Toyota Corolla that they had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-hawke/my-first-car-was-kind-of-sad-my-first-car-was-when-my-parents-had/) [Ethan Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-hawke/) > [ The script \[of Regression\] wasn't the draw for me. It was largely Alejandro \[Amenabar\] and his way of talking. To hear him talking about… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-hawke/the-script-of-regression-wasn-t-the-draw-for-me-it-was-largely/) [Ethan Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-hawke/) [Explore all 205 Ethan Hawke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-hawke/) ## More Knows quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. 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