--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I keep remembering from my early student…" description: "\"I keep remembering from my early student days how I would walk at night through the streets, my hands bunched into fists in the pocket of my coat, my h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c2/etty-hillesum-9002_back-home_i-keep-remembering-from-my-early-student_734738.jpg" --- # I keep remembering from my early student days how I would… ![“I keep remembering from my early student days how I would walk at night through the streets, my hands bunched into fists in the pocket of my coat, my head hunched deep into my collar, and how I used to say, 'I want to work, I shall work'--and then I would come back home and be so exhausted by my…” quote by Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c2/etty-hillesum-9002_back-home_i-keep-remembering-from-my-early-student_734738.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c2/etty-hillesum-9002_back-home_i-keep-remembering-from-my-early-student_734738.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c2/etty-hillesum-9002_back-home_i-keep-remembering-from-my-early-student_734738.jpg) > “I keep remembering from my early student days how I would walk at night through the streets, my hands bunched into fists in the pocket of my coat, my head hunched deep into my collar, and how I used to say, 'I want to work, I shall work'--and then I would come back home and be so exhausted by my determination that I had no strength left to do the actual work.” [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Determination without rest leads to burnout, draining the energy needed for actual work. **In simple terms:** Too much zeal can exhaust you before you act. Key Takeaway Balance effort with rest. Themes determination burnout balance Mood reflective cautious Type advice personal narrative When to use this quote - studying - night shifts - creative projects - physical labor Key Concepts self-discipline energy management Questions to Reflect On - How can you pace your ambition? - What rest habits sustain productivity? A Different Perspective Rest is essential; without it, drive becomes counterproductive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Determination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/determination/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Remembering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remembering/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) ## Related quotes > [I would be so exhausted by my determination that I had no strength left to do the actual work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/i-would-be-so-exhausted-by-my-determination-that-i-had-no-strength/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [The older you get the more new memories get wiped out, and you end up remembering more about your early life than what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/the-older-you-get-the-more-new-memories-get-wiped-out-and-you-end-up/) [Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/) > [The ducks in St James's Park are so used to being fed bread by secret agents meeting clandestinely that they have developed their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-ducks-in-st-james-s-park-are-so-used-to-being-fed-bread-by-secret/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I'm here," she said, skidding to a stop. "Can we go now?" Sebastian insisted on helping her on with the coat. "I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-m-here-she-said-skidding-to-a-stop-can-we-go-now-sebastian-insisted/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“Dear Daughter, Never allow any circumstance to push you to hurt yourself. With the little strength you have left, use it to find help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gift-gugu-mona/dear-daughter-never-allow-any-circumstance-to-push-you-to-hurt/) [Gift Gugu Mona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gift-gugu-mona/) > [“Somehow I can live in that awful building‟s shadows,” she said, “but I don‟t think I have the strength left to ever set foot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-brennessel/somehow-i-can-live-in-that-awful-building-s-shadows-she-said-but-i/) [Barry Brennessel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-brennessel/) > [“You know, when you're unhappy you don't have the strength left to take care of others. But it doesn't mean you don't love them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-marciano/you-know-when-you-re-unhappy-you-don-t-have-the-strength-left-to-take/) [Francesca Marciano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-marciano/) > [“Hold on to the world we all remember fighting for There's some strength left in us yet Hold on to the world we all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flyleaf/hold-on-to-the-world-we-all-remember-fighting-for-there-s-some/) [Flyleaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flyleaf/) > [Before you meet yourself, you need to peel your crust so you can get to the core. And there is no loneliness there. Strength…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-papian/before-you-meet-yourself-you-need-to-peel-your-crust-so-you-can-get/) [Ruben Papian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-papian/) > [Do I have the mental strength? I left home when I was 13 years old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-mancini/do-i-have-the-mental-strength-i-left-home-when-i-was-13-years-old/) [Roberto Mancini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-mancini/) > [From my weakness, I drew strength that never left me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/from-my-weakness-i-drew-strength-that-never-left-me/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [There's no strength left in the world of men. -Elrond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-of-the-rings/there-s-no-strength-left-in-the-world-of-men-elrond/) [Lord Of The Rings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-of-the-rings/) > [I would not have been able to accomplish a lot of what I did professionally had I not learned to fly myself and owned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/i-would-not-have-been-able-to-accomplish-a-lot-of-what-i-did/) [Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/) > [In the morning, I wake up at about 6 a.m. and I run for about 45 minutes, then more sprinting. Then I go back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-pacquiao/in-the-morning-i-wake-up-at-about-6-a-m-and-i-run-for-about-45/) [Manny Pacquiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-pacquiao/) > [What we need to recognize, less than 1 percent of the people organized around issues that are already supported by conservatives and liberals, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/what-we-need-to-recognize-less-than-1-percent-of-the-people-organized/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) ## More by Etty Hillesum > [A large group of us were crowded into the Gestapo hall, and at that moment the circumstances of all our lives were the same.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/a-large-group-of-us-were-crowded-into-the-gestapo-hall-and-at-that/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [Every word born of an inner necessity - writing must never be anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/every-word-born-of-an-inner-necessity-writing-must-never-be-anything/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [That fear of missing out on things makes you miss out on everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/that-fear-of-missing-out-on-things-makes-you-miss-out-on-everything/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [There are moments when I feel like giving up or giving in, but I soon rally again and do my duty as I see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/there-are-moments-when-i-feel-like-giving-up-or-giving-in-but-i-soon/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [Here, beside this great black surface that is my desk, I feel as though I am on a desert island.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/here-beside-this-great-black-surface-that-is-my-desk-i-feel-as-though/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [The externals are simply so many props; everything we need is within us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/the-externals-are-simply-so-many-props-everything-we-need-is-within-us/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [If one finds the strength to deal with small things, one finds it to deal with the large ones as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/if-one-finds-the-strength-to-deal-with-small-things-one-finds-it-to/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [All disasters stem from us. Why is there a war? Perhaps because now and then I might be inclined to snap at my neighbour.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/all-disasters-stem-from-us-why-is-there-a-war-perhaps-because-now-and/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/sometimes-the-most-important-thing-in-a-whole-day-is-the-rest-we-take/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [We human beings cause monstrous conditions, but precisely because we cause them we soon learn to adapt ourselves to them. Only if we become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/we-human-beings-cause-monstrous-conditions-but-precisely-because-we/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [Despite everything, life is full of beauty and meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/despite-everything-life-is-full-of-beauty-and-meaning/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [Sometimes my day is crammed full of people and talk and yet I have the feeling of living in utter peace and quiet. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/sometimes-my-day-is-crammed-full-of-people-and-talk-and-yet-i-have/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [To live fully, outwardly and inwardly, not to ignore the external reality for the sake of the inner life, or the reverse, that's quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/to-live-fully-outwardly-and-inwardly-not-to-ignore-the-external/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [If one burdens the future with one's worries, it cannot grow organically. I am filled with confidence, not that I shall succeed in worldly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/if-one-burdens-the-future-with-one-s-worries-it-cannot-grow/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [We have to fight them daily, like fleas, those many small worries about the morrow, for they sap our energies. We make mental provisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/we-have-to-fight-them-daily-like-fleas-those-many-small-worries-about/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) [Explore all 62 Etty Hillesum quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) ## More Back home quotes > [What we need to recognize, less than 1 percent of the people organized around issues that are already supported by conservatives and liberals, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/what-we-need-to-recognize-less-than-1-percent-of-the-people-organized/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) > [In the morning, I wake up at about 6 a.m. and I run for about 45 minutes, then more sprinting. Then I go back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-pacquiao/in-the-morning-i-wake-up-at-about-6-a-m-and-i-run-for-about-45/) [Manny Pacquiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-pacquiao/) > [I would not have been able to accomplish a lot of what I did professionally had I not learned to fly myself and owned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/i-would-not-have-been-able-to-accomplish-a-lot-of-what-i-did/) [Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/) > [You write some material, go up on stage and try it out; go back home and throw it in the trash can. And the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felipe-esparza/you-write-some-material-go-up-on-stage-and-try-it-out-go-back-home/) [Felipe Esparza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felipe-esparza/) > [We are the only animals that let our kids come back home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/we-are-the-only-animals-that-let-our-kids-come-back-home/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [Man, if I was back home, I'd be swinging with two chicks on my arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-cooke/man-if-i-was-back-home-i-d-be-swinging-with-two-chicks-on-my-arms/) [Sam Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-cooke/) > [Probably also due to the political situation getting just worse and more extreme, but also this distance and this sadness of this feeling that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sayed-kashua/probably-also-due-to-the-political-situation-getting-just-worse-and/) [Sayed Kashua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sayed-kashua/) > [Mind without agitation is meditation. Mind in the present moment is meditation. Mind that has no hesitation, no anticipation is meditation. Mind that has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/mind-without-agitation-is-meditation-mind-in-the-present-moment-is/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [When I'm playing Big Momma, it's so much work that all I want to do, when I'm finished, is go back home and just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lawrence/when-i-m-playing-big-momma-it-s-so-much-work-that-all-i-want-to-do/) [Martin Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-lawrence/) > [Wayne's cool. I ran into him at my hangout back home, and he's just cool. I actually have this beat that I want him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-the-creator-2/wayne-s-cool-i-ran-into-him-at-my-hangout-back-home-and-he-s-just/) [Tyler, The Creator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-the-creator-2/) > [Ninety percent of my best friends back home are plumbers, electricians, builders, or landscapers. Most of our dads worked in trades.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-hemsworth/ninety-percent-of-my-best-friends-back-home-are-plumbers-electricians/) [Liam Hemsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-hemsworth/) > [I'm a Brit and I just put myself on tape, back in London, for a very distant American project that I thought I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/i-m-a-brit-and-i-just-put-myself-on-tape-back-in-london-for-a-very/) [Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/) > [My film is actually very critical of the level of French we're using back home. To have an immigrant from an ancient French colony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-falardeau/my-film-is-actually-very-critical-of-the-level-of-french-we-re-using/) [Philippe Falardeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-falardeau/) > [When I was 12 years old, or however old I was when Bringing It All Back Home came out, I'd just skip back and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-crowell/when-i-was-12-years-old-or-however-old-i-was-when-bringing-it-all/) [Rodney Crowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-crowell/) > [If you wish to collect complimentary material for a record of yourself, never appeal to your relations. They may be proud of you as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/if-you-wish-to-collect-complimentary-material-for-a-record-of/) [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) Browse all 179 Back home quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I keep remembering from my early student days how I would walk at night through the streets, my hands bunched into fists in the pocket of my coat, my head hunched deep into my collar, and how I used to say, 'I want to work, I shall work'--and then I would come back home and be so exhausted by my determination that I had no strength left to do the actual work.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Etty Hillesum" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/i-keep-remembering-from-my-early-student-days-how-i-would-walk-at/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Back home" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/i-keep-remembering-from-my-early-student-days-how-i-would-walk-at/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c2/etty-hillesum-9002_back-home_i-keep-remembering-from-my-early-student_734738.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c2/etty-hillesum-9002_back-home_i-keep-remembering-from-my-early-student_734738.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c2/etty-hillesum-9002_back-home_i-keep-remembering-from-my-early-student_734738.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I keep remembering from my early student days how I would walk at night through the streets, my hands…” — Etty Hillesum", "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": "Etty Hillesum", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I keep remembering from my early...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/i-keep-remembering-from-my-early-student-days-how-i-would-walk-at/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/i-keep-remembering-from-my-early-student-days-how-i-would-walk-at/#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 } } ] } ```