--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We've forgotten what it's like not to be…" description: "\"We've forgotten what it's like not to be able to reach the light switch. We've forgotten a lot of the monsters that seemed to livein our room at night...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/783/fred-rogers-1272_able_we-ve-forgotten-what-it-s-like-not-to-be_2427079.png" --- # We've forgotten what it's like not to be able to reach the… ![“We've forgotten what it's like not to be able to reach the light switch. We've forgotten a lot of the monsters that seemed to livein our room at night. Nevertheless, those memories are still there, somewhere inside us, and can sometimes be brought to the surface by events, sights, sounds, or…” quote by Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/783/fred-rogers-1272_able_we-ve-forgotten-what-it-s-like-not-to-be_2427079.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/783/fred-rogers-1272_able_we-ve-forgotten-what-it-s-like-not-to-be_2427079.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/783/fred-rogers-1272_able_we-ve-forgotten-what-it-s-like-not-to-be_2427079.png) > “We've forgotten what it's like not to be able to reach the light switch. We've forgotten a lot of the monsters that seemed to livein our room at night. Nevertheless, those memories are still there, somewhere inside us, and can sometimes be brought to the surface by events, sights, sounds, or smells. Children, though, can never have grown-up feelings until they've been allowed to do the growing.” [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our childhood fears and memories linger, resurfacing when triggered, and we need to experience growth to develop mature emotions. **In simple terms:** Childhood fears stay with us and return when reminded; growth needed for adult feelings. Key Takeaway Allow experiences that foster growth. Themes memory fear growth development Mood reflective hopeful nostalgic Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - parenting - therapy - creative writing - film - education Key Concepts psychology emotional development nostalgia Questions to Reflect On - How do sensory cues trigger past fears? - What experiences best support emotional maturation? A Different Perspective Memories can be painful and may hinder present well‑being if not processed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Monsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monsters/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) ## Related quotes > [“He'd forget all that, just as he would forget this night. The memories would linger for a time, but they'd grow dull. The ache…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loretta-chase/he-d-forget-all-that-just-as-he-would-forget-this-night-the-memories/) [Loretta Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loretta-chase/) > [“The black panic, that’s what woke me; that all too familiar blend of terror and heinousness that buzzed beneath my skin where no eye…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cross/the-black-panic-that-s-what-woke-me-that-all-too-familiar-blend-of/) [Alistair Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cross/) > [It was hard to reconcile the drumbeats and lifted voices in the night with my memories of flames and the screams of dying men.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/it-was-hard-to-reconcile-the-drumbeats-and-lifted-voices-in-the-night/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) > [My memories are inside me - they're not things or a place - I can take them anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-newton-john/my-memories-are-inside-me-they-re-not-things-or-a-place-i-can-take/) [Olivia Newton-John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-newton-john/) > [One of my earliest memories is being inside the recording studio and I see the shadow of a figure that looks an awful lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-howard/one-of-my-earliest-memories-is-being-inside-the-recording-studio-and/) [Clint Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-howard/) > [It'd be cool to pause parts of memories inside your head and print them off as pictures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santana/it-d-be-cool-to-pause-parts-of-memories-inside-your-head-and-print/) [Santana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santana/) > [I've got my memories They're always Inside of me But I can't go back Back to how it was I believe it now I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel/i-ve-got-my-memories-they-re-always-inside-of-me-but-i-can-t-go-back/) [Rachel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel/) > [The ocean, whose tides respond, like women's menses, to the pull of the moon, the ocean which corresponds to the amniotic fluid in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/the-ocean-whose-tides-respond-like-women-s-menses-to-the-pull-of-the/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [The American people intuitively understand this, which is why the majority of Catholics practice birth control and some of those opposed to gay marriage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-american-people-intuitively-understand-this-which-is-why-the/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [How many things apparently impossible have nevertheless been performed by resolute men who had no alternative but death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/how-many-things-apparently-impossible-have-nevertheless-been/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [I know people are saying they like you. I'm not being insulted or pushed around or anything. People are coming up because they like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/i-know-people-are-saying-they-like-you-i-m-not-being-insulted-or/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [White and shining virgin of all human virtues, ark of the covenant between earth and heaven, tender and strong companion partaking of the lion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/white-and-shining-virgin-of-all-human-virtues-ark-of-the-covenant/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [When men are unhappy, they do not imagine they can ever cease to be so; and when some calamity has fallen on them, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/when-men-are-unhappy-they-do-not-imagine-they-can-ever-cease-to-be-so/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [Whatever we may say against collections, which present authors in a disjointed form, they nevertheless bring about many excellent results. We are not always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/whatever-we-may-say-against-collections-which-present-authors-in-a/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Although under particular circumstances, the violence method - any method - can be justified, nevertheless once you commit violence, then counterviolence will be returned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/although-under-particular-circumstances-the-violence-method-any/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) ## More by Fred Rogers > [Listening is a very active awareness of the coming together of at least two lives. Listening, as far as I'm concerned, is certainly a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/listening-is-a-very-active-awareness-of-the-coming-together-of-at/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [Children who have learned to be comfortably dependent can become not only comfortably independent but also comfortable with having people depend on them. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/children-who-have-learned-to-be-comfortably-dependent-can-become-not/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [As different as we are from one another, as unique as each one of us is, we are much more the same than we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/as-different-as-we-are-from-one-another-as-unique-as-each-one-of-us/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [This evening is as brief as the twinkling of an eye yet such twinklings is what eternity is made of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/this-evening-is-as-brief-as-the-twinkling-of-an-eye-yet-such/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [The underlying message of the Neighborhood is that if somebody cares about you, it's possible that you'll care about others. 'You are special, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/the-underlying-message-of-the-neighborhood-is-that-if-somebody-cares/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [Play is really the work of childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/play-is-really-the-work-of-childhood/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [Love isn't a perfect state of caring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/love-isn-t-a-perfect-state-of-caring/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [Real strength has to do with helping others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/real-strength-has-to-do-with-helping-others/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [The greatest gift that you can give another person is to gracefully receive whatever it is that they want to give us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/the-greatest-gift-that-you-can-give-another-person-is-to-gracefully/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [The values we care about the deepest, and the movements within society that support those values, command our love. When those things that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/the-values-we-care-about-the-deepest-and-the-movements-within-society/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [“Everyone longs to be loved. And the greatest thing we can do is to let people know that they are loved and capable of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/everyone-longs-to-be-loved-and-the-greatest-thing-we-can-do-is-to-let/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [Attitudes are caught, not taught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/attitudes-are-caught-not-taught/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [Forgiveness is a strange thing. It can sometimes be easier to forgive our enemies than our friends. It can be hardest of all to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/forgiveness-is-a-strange-thing-it-can-sometimes-be-easier-to-forgive/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [If the grain of wheat could know fear, it would be paralyzed with anxiety at the thought of being dropped in the ground, covered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/if-the-grain-of-wheat-could-know-fear-it-would-be-paralyzed-with/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [What's been important in my understanding of myself and others is the fact that each one of us is so much more than any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/what-s-been-important-in-my-understanding-of-myself-and-others-is-the/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) [Explore all 263 Fred Rogers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) ## More Able 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/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) Greg Perry > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We've forgotten what it's like not to be able to reach the light switch. We've forgotten a lot of the monsters that seemed to livein our room at night. Nevertheless, those memories are still there, somewhere inside us, and can sometimes be brought to the surface by events, sights, sounds, or smells. 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