--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: THE TRYING TWENTIES CONFRONTS US WITH THE…" description: "\"“THE TRYING TWENTIES CONFRONTS US WITH THE QUESTION of how to take hold in the adult world. Incandescent with our molten energies, having outgrown the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/gail-sheehy-3031_family_the-trying-twenties-confronts-us-with-th_925143.png" --- # THE TRYING TWENTIES CONFRONTS US WITH THE QUESTION of how… ![“THE TRYING TWENTIES CONFRONTS US WITH THE QUESTION of how to take hold in the adult world. Incandescent with our molten energies, having outgrown the family and the formlessness of our transiting years, we are impatient to pour ourselves into the exactly right form—our own way of living in the…” quote by Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/gail-sheehy-3031_family_the-trying-twenties-confronts-us-with-th_925143.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/gail-sheehy-3031_family_the-trying-twenties-confronts-us-with-th_925143.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/gail-sheehy-3031_family_the-trying-twenties-confronts-us-with-th_925143.png) > ““THE TRYING TWENTIES CONFRONTS US WITH THE QUESTION of how to take hold in the adult world. Incandescent with our molten energies, having outgrown the family and the formlessness of our transiting years, we are impatient to pour ourselves into the exactly right form—our own way of living in the world.”” [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Young adults face the challenge of defining their adult identity, seeking purpose and direction after leaving family life. **In simple terms:** Finding purpose after leaving home. Key Takeaway Seek direction and purpose. Themes identity growth transition Mood inspirational reflective Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - education - personal development Key Concepts psychology developmental stages self‑actualization Questions to Reflect On - How will you define your own way? - What fears hold you back? A Different Perspective Pressure to conform can limit authentic paths. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Twenties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twenties/) [Way of living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-of-living/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [“No matter how different the forms we choose, our concentration during the Trying Twenties is on mastering what we feel we are supposed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/no-matter-how-different-the-forms-we-choose-our-concentration-during/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [You cannot hold a child accountable to the same standards that you hold an adult accountable to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ball/you-cannot-hold-a-child-accountable-to-the-same-standards-that-you/) [Alan Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ball/) > [It is impossible to conceive how different things would have turned out if that birth had not happened whenever, wherever, however it didfor millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/it-is-impossible-to-conceive-how-different-things-would-have-turned/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [In nature, a child finds freedom, fantasy, and privacy: a place distant from the adult world, a separate peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-louv/in-nature-a-child-finds-freedom-fantasy-and-privacy-a-place-distant/) [Richard Louv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-louv/) > [She was the storm, she was the lightning, she was the adult world with all its power and all its secrets and all its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/she-was-the-storm-she-was-the-lightning-she-was-the-adult-world-with/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I think of children's books as not so much for children, but as the filling that goes between the child world and the adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosen/i-think-of-children-s-books-as-not-so-much-for-children-but-as-the/) [Michael Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosen/) > [Every adult in the world has some sense that he or she might be obliterated at any time by these weapons that we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jay-lifton/every-adult-in-the-world-has-some-sense-that-he-or-she-might-be/) [Robert Jay Lifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jay-lifton/) > [Teen movies often have an unspoken underlying premise in which high school is seen as less serious than the adult world. But when your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rian-johnson/teen-movies-often-have-an-unspoken-underlying-premise-in-which-high/) [Rian Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rian-johnson/) > [The sad discovery of the adult world was the permanent truth: you don't always do what you want to do; you do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-clark-macinnes/the-sad-discovery-of-the-adult-world-was-the-permanent-truth-you-don/) [Helen Clark MacInnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-clark-macinnes/) > [I was thrust into an adult world very quickly, and that can make anyone somewhat socially maladjusted to dealing with people your own age.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-bonamassa/i-was-thrust-into-an-adult-world-very-quickly-and-that-can-make/) [Joe Bonamassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-bonamassa/) > [Real life this fdar had taught me that in the adult world, fate was chaotic and uncertain. Guidelines for success were arbitrary. But in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-gilsdorf/real-life-this-fdar-had-taught-me-that-in-the-adult-world-fate-was/) Ethan Gilsdorf > [Because I'm in an adult world and I'm really working, my age is just a number. It's not really who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-moore/because-i-m-in-an-adult-world-and-i-m-really-working-my-age-is-just-a/) [Mandy Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-moore/) > [Nobody feels like an adult. It's the world's dirty secret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-jenkins/nobody-feels-like-an-adult-it-s-the-world-s-dirty-secret/) [Richard Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-jenkins/) > [I wasn't frightened of people, but I didn't have a clue about the adult world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-henderson/i-wasn-t-frightened-of-people-but-i-didn-t-have-a-clue-about-the/) [Shirley Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-henderson/) > [When you're kept out of the adult world, it's a blessing in disguise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/when-you-re-kept-out-of-the-adult-world-it-s-a-blessing-in-disguise/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) ## More by Gail Sheehy > [I actually like getting out of my comfort zone. It shakes me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/i-actually-like-getting-out-of-my-comfort-zone-it-shakes-me-up/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [To be tested is good. The challenged life may be the best therapist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/to-be-tested-is-good-the-challenged-life-may-be-the-best-therapist/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [No one can control the aging process or the trajectory of illness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/no-one-can-control-the-aging-process-or-the-trajectory-of-illness/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [“Further discomfort from these new realities afflicts men who expected to reach a certain level by dint of their white maleness but who now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/further-discomfort-from-these-new-realities-afflicts-men-who-expected/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [I dare to do things - that's how I survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/i-dare-to-do-things-that-s-how-i-survive/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [Spontaneity, the hallmark of childhood, is well worth cultivating to counteract the rigidity that may otherwise set in as we grow older.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/spontaneity-the-hallmark-of-childhood-is-well-worth-cultivating-to/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [By listening, by caring, by playing you back to yourself, friends ratify your better instincts and endorse your unique worth. Friends validate you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/by-listening-by-caring-by-playing-you-back-to-yourself-friends-ratify/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [The first thing one notices about Jill Abramson is her short stature. The second is her intensity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/the-first-thing-one-notices-about-jill-abramson-is-her-short-stature/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [“Ignorant of our own and our mate’s inner life, we are ruled largely by external forces at this stage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/ignorant-of-our-own-and-our-mate-s-inner-life-we-are-ruled-largely-by/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [Family caregiving has become a predictable crisis. Americans are living longer and longer but dying slower and slower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/family-caregiving-has-become-a-predictable-crisis-americans-are/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [“The other real forces urging young people into marriages generally sift down to one of the following: the need for safety, the need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/the-other-real-forces-urging-young-people-into-marriages-generally/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [I'd visually have that idea. I'm diving off the end of the diving board. I'm not going to be worried about if I'm going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/i-d-visually-have-that-idea-i-m-diving-off-the-end-of-the-diving/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [To hear how special and wonderful we are is endlessly enthralling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/to-hear-how-special-and-wonderful-we-are-is-endlessly-enthralling/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [When men reach their sixties and retire, they go to pieces. Women go right on cooking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/when-men-reach-their-sixties-and-retire-they-go-to-pieces-women-go/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [Journalism today is obviously in a major transition. Going to journalism school, learning how to write, working your way up in a little paper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/journalism-today-is-obviously-in-a-major-transition-going-to/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) [Explore all 142 Gail Sheehy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) ## More Family quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“ever day Maureen is Selfish To her friend and Family One she get mad at her friend and family and She need to Grad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-andeson/ever-day-maureen-is-selfish-to-her-friend-and-family-one-she-get-mad/) Maureen Andeson > [Our concept of a family holiday was going to a guest house in the Lake district or Wales where walking was part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/our-concept-of-a-family-holiday-was-going-to-a-guest-house-in-the/) [Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/) > [“So Jace is my actual family," Kit said. "But I can't go live with him, because him and his hot girlfriend are going off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/so-jace-is-my-actual-family-kit-said-but-i-can-t-go-live-with-him/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I have friends and family that identify as LGBTQ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mace/i-have-friends-and-family-that-identify-as-lgbtq/) [Nancy Mace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mace/) > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [“She knew how to play him so very well. He slipped his hand around hers. "Friends," he repeated roughly. Her smile was bright enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-smith/she-knew-how-to-play-him-so-very-well-he-slipped-his-hand-around-hers/) [Kathryn Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-smith/) > [As a family, we all loved the Flyers. To me, rooting for the Flyers were how I bonded with my dad especially.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-f-goldberg/as-a-family-we-all-loved-the-flyers-to-me-rooting-for-the-flyers-were/) [Adam F. Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-f-goldberg/) > [The people have always been family to me here in Las Vegas. The people have always been very, very kind to me, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-cunningham/the-people-have-always-been-family-to-me-here-in-las-vegas-the-people/) [Randall Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-cunningham/) > [“Your relationship with your brother will be, in many ways, the most complex and bewildering of all the interpersonal connections you will form. An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-currie-jr/your-relationship-with-your-brother-will-be-in-many-ways-the-most/) [Ron Currie Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-currie-jr/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Family over friends, because real friends are family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/family-over-friends-because-real-friends-are-family/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 36,913 Family quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“THE TRYING TWENTIES CONFRONTS US WITH THE QUESTION of how to take hold in the adult world. 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