--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I felt that pressure of time that is…" description: "\"“I felt that pressure of time that is perhaps the surest indication we have left childhood behind.”\" — Gene Wolfe" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bd/gene-wolfe-2530_childhood_i-felt-that-pressure-of-time-that-is-per_471884.jpg" --- # I felt that pressure of time that is perhaps the surest… ![“I felt that pressure of time that is perhaps the surest indication we have left childhood behind.” quote by Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bd/gene-wolfe-2530_childhood_i-felt-that-pressure-of-time-that-is-per_471884.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bd/gene-wolfe-2530_childhood_i-felt-that-pressure-of-time-that-is-per_471884.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bd/gene-wolfe-2530_childhood_i-felt-that-pressure-of-time-that-is-per_471884.jpg) > ““I felt that pressure of time that is perhaps the surest indication we have left childhood behind.”” [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Realizing adulthood often feels like a sudden, urgent pressure that signals the end of childhood. **In simple terms:** Adult life feels urgent. Key Takeaway Embrace the change, seek growth. Themes growth responsibility time identity Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career planning - personal development - education decisions - relationship changes Key Concepts existential awareness psychological transition Questions to Reflect On - How do you interpret the feeling of time pressure? - What opportunities does this pressure reveal? A Different Perspective The pressure can also cause anxiety and fear of loss. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [No one worries about you like your mother, and when she is gone, the world seems unsafe, things that happen unwieldy. You cannot turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriana-trigiani/no-one-worries-about-you-like-your-mother-and-when-she-is-gone-the/) [Adriana Trigiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriana-trigiani/) > [There does seem to be some evidence that as people get older, they procrastinate less, perhaps because they feel the pressure of time more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/there-does-seem-to-be-some-evidence-that-as-people-get-older-they/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [I definitely put a lot of pressure on myself all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-rodrigo/i-definitely-put-a-lot-of-pressure-on-myself-all-the-time/) [Olivia Rodrigo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-rodrigo/) > [He stared at me with bitter understanding. We both knew there was no room in this for friendship. Nothing left but childhood history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/he-stared-at-me-with-bitter-understanding-we-both-knew-there-was-no/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [“So Oz finally became home; the imagined world became the actual world, as it does for us all, because the truth is that once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/so-oz-finally-became-home-the-imagined-world-became-the-actual-world/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [That is how you know you've left childhood behind-when you wish for time to go backward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/that-is-how-you-know-you-ve-left-childhood-behind-when-you-wish-for/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [There is no one on earth who knew you from the day you were born; who knew why you cried, or when you'd had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriana-trigiani/there-is-no-one-on-earth-who-knew-you-from-the-day-you-were-born-who/) [Adriana Trigiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriana-trigiani/) > [“He felt the pressure of her love as she squeezed his fingers, and then there was nothing. Except the pain. But nothing else, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/he-felt-the-pressure-of-her-love-as-she-squeezed-his-fingers-and-then/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [I think we felt the pressure more at first than this time around. But still you don't want to let anyone down. I never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-romijn/i-think-we-felt-the-pressure-more-at-first-than-this-time-around-but/) [Rebecca Romijn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-romijn/) > [I had many attempts to become No. 1, and it was really tough mentally to keep believing that it would happen one day, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simona-halep/i-had-many-attempts-to-become-no-1-and-it-was-really-tough-mentally/) [Simona Halep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simona-halep/) > [I do not think I felt the pressure on my debut show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupali-ganguly/i-do-not-think-i-felt-the-pressure-on-my-debut-show/) [Rupali Ganguly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupali-ganguly/) > [When I was younger, I felt pressure to become someone else once I became successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/when-i-was-younger-i-felt-pressure-to-become-someone-else-once-i-2/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [I felt so much pressure to come out on other people's terms, you know? I should have come out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-hayes/i-felt-so-much-pressure-to-come-out-on-other-people-s-terms-you-know/) [Sean Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-hayes/) > [Just like any other girl, I felt pressure to look a certain way. Act a certain way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-collins/just-like-any-other-girl-i-felt-pressure-to-look-a-certain-way-act-a/) [Petra Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-collins/) > [“I felt the pressure of people all around me, all the time. People around me, people with me, people pressing on me, pressing me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-felt-the-pressure-of-people-all-around-me-all-the-time-people/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) ## More by Gene Wolfe > [Some writers say they cannot write in front of a window; many say they cannot function without almost perfect quiet. A writer with only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/some-writers-say-they-cannot-write-in-front-of-a-window-many-say-they/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“Sometimes driven aground by the photon storms, by the swirling of the galaxies, clockwise and counterclockwise, ticking with light down the dark sea-corridors lined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/sometimes-driven-aground-by-the-photon-storms-by-the-swirling-of-the/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [Ambiguity is necessary in some of my stories, not in all. In those, it certainly contributes to the richness of the story. I doubt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/ambiguity-is-necessary-in-some-of-my-stories-not-in-all-in-those-it/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“There are beings—and artifacts—against which we batter our intelligence raw, and in the end make peace with reality only by saying, “It was an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/there-are-beings-and-artifacts-against-which-we-batter-our/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [Science has so accustomed us to devising and accepting theories to account for the facts we observe, however fantastic, that our minds must begin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/science-has-so-accustomed-us-to-devising-and-accepting-theories-to/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“The experienced feel love or desire, or both. The inexperienced are sick with a thousand feelings, most of them unformed: fearful that they may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/the-experienced-feel-love-or-desire-or-both-the-inexperienced-are/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“For those who have never attended a science fiction convention, masquerades are features of most of the larger ones. Awards are presented for best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/for-those-who-have-never-attended-a-science-fiction-convention/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“He had a wild yellow beard and long, tangled hair that stood out from his head in a way that made it seem too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/he-had-a-wild-yellow-beard-and-long-tangled-hair-that-stood-out-from/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [ ...in some situations winning consist\[s\] of disentangling oneself. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/in-some-situations-winning-consist-s-of-disentangling-oneself/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“For after all, if the lives of most men are examined in detail, it will be found that they have been experts of immense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/for-after-all-if-the-lives-of-most-men-are-examined-in-detail-it-will/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [You never learn how to write a novel. You just learn how to write the novel that you're writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/you-never-learn-how-to-write-a-novel-you-just-learn-how-to-write-the/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [There is no magic. There is only knowledge, more or less hidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/there-is-no-magic-there-is-only-knowledge-more-or-less-hidden/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“...the progress of science depends much less upon either theoretical considerations or systematic investigation than is commonly believed, but rather on the transmittal of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/the-progress-of-science-depends-much-less-upon-either-theoretical/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“Whatever we may say, all of us suffer from disturbed sleep at times. Some in truth hardly sleep, though some who sleep copiously swear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/whatever-we-may-say-all-of-us-suffer-from-disturbed-sleep-at-times/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“. . .Consciousness came and went. Consciousness went and came like the errant winds of spring, and I, who so often have had difficulty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/consciousness-came-and-went-consciousness-went-and-came-like-the/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) [Explore all 160 Gene Wolfe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) ## More Childhood quotes > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [“From childhood’s hour I have not been As others were—I have not seen As others saw—I could not bring My passions from a common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/from-childhood-s-hour-i-have-not-been-as-others-were-i-have-not-seen/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [We were so poor as kids. I didn't even see a bathtub, running water, hot water, commode - we didn't have any of that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/we-were-so-poor-as-kids-i-didn-t-even-see-a-bathtub-running-water-hot/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) > [I had a rough upbringing. Group homes. Foster homes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-shamrock/i-had-a-rough-upbringing-group-homes-foster-homes/) [Frank Shamrock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-shamrock/) > [When I talk about my childhood I used to say it as if it was scripted and I'd make jokes because it was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-katona/when-i-talk-about-my-childhood-i-used-to-say-it-as-if-it-was-scripted/) [Kerry Katona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-katona/) > [Every man remembers his childhood as a kind of mythical age, just as every nation's childhood is its mythical age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giacomo-leopardi/every-man-remembers-his-childhood-as-a-kind-of-mythical-age-just-as/) [Giacomo Leopardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giacomo-leopardi/) > [It's a very familiar type of place where people either go to their house on the lake or they get together in different places.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-carell/it-s-a-very-familiar-type-of-place-where-people-either-go-to-their/) [Steve Carell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-carell/) > [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [Downstairs in my house, I have a museum room. I keep all of my awards down there, and childhood photos, and even all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-kelly/downstairs-in-my-house-i-have-a-museum-room-i-keep-all-of-my-awards/) [R. Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-kelly/) > [Childhood is Last Chance Gulch for happiness. After that, you know too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/childhood-is-last-chance-gulch-for-happiness-after-that-you-know-too/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [On paper, it looks rough, but I had a great childhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-morton/on-paper-it-looks-rough-but-i-had-a-great-childhood/) [Samantha Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-morton/) > [Let positive, strong, helpful thoughts enter into your brains from very childhood. Lay yourselves open to these thoughts, and not to weakening and paralysing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/let-positive-strong-helpful-thoughts-enter-into-your-brains-from-very/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [I always knew that I was kind of bored; the regular life of a child didn't fit me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-ricci/i-always-knew-that-i-was-kind-of-bored-the-regular-life-of-a-child/) [Christina Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-ricci/) > [Children are not a zoo of entertainingly exotic creatures, but an array of mirrors in which the human predicament leaps out at us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/children-are-not-a-zoo-of-entertainingly-exotic-creatures-but-an/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I'm not sure I would have ever started to draw, let alone write, if my childhood hadn't been so happy. It was a mixture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-jansson/i-m-not-sure-i-would-have-ever-started-to-draw-let-alone-write-if-my/) [Tove Jansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-jansson/) [Browse all 5,837 Childhood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I felt that pressure of time that is perhaps the surest indication we have left childhood behind.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gene Wolfe" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/i-felt-that-pressure-of-time-that-is-perhaps-the-surest-indication-we/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Childhood" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/i-felt-that-pressure-of-time-that-is-perhaps-the-surest-indication-we/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bd/gene-wolfe-2530_childhood_i-felt-that-pressure-of-time-that-is-per_471884.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bd/gene-wolfe-2530_childhood_i-felt-that-pressure-of-time-that-is-per_471884.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bd/gene-wolfe-2530_childhood_i-felt-that-pressure-of-time-that-is-per_471884.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I felt that pressure of time that is perhaps the surest indication we have left childhood behind.” — Gene Wolfe", "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": "Gene Wolfe", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I felt that pressure of time...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/i-felt-that-pressure-of-time-that-is-perhaps-the-surest-indication-we/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/i-felt-that-pressure-of-time-that-is-perhaps-the-surest-indication-we/#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 } } ] } ```