--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was very young, I was…" description: "\"When I was very young, I was disgracefully intolerant but when I passed the thirty mark I prided myself on having learned the beautiful lesson that all..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22a/gladys-bronwyn-stern-80475_all-things_when-i-was-very-young-i-was-disgracefull_842743.png" --- # When I was very young, I was disgracefully intolerant but… ![“When I was very young, I was disgracefully intolerant but when I passed the thirty mark I prided myself on having learned the beautiful lesson that all things were good, and equally good. That, however, was really laziness. Now, thank goodness, I've sorted out what matters and what doesn't. And…” quote by Gladys Bronwyn Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22a/gladys-bronwyn-stern-80475_all-things_when-i-was-very-young-i-was-disgracefull_842743.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22a/gladys-bronwyn-stern-80475_all-things_when-i-was-very-young-i-was-disgracefull_842743.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22a/gladys-bronwyn-stern-80475_all-things_when-i-was-very-young-i-was-disgracefull_842743.png) > “When I was very young, I was disgracefully intolerant but when I passed the thirty mark I prided myself on having learned the beautiful lesson that all things were good, and equally good. That, however, was really laziness. Now, thank goodness, I've sorted out what matters and what doesn't. And I'm beginning to be intolerant again.” [Gladys Bronwyn Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gladys-bronwyn-stern/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early intolerance gives way to a simplistic belief in universal goodness, which can become complacent; later, discerning judgment returns. **In simple terms:** We may swing from intolerance to naive kindness, then back to selective tolerance. Key Takeaway Balance openness with critical discernment. Themes intolerance growth critical thinking balance self-awareness Mood thoughtful critical introspective Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - career decisions - friendship choices - political views - art criticism Key Concepts philosophy personal development ethical judgment Questions to Reflect On - When does tolerance become passivity? - How can we stay discerning without becoming harsh? A Different Perspective Over-simplifying “all is good” can hinder progress; vigilance is needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [All things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/all-things/) [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Beginning Intolerant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning-intolerant-661327/) [Disgracefully Intolerant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disgracefully-intolerant-661329/) [Goodness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goodness/) [Intolerant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intolerant/) [Intolerant Passed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intolerant-passed-661328/) [Laziness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laziness/) [Lessons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lessons/) [Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mark/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Prided Having](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prided-having-661330/) [Thank goodness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thank-goodness/) [Thirty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thirty/) [What matters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/what-matters/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) ## Related quotes > [We were never a frivolous band; we prided ourselves on having something to say, and I think that's what gives your songs longevity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolores-o-riordan/we-were-never-a-frivolous-band-we-prided-ourselves-on-having/) [Dolores O'Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolores-o-riordan/) > [I'm H2O intolerant. -Sheldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finding-nemo/i-m-h2o-intolerant-sheldon/) [Finding Nemo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finding-nemo/) > [The tolerant liberal suddenly becomes very intolerant when their official religion is challenged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/the-tolerant-liberal-suddenly-becomes-very-intolerant-when-their/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [“I represent everything that distances Richard Pryor from Peoria, Illinois' ghettos.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/i-represent-everything-that-distances-richard-pryor-from-peoria/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [Let's stop being afraid ... to seem intolerant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-marois/let-s-stop-being-afraid-to-seem-intolerant/) [Pauline Marois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-marois/) > [I think people are intolerant of artists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chase/i-think-people-are-intolerant-of-artists/) [David Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chase/) > [“These days, though, tolerance means that you accept the other person's views as being true or legitimate. If you claim that someone is wrong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-copan/these-days-though-tolerance-means-that-you-accept-the-other-person-s/) [Paul Copan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-copan/) > [I can be intolerant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jason/i-can-be-intolerant/) [David Jason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jason/) > [We have the right not to tolerate the intolerant. We should tolerate even them whenever we can do so without running a great risk;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/we-have-the-right-not-to-tolerate-the-intolerant-we-should-tolerate/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [“Both Richard and I sat silent and watched Jennifer Lee . She came across the room and over to us and swept our chess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-brown/both-richard-and-i-sat-silent-and-watched-jennifer-lee-she-came/) [Cecil Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-brown/) > [The intolerant can be viewed as free-riders, as persons who seek the advantages of just institutions while not doing their share to uphold them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/the-intolerant-can-be-viewed-as-free-riders-as-persons-who-seek-the/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [But instead, Democrats are so bent on seeing Republicans as a bunch of angry, right wing, intolerant, unreliable extremists that they have a track…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-fleischer/but-instead-democrats-are-so-bent-on-seeing-republicans-as-a-bunch-of/) [Ari Fleischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-fleischer/) > [No true believer could be intolerant or a persecutor. If I were a magistrate and the law carried the death penalty against atheists, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/no-true-believer-could-be-intolerant-or-a-persecutor-if-i-were-a/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [The intolerant man will not rely on persuasion, or on the worth of the idea. He would deny to others the very freedom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/the-intolerant-man-will-not-rely-on-persuasion-or-on-the-worth-of-the/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [I am by nature the most intolerant and insular Englishman... If you happen to be a person like that and you learn from evidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-dowding-1st-baron-dowding/i-am-by-nature-the-most-intolerant-and-insular-englishman-if-you/) [Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-dowding-1st-baron-dowding/) ## More by Gladys Bronwyn Stern > [“One thing that's good about procrastination is that you awlays have something planned for tomorrow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gladys-bronwyn-stern/one-thing-that-s-good-about-procrastination-is-that-you-awlays-have/) [Gladys Bronwyn Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gladys-bronwyn-stern/) > [One thing that's good about procrastination is that you always have something planned for tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gladys-bronwyn-stern/one-thing-that-s-good-about-procrastination-is-that-you-always-have/) [Gladys Bronwyn Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gladys-bronwyn-stern/) [Explore all 3 Gladys Bronwyn Stern quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gladys-bronwyn-stern/) ## More All things quotes > [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [To explicate the uses of the Brain seems as difficult a task as to paint the Soul, of which it is commonly said, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-willis/to-explicate-the-uses-of-the-brain-seems-as-difficult-a-task-as-to/) [Thomas Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-willis/) > [A tree is a self: it is 'unseen shaping' more than it is leaves or bark, roots or cellulose or fruit ... 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